By Rich OMalley
You see it all over Queens this time of year. It starts for the most dedicated around Thanksgiving: sorting out the decorations in the garage or the basement. Dusting off the dancing Frosty. Making sure all the light bulbs still shine. Inflating Winnie the Pooh and making sure the lawn mower didnt poke any holes in him over the summer months.
They are the folks who make Queens different than any other borough in December. You drive up and down the streets from the busy thoroughfares like Astoria Boulevard to the residential quietude of little Chevy Chase Street and you see the fruits of their labor.
One such scene is played out on 32nd Avenue at 212th Street. It is the home belonging to the Cardinale family and they make a yearly tradition out of thrilling hundreds of visitors and passers-by with their holiday show.
The Cardinales have dozens, nay, hundreds of holiday characters and objects spread out across their lawn. From the life-sized, dancing Santa Claus on their front porch to the miniature snowmen and toy soldiers scattered throughout, little kids and adults brave up to an hour in the cold appreciating it all. Hopefully, they leave a little something in the "Donations" box before they leave. The money given to the fund is donated to St. Marys Childrens Hospital once the displays are all taken down.
So we have accumulated a sort of "Top 10" here at The Queens Courier, to help our readers get their holiday fill across the borough. >From Jamaica to Whitestone, weve searched high and low for holiday light displays that are sure to entertain young and old in their originality and razzle-dazzle.
The list and map located in our paper will help guide the way, but you are sure to find dozens of other wonderful displays in between all our recommended stops.
So consider this a gift from us here at The Queens Courier to you. Go out and enjoy the hard work so many residents have put into making their homes beautiful and maybe next year, inflate your own holiday SpongeBob Squarepants.
