Often going beyond gaudy to outright gauche, but always illuminating, and sometimes simply inspiring, the neighborhood of Westerleigh, in the New York City borough of Staten Island, is representative of the middle class folks who celebrate the Christmas and New Years holidays with gusto, if not elan. What you may also notice is the European-inspired architecture of many homes in the neighborhood, representative of a time 50-60 years ago when the emphasis in American home construction was on quality, not quantity, and the result were strong, well-built and unique homes, so unlike the Poltergeist-like prefab and homogenized fleets of look-alike homes that challenge drunks and tired commuters alike to discern their home from their neighbors.