The third annual Christian J. Santo Winter Wonderland was a tremendous success! People from the community and beyond were invited to experience the magic of the North Pole without ever leaving Brooklyn. Our festive holiday celebration immersed members of the community in a feast for the senses. The street was lined with vendors for family friendly activities, shopping, food trucks, crafts, face painting, a dancing Frosty the Snowman, live entertainment and music – it was magical. The magic continued with the Santo house lighting – a spectacular display of holiday lights, highlighted by a very special piano performance. Matt, who is on the spectrum, showcased his amazing talents on the piano, accompanied by the beautiful singing voice of Jordan. Matt’s dream is to become a professional musician and his hard work and dedication to his music is an inspiration to anyone trying to achieve their goals. Jordan who has three recently released singles was honored to sing alongside Matt, and both were thrilled to be a part of this amazing event.
The fun continued with a high energy performance from Staten Island’s own award-winning Dance Factory. Children dressed as reindeer, elves and Santas delighted young and old with expertly choreographed and beautifully executed dance moves to the music of Feliz Navidad.
And of course what holiday celebration would be complete without a visit from the jolly old soul and his wife, Santa Claus and Mrs.Claus. Mr. and Mrs. Claus arrived, to everyone’s delight, in a magical horse drawn carriage straight from the North Pole. The fun continued with pictures taken with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, carriage rides, train rides and let’s not forget dessert – hot chocolate, cookies, donuts, zeppoles, candy canes and more.
Aaliyah Rivera was the guest of honor at our Winter Wonderland celebration. The Santo family on behalf of the foundation presented Aaliyah with a brand new electric wheelchair to replace one that was stolen from her home in Ossining. It was a heartwarming moment of kindness, love and gratitude. Several other previous recipients, were there as well to enjoy the festivities .
This magical event was the perfect kickoff to our holiday season to bring our community together in the spirit of giving . A strong community is vital to the success of any organization, and it is our hope that this event has strengthened our community and created a sense of belonging for all. The true magic, however, was how our sponsors and our community came together with the foundation to create such an inclusive and fun event.
Our winter wonderland could not have happened without the generosity of our sponsors and the hard work and dedication from our foundation and its supporters.
