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‘Tech’ the halls: Santa and reindeer return to light Downtown office complex’s massive tree

‘Tech’ the halls: Santa and reindeer return to light Downtown office complex’s massive tree
Photo by Stefano Giovannini

It’s Metro decked!

Old Saint Nick flew in from the North Pole to spread some holiday cheer at Downtown’s MetroTech Commons on Thursday, appearing alongside two of his beloved reindeer at the office complex’s 28th-annual tree-lighting ceremony. And the sight of Santa’s sleigh-pullers mesmerized two youngsters who have seen all the movies and read all the books about the horned beasts’ colleague, Rudolph, according to the tykes’ mom.

“They have definitely never seen a live reindeer before. My daughter was like, ‘I can’t wait to see!’ ” said neighborhood resident Jaclyn Carter, who brought daughter Georgia and son Conroy to the bash. “They loved it.”

And unlike the kids who Santa Claus spooked in Fort Greene, Carter said that her tots smiled even wider watching the jolly old elf wave to the crowd from atop a fire truck’s cherry-picker as he helped light the giant 55-foot tree amid falling man-made snow and bubbles spewed by nearby machines.

“The kids got a kick out of Santa. They wouldn’t stop talking about him,” she said. “They were like, ‘Oh my god Santa walked by.’ ”

Dancers from the Brooklyn Ballet upped the holiday cheer with a yuletide-themed performance that wowed attendees who snacked on tasty treats doled out by local eateries at the event hosted by the complex’s developer, Forest City New York.

And celebrants later bobbed their heads to favorite seasonal tunes including Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis,” which blasted from speakers throughout the plaza-turned-winter-wonderland.

Reach reporter Julianne Cuba at (718) 260–4577 or by e-mail at jcuba@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @julcuba.