This tree-lighting really sparkled!
Hundreds of families packed the street to watch the 31st-annual Canarsie Holiday Display light up at the home of Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio on Dec. 3 — but the real shining moment was when two local lovebirds got engaged.
Georgetown’s fresh-faced civic leader Adam Diamond got down on one knee and slid a dazzling ring on his girlfriend Priscilla Consolo’s hand — a scene both Consolo and the crowd watched with awe, the new fiance said.
“Frank called myself and Priscilla onto the stage and I got down on one knee,” said Diamond, who heads the Georgetowne Civic Association. “She was so surprised at first, and I think the crowd was too, as I was giving my little speech in the beginning, the crowd started gasping — and then started applauding.”
Diamond brought Consolo — who lives in Gravesend and is attending law school at NYU — to Seddio’s display at the corner of Flatlands Avenue and E. 93rd Street for their first date, so he thought it would be the perfect spot to propose.
“It was where I took her on our first date four years ago,” said Diamond, who now works for Seddio’s law firm.
The romantic gesture was a highlight of the annual kickoff of the local Holiday season, which featured a colorful collage of lights, window displays, and seasonal melodies from a nearby school’s children’s choir that have been attracting visitors to Seddio’s home since 1963.
Even Mayor DeBlasio made his way to the couple through the massive crowd and gave them his well wishes, said Diamond.
“He congratulated us and asked us what we do, how are things going, if we set a date,” he said.
The pair hasn’t yet set a date, but they are looking to exchange their vows at El Caribe in Mill Basin, said Diamond.
And even without love in the air, the holiday extravaganza is still a site everyone should see, said Seddio.
“What do they have in Rockefeller Center but a big tree? Come to Canarsie where we honor Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and welcome every community, people of all faiths and backgrounds, especially families and kids, to celebrate the season,” he said. “It is our pleasure and honor to be able to do this every year.”
Canarsie Holiday Display (9306 Flatlands Avenue near E. 93rd Street in Canarsie).