Montrose restaurant sparkles with over-the-top Christmas decorations

HOUSTON, Texas -- The festive holiday decorations in Riva's Italian Restaurant start going up the week before Thanksgiving.

"The phone starts ringing, and they want to know if the decorations are up," Co-Owner Michael Siboyeh says excitedly. "I do it because everyone who walks in, I see the smile on their face, and it's beautiful."

That motivates Michael to make it bigger and brighter every year. Michael and his brother Joseph have owned Riva's for nearly 50 years in the Houston area and the last 27 years in Montrose.

Riva's holiday spirit really took off in the neighborhood near downtown. The holiday haven is about as close as you can get to a North Pole dining experience.

Michael loves it as much as his customers, "A lot of the regulars come here this time every year it's amazing."

Joseph, Riva's chef, adds, "With these decorations and the kind of food that we serve, people really feel comfort coming over here. This is the best time to be happy-it's Christmas, and we really take pride in bringing that out."

Riva's Italian Restaurant is located at 1117 Missouri Street.