On Nov. 28, a family in Ridgewood will be debuting a Christmas wonderland in their house, which is adorned with more lights, inflatables and decorations than you’ve ever seen, in an effort to raise money for charity and honor one of their members, who passed away just two years ago.
Cathy Mazzarella started the tradition years ago as a way to give back during the holidays by getting neighbors to come together and donate to Toys For Tots, a non-profit that provides children with presents for the holidays.
“This isn’t a house that you would think would get decorated like this… the fact is there’s no dirt. It’s all concrete, so it’s very hard to work with,” Mazzarella said. “But we’ve managed and a lot of people like it on the block and walk by and stop to say ‘Oh, it’s beautiful.”
The family home is located at 1715 Summerfield St. and will be open to the public for viewing from Nov. 28 to Dec. 22, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., for kids and families to see the hundreds of lights and decorations that span from upstairs in the home all the way around the house to the backyard. The work started mid-October with every family member pitching in, though Anthony Acevedo, who lives just two doors down, and his mother can be credited with most of the hard work.
“Tommy [Acevedo] will come and visit when he can and he did help with decorating the awning,” Anthony Acevedo said. “I’m not gonna lie… yeah, he definitely helped me because he’s skinny.”
Raffle tickets are available for purchase at $20 for the chance to win one of several gift baskets that the family and local businesses put together with themes such as nail care, date night, chocolate, sports memorabilia and others. Lucky winners will be drawn on Dec. 14.
In 2022, Mazzarella said the family was able to donate over 120 toys to the organization. However, this year they will also be donating to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) to honor the eldest son, SSgt. Gaetano Acevedo who tragically passed away in 2023 at the age of 35. Gaetano Acevedo was a member of VFW and his brother said he appreciated the unique family tradition. The family took two years off, but are back in even bigger fashion, for the first time incorporating the foyer, driveway and backyard.
Though it takes months of effort, they say the worthwhile causes and reactions from the community keep them motivated while working in the cold.
“[Kids] stop all the time and they take pictures and I’m happy with that… since the school is right over here,” Anthony Acevedo said. “You see them smile and light up… it makes it worth it.”
