Santa arrives in Valley Stream, spreads cheer

More than 500 candy canes were handed out to the children at the Village of Valley Stream’s tree lighting and visit from Santa Claus on Dec. 4, so by that count, hundreds more filled out the crowd at the annual gathering.

This year’s mild temperatures and clear skies were an improvement over last year’s rain. The line to see Santa wound through Village Hall and out past the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library. Decked out in red and white, Deputy Village Clerk Richard DeAngelis welcomed young visitors onto his lap for pictures — with a few exceptions, like 2-year-old Ava Minori, who gave him a hug and a smile before she broke into tears and beckoned to her parents for a quick escape.

When 7-year-old Victoria Linares’s turn came, she posed for her photo, then leaned in with a hand cupped to her mouth and whispered into Santa’s ear for a good 10 seconds.

“We’ll see what we can do,” DeAngelis responded matter-of-factly.

The evening also featured Mayor Ed Fare reading to children at Village Hall, and children wrote letters to Santa that will be added to the village’s collection, to be delivered to Macy’s at the Green Acres Mall on Friday. The company donates a dollar per letter to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Chabad Outreach Center lit its giant menorah near the Valley Stream Long Island Rail Road station on Dec. 6.

Still in store are the Fire Department’s fire truck rides at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26, a candlelight tour of the Pagan-Fletcher Restoration from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 27 and children’s activities at the Waldinger Library from Dec. 28 to 30.