On Summerfield Street in Ridgewood, the warm glow of Christmas lights can be seen emanating from one house. An outlier for the street, as not many decorations can be seen even this close to the holidays, the townhouse is decorated from front garden to rooftop with thousands of lights, ornaments, statues and inflatables. And on the stoop’s gate just below the house’s front steps, a sign hangs that reads, “In Memory of SSgt. Gaetano Acevedo.”
The year of 2024 presented the Acevedo family with several tragic losses. Husband and step-father, Giovanni “John” Perna, was ill from dementia and the family knew that he did not have much time left. The disease had progressed quite rapidly, and Perna’s wife, Cathy Mazzarella, cared for him in their family home with some help from her four sons: Gaetano, Anthony, Tommy and Giovanni. Gaetano Acevedo, a veteran who served in Kuwait, lived at home and Anthony Acevedo just two doors down in his own apartment.
“I want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. If you can find it in your hearts to donate, that would be amazing. Otherwise, just continue to be blessed, continue to hug and hold your family and cherish every moment you have,” Anthony Acevedo said. “Honestly and truly cherish every moment, even these moments where these kids are smiling and happy [looking at the lights], I cherish those deeply.”
The family had mentally prepared for Perna’s passing, as many do who have loved ones with Alzheimer’s, dementia or other progressive diseases. Though the dementia had greatly affected his memory, Anthony Acevedo said that Perna never forgot his wife and remembered her until he passed away in December 2024, at the age of 75. Perna required much more care as the illness progressed, which his family members were completely willing to give. In early 2024 they had begun planning to take a vacation together to distract from the grief of losing their patriarch and enjoy the things in life they couldn’t once Perna’s dementia had progressed too far.
However, that plan changed due to the sudden passing of the eldest brother, Gaetano Acevedo, at the age of 35.
Gaetano Acevedo joined the non-profit Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) after he returned home from Kuwait, and as the eldest of the four brothers, took a leading role in the family tradition. Every year, they strove to outdo their charitable donations, purchasing more lights to draw even more eyes to the cause. According to Anthony Acevedo, his brother had been receiving counseling from VFW and was doing well, even writing books in his free time.
Anthony Acevedo, living just next door, had spent a lot of time with his older brother since his return and said they’d even reconciled the petty sibling differences from their childhoods. Anthony Acevedo said his brother has become much more meditative and introspective, and while on a road trip returning from a celebration for his birthday in mid-October of 2024, the two brothers had a long conversation about their past, the future and life as a whole. Unfortunately, Gaetano Acevedo passed away just a few days later.
“It’s hard now when people ask ‘Oh, how many brothers do you have?” Anthony Acevedo said. “I always say three, and I will always continue to say three, because it’s just not the same saying two.”
The extravagant Christmas lights were Mazzarella’s idea, when she decided she wanted to give back to the community in some way and started the family tradition as a way to raise money for Toys for Tots, a non-profit organization that collects toy donation to give to families in need for holidays and throughout the year. However, putting thousands of Christmas lights on a townhouse and across the concrete backyard isn’t easy, and takes months of work with all hands on deck. Perna’s care and the passing of their eldest brother and son meant they simply didn’t have the energy, and the family tradition was paused for the past two years.
Anthony Acevedo, who works a hands-on job outdoors as an arborist, decided to renew their efforts this year: not just to put the lights up, but go even bigger than they ever had. For the first year, the family opened up their own home and backyard to friends, neighbors and even strangers just walking by their home. The tradition, which their eldest brother had always been the most appreciative of, became Anthony Acevedo and his mother’s way of both honoring his memory and keeping busy during the difficult time.
“Each day we have to come back home, and we have to think: [the family]’s not complete anymore,” Anthony Acevedo said. “Our Christmas isn’t going to be the same. We’re not wrapping gifts for my brother.”
In years past, it took the family all of November to put up everything before opening night just before Thanksgiving. The ambitious additions to the project required much more work, so Mazzarella, Anthony Acevedo and his brothers started even earlier; mid-October.
“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 in November, while tying down the dozens of inflatables around he backyard. “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.”
This year, Mazzarella hopes to beat her record of around 160 toys donated, a steep figure she set years ago before the pandemic. The goal was made even more difficult, as her charity drive has a new cause added on this year: the VFW in honor of her son. They sold tickets for a raffle for several gift baskets with varying themes at $20, and with the help of local businesses, several family members who sold tickets at work and passersby on the sidewalk drawn in by the lights they raised over $1,500 for the organization. On-top of the two massive boxes filled with toys for Toys for Tots, this year’s charity drive may have been their most successful to date.
The raffle has already been drawn, but the house, at 1714 Summerfield St., will be open to visitors and donations collected until Dec. 22. Though the family is still grieving the loss of two of their members, the joy on the faces of locals and kids from the nearby PS 239Q makes the months of hard work worth it.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to be fully able to say, ‘I’m perfect now, I’m fine.’ I don’t think anybody will feel that way after sudden passings,” Anthony Acevedo said. “But it just helps ease us each day… seeing people come out. I love seeing the kids so happy. I love seeing adults so happy. I love people seeing people smile. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that there’s still kindness in this world.”
The family would like to thank every individual who donated as well as Cypress Industry, Wendy’s Nails, Hannal, Par Deli, Nature’s Way, Giants, Keyfood, Queens Cages and Monkey Fist Studios for their contributions.
