East Meadow's Top 5 Holiday Events of 2010

So far this holiday season, plenty of events that have been held which have really helped East Meadow residents feel the presence of the holiday season. Below are the top 5 events to take place in East Meadow; feel free to let us know if you have more you'd like us to mention.

1)

This is a thrill for the volunteers of the  every year. To see the looks of the young boys and girls who get to tell Santa what they are hoping to get on Christmas is worth the price of admission for these volunteers.

"We always like getting involved with the community," Firefighter and Head Elf Eric Becker said. "There are other departments that have done this before and we wanted to get out and mingle with the community. Everyone comes and they look forward to this. The kids come and jump right on Santa's lap and take pictures."

2)

An event that was put on by the , the young adults adopted a platoon and put together a bunch of essentials for the holiday season. For the young people that participated, an event like this made all the sense in the world.

"This is important to do because it gives the soldiers a taste of home," said Daniel Gross, 16, and a student at . "It shows them that we are still thinking of them even though they are so far away."

3) 

Patients at the  were ecstatic to see that New York Islanders hockey players Doug Weight, James Wisniewski and Andrew MacDonald took the time to deliver presents to their beds. Some patients were unable to get up to greet the athletes, so the Islanders brought the gifts to them.

"The kids are here every day, and so are their families," Weight said. "If we can come in and throw a little change-up and try to make them laugh and wish them a happy holiday, then we have done our job."

4)

It was a day of holiday music and themes brought to East Meadow by the . People from the community filed in to take part in the festivities to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.

"Our parish choir carries on a centuries old tradition in the Orthodox Church of trained singers leading the faithful in the responses at all divine services," Father Martin Kraus, pastor of Holy Trinity, said in the program for the evening. "The choir uses a mixture of ancient and modern chant melodies to proclaim the texts."

5)

Members of the community gathered in Town Square to celebrate the holiday season in style. The conditions were frigid, so people kept their hot chocolate close as the community joined together to sing holiday hymns and welcome Santa Claus to East Meadow. The event was special for the Hoff family, because Nathan, a member of the Marine Corps, got to light the tree. His son Wally was thrilled to lend a hand.

"I am excited because my dad gets to be the one to light the tree and I get to help," Wally said.