Judges and politicians take part in Hon. Frank Seddio’s annual Canarsie tradition

December 3, 2018 By Rob Abruzzese. Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Hon. Frank Seddio's annual Christmas lights display in Canarsie features more than 100,000 lights and eight different festive scenes. For Sunday's opening night there were kids from the local schools signing Christmas carols and ponies. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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Although it was a slightly smaller crowd than in years past due to rain, Hon. Frank Seddio still drew a crowd of a few hundred of Canarsie residents, local politicians and judges to his annual holiday lights display at the corner of East 93rd Street and Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie on Sunday.

Seddio, the Kings County Democratic Party chair, former Surrogate’s Court Judge and past president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, continues a neighborhood tradition that stretches back nearly five decades.

It’s possible that the display in Dyker Heights is bigger, with more neighbors participating, but Seddio could have the single most lights of anybody in the borough with more than 100,000 lights on display honoring Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

“Each year, we dedicate the display to a person from Canarsie who has been an outstanding citizen and this year we have dedicated the display to Catherine Rosa,” Seddio said.

Hon. Frank Seddio often attracts a host of local and state officials to his annual Christmas lights display. Seddio is pictured here with Attorney General-elect Letitia James, Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Councilmember Alan Maisel, but many other politicians and judges brought their families for the festive events. Other politicians included Assemblymember Jaime R. Williams, Persaud, Councilmembers Brad Lander, Laurie Cumbo and Jesse Hamilton.

Children from the local schools sang Christmas carols at the event as local politicians and religious leaders took turns giving brief speeches.

“This is a day to celebrate,” Said Letitia James, whom Seddio referred to as Brooklyn’s favorite woman. “This is a festival of lights. This is what we all come together for to celebrate our faith, our family and our community. We have so much to be grateful for in Brooklyn as well as this nation.”