See why local neighborhood draws crowds for Christmas

Paul Kiska
·2 min read

*The above video, courtesy of Jones Drones Cleveland, shows what many consider one of the most decorated neighborhoods for Christmas and the holiday season in the country*

FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio (WJW) — Only Santa knows for sure how many people visit Fairview Park’s Seabury Avenue every holiday season but the guy who started the tradition 11 Christmas’s ago measures it this way.

“We’ve already given out 6,000 cups of hot chocolate in a month to people walking through the Sidewalk Garland Lights and that doesn’t include a couple of thousand cars that have driven through,” said Bill McVicker.

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McVicker told Fox 8 News he was inspired to turn Seabury into a Christmas wonderland by his grandfather. McVicker is affectionately known as the “Chief Elf Officer” in the Seabury neighborhood and beyond.

Going all out to decorate their houses for the holidays started small in 2012…now hundreds of homes participate as people from all over Ohio make the drive to take in the dazzling display.

Some jolly groups even rent party buses to see what seems like an endless array of decorations and the hundreds of thousands of lights block after block…for many blocks.

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Some “elves” who visit Seabury like to believe the vast amount of Illuminos lights can be seen from the International Space Station if not the North Pole.

*The above video, courtesy of Jones Drones Cleveland, is another fly-over view that shows Seabury all aglow*

Years ago, many visitors and families started offering tips to help pay for the enormous amount of hot chocolate and the “Elf” tent equipped with heat to warm up.

Then, visitors who were moved by the spirit of Christmas wanted to make donations to brighten the lives of others. That’s when McVicker formed a 501c3 non-profit called Fairview Park Holiday Lights which donates the money to several local groups, McVicker said.

McVicker said the donations go to Meals on Wheels, Fairview Park Senior Center, and the Fairview Park Hunger Center.

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“This is my sixth time driving through this year,” said Angela Petrak. “I love the hustle and bustle, and seeing everyone smile, I’m brining my family here for Christmas.”

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If you’d like to see more stunning drone videos from other Christmas villages and towns in NE Ohio decked out for the holidays, you can click on Jones Drones Cleveland’s social media page which also includes other spectacular videos and unique views of events throughout the year throughout NE Ohio.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.