[BOROBEAT] Seddio fires up the Christmas lights in Canarsie

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By Julianne Cuba

Brooklyn Daily

It’s a beloved holiday tradition.

Hundreds of families from all over the borough came out to watch the neighborhood light up with holiday spirit during Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss Frank Seddio’s annual Christmas display in Canarsie on Dec. 4.

Seddio decked his Flatlands Avenue house with 150,000 colorful light bulbs and window displays — and handed out candy canes to all the kids. Choir students from a local school entertained the crowd with holiday tunes, and locals could feel the warmth in the cold air, said one area mom.

“They did liven up the crowd, and help us forget about the cold weather that we had been standing out in,” said Myleen Hernandez, whose son attends PS 115. “I just thought it was spectacular. It’s so nice what Mr. Seddio does for the community, for the children, and it’s a nice house and definitely stands out. The festivities were just amazing.”

The holiday extravaganza was Seddio’s 30th — though it really began with the home’s previous owner in 1963.

Each year, Seddio chooses to honor a late local leader who has made a difference in the community at the event, and this year, the community remembered the late Ken Thompson, who served as Kings County District Attorney before his sudden death earlier this fall, said Seddio.

“Ken was an extraordinary man, he was a gentleman at all times. I got to know him pretty well. Ken was making a difference in the job he had before he died so suddenly,” he said. “He will be well remembered on the mark he made in the justice system, his ability to address system on wrongful convictions, and I think his hallmark will be carried out by his successors.”

Seddio, who also puts out a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel, even got Mr. and Mrs. Claus make their way to Canarsie to listen to all of the boys’ and girls’ wish lists.

Every part of the evening lifted the holiday spirits of one Sheepshead Bay resident and her daughter, she said.

“It was amazing, always is,” said Vanessa Wein Vaccarao, whose daughter Isabella enjoyed meeting Santa Claus and his reindeer. “I don’t have a favorite, everything is amazing. She sat there waiting for the lights, and waiting for the reindeer to come and got all excited.”

Reach reporter Julianne Cuba at (718) 260–4577 or by e-mail at jcuba@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @julcuba.

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[BOROBEAT] Seddio fires up the Christmas lights in Canarsie : Brooklyn Daily