SPINELLI'S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR!
I saw the first Christmas themed
commercial on TV a few weeks before
Halloween. The Christmas decorations
have been up in Boscov's for at least
two weeks. And some home owners
have been taking advantage of the
unusually warm temperatures lately
to begin hanging their outdoor Christmas
lights.
But nobody does it like Joe Spinelli!
When Joe was a kid in Brooklyn he
used to love going to the big Department
Store near his home to see the animated
elves and decorations set up in the front
window! The lights and characters were
a big part of Christmas for him.
About seven years ago his wife
learned those characters and decorations
were no longer being used. So, she bought
them and gave them to Joe!
Since Joe doesn't have his own
Department Store he built a series of
trailers, enclosed the mechanical
characters, and set them out in his
front yard for all to see! Now, every
year, from Black Friday through
"Little" or "Russian Christmas" folks
driving around Newfoundland in
Wayne County, have a chance to get
a look at "Christmas Past" as they
drive through a lane Joe has set up in
his yard.
The lights, moving characters, and
Christmas music attracted an estimated
3,000 visitors last year. And why not?
There's no charge! Joe does it to share
the joy he's treasured from those days
as a kid back in Brooklyn.
Businesses in the town benefit
from the holiday visitors too and
several have joined Joe as sponsors
of his growing attraction. And speaking
of growing, Joe has just discovered
another collection of old Department
Store Christmas window characters
which he plans to add to his display as
soon as next season!
Like Santa, Joe labors year round
to keep the antiques in working order.
But, he says, it's a labor of love.
I'll think about him, and feel
humbled, in a few weeks when I
staple a couple strings of lights around
our doorway and hang a wreath on the
front door. Of course, my electric bill
will be a lot smaller!
Hope Joe's Christmas Future is
as bright as his lights, and that all his
and your NEWS is good!
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