Tree lighting, Santa Claus kick start the holiday season in Village Square

It was a festive evening in the heart of Glen Cove on Sunday, as Santa Claus, riding into Village Square via a Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department truck, took photos with families.

Santa, in his den decorated by interior designer Maryvi Araujo from Safavieh in Glen Cove, was stationed behind plexi-glass for safe greetings and picture takings. All families wore masks when taking pictures, making for some memorable Christmas photos that will symbolize a time of social distancing.

“I love Christmas,” Araujo said, adding that part of her goal was to show what people can do with just some Safavieh products to bring a festive and chic look to their homes.

Araujo has been an interior designer all her life. Inspired by her mother’s work in interior design, Araujo graduated from college in 2006 to pursue interior designing. She moved from the Dominican Republic two years ago to work for Safavieh.

“Safavieh did a wonderful job in decorating,” said Patricia Holman, the executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District, which organizes the event every year. “We’ve had a steady flow [of attendees.] American Paving sponsors the photos with Santa, [the distribution] of popcorn and the decoration of the police booth.”

City of Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke, said he appreciated seeing an event bring joy to the community all while celebrating in a safe manner and utilizing local businesses.

“It is so important at this time of year that our kids don’t even miss one year of having Christmas celebrated because once that year is gone, it’s gone,” Tenke said. “The fact that we had Santa Claus here and we have a Christmas tree that we’re going to light tonight is really, very special.”

The 30-foot blue spruce, grown by the Thompson family in front of a home on George Street in Glen Cove and donated by the Maziejka family, the current home owners, arrived in Village Square last Wednesday. It was the first time Glen Cove’s official Christmas tree was erected in the recently finished Village Square, a development of Garvies Point at Glen Cove by RXR Realty that was dedicated to the City of Glen Cove earlier Sunday afternoon.

Joe Graziose, RXR Realty’s executive vice president of residential development and construction and a Glen Cove resident, with his family and colleagues, walked into Village Square admiring what was last year an uncompleted project compared to the hub it is now.

“Last year, we were in a totally different place,” Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola recalled. “We didn’t have Covid, but we had no Village Square… It’s beautiful that we can do a little something. It’s nice that we do something for the kids and that they could see Santa.”

To be a life-long resident of Glen Cove who was contributed to the annual celebration by providing Village Square, Graziose said, makes this time of year extra precious.

“We officially turned over the plaza to the city, which this evening is just one of the many opportunities for the city to enjoy this plaza,” Graziose said. “We have had a tremendous success here in Glen Cove, as you know with our project on Garvies Point, as well as here in Village Square, and we look forward to our continued relationship here with Glen Cove.”

After an evening of taking pictures with families in the chilly, December air, Santa took a short break, afterwards riding into Village Square once again via the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department. He then led the crowd in a countdown to the lighting of the tree, which was plugged in by The Rev. Shawn McNown Williams of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Glen Cove, Tenke, Philip Mazjieka, Tenke and Graziose.

“The main thing is that we all remember to stay safe,” Tenke said. “I want people to enjoy not only their families and the holidays, but to stay healthy so that we can come out of this on the other side.”