FOR SOME, PUTTING UP Christmas lights is yet another holiday chore. But in the Pascucci household, it was always a big day of celebration. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, Anthony Pascucci , the family patr iarch, woke up excited to string lights and decorate the lawn of his home in Bethpage, New York.
And why wouldn’t he be? It was a family affair. Starting in early November, Anthony and his older sister, Connie Pascucci, had a tradition of visiting local stores to check out new decorations and to dream up their vision for that year’s extravaganza.
Anthony’s son, Anthony Jr., and daughter, Sara, shared the home, and they pitched in as well. Anthony Jr. helped with the wiring, while Sara hung ornaments on the tree inside the house, playing ‘White Christmas’ over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
In 2020, as in every other year, Anthony Sr. strung colourful lights all around their roof until it looked as if sparkles were dripping onto the porch. On the front lawn, he inflated a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. The whole place looked like a scene from a pop-up Christmas storybook.
Anthony Sr., 60, had outdone himself, as if the brightness of the lights could counter some of the darkness of the past year, with COVID-19.
“It was just such a rough year that he tried his best to make it extra special,” Sara says.
When her 18-month-old son, Robbie, saw the finished display, he ran around the yard, pointing and giggling.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BOOKS
Books review
STUDIO - Off Lamington Road by Gieve Patel
Oil on Canvas, 54 x 88 in
NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE
FOODS THAT FIGHT DEMENTIA
TO HELL AND BACK
The Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan is known as the Gates of Hell. I stood on its edge - and lived to tell the tale
THE SNAKE CHARMERS
Invasive Burmese pythons are squeezing the life out of Florida's vast Everglades. An unlikely sisterhood is taking them on
Sisterhood to Last a Lifetime
These college pals teach a master class in how to maintain a friendship for 50-plus years
...TO DIE ON A HOCKEY RINK
ONE MINUTE I WAS PLAYING IN MY BEER LEAGUE, THE NEXT I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
Just Sit Tight
Broken, battered and trapped in a ravine for days, I desperate driver wonders, \"Will anyone find me?\"
Allow Me to Mansplain...
If there's one thing we know, it's this: We're a nation of know-it-alls
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR (AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES!)
It's no secret that we have a serious addiction. Here's how to cut back on the sweet stuff, once and for all.