EN teen restores misfit decorations into winter wonderland benefitting Ronald McDonald House

Misfit Island, the brilliantly lit brainchild of 19-year-old East Northport resident Andrew Reid, has been getting a lot of attention lately – for the sheer size of the holiday display, the dozens of refurbished decorations used to create it, and the generosity of Reid, who is collecting donations for the first Ronald McDonald House in Suffolk County, at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.  

A 2023 graduate and former member of the Northport High School track team, Reid salvaged his first holiday decoration – a unicorn – while out for a run four years ago. He and his three siblings have since turned that initial find into a competition of sorts, each of them picking up decorations otherwise destined for the landfill while out jogging.

More than 85% of the Oxbow Court display is made of items that were found, fixed and refurbished by Reid; even the materials used to restore the old, broken or simply forgotten items are secondhand, with the goal being not to purchase something new but to “find something that fits,” Reid said. Leftover pipe cleaners, multicolored bingo chips, a toothbrush, old scarf and sunglasses – all have been used to breathe new life into snowmen, penguins, polar bears and more. 

Many of the characters from “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Island of Misfit Toys” can be found in Reid’s display too, including some of the misfits – “outcast” toys with features that are a little different or unexpected, but as the story teaches, are no less valuable than their “typical” counterparts. 

While this isn’t Reid’s first holiday display, it is the largest and most advertised. Restoring the decorations is a yearlong effort, he said, with set-up this year beginning in August. It’s a little disconcerting, when the neighbors see him setting up Christmas lights in the summer, Reid’s mom Christine told the Journal; but installing 91,000 lights takes time. 

Reid’s car is decorated with another 1,600 lights. On Halloween, he dressed up as Santa and his friend as an elf and drove around town handing out candy canes. The attention is nothing Reid shies away from; he’s out on his driveway every night talking to visitors to Misfit Island and loves the smiles he gets when he’s out on the road. 

An EMT in training, Reid is proud to help support the new Ronald McDonald House via his display. Visitors to 14 Oxbow Court in East Northport may donate cash in person, or at this direct link. The display is open to the public every night from 5:30-9pm through December 26, weather permitting. Reid also accepts broken decorations year-round to add to his collection; there’s currently a spot on the driveway to drop them off. 

Updated December 14: This week Reid began promoting the newest addition to Misfit island,  a “misfit tree” he found at the curb. The tree is now set up in his driveway, in a stand from last year, and Reid would love to see it filled with homemade or repurposed decorations. Reid said he “wants to inspire kids to use their creativity and think outside the box,” and is inviting anyone to donate their ornaments made with a personal touch to the tree. 

He likes this idea, he said, because he feels like it’s bringing the community together to support a bigger project. Participants can come back year after year and see their ornament still a part of his display.

All are encouraged to come down to 14 Oxbow Court in East Northport and place a homemade and/or repurposed ornament on the tree; just keep in mind that the tree will be left outside so it has to withstand the weather. Reid is also collecting broken or no longer wanted Christmas tree ornaments to use for a future project.