Christmas light display on New York house competes in ABC TV contest

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NEW CITY – The Cirlin family has spent countless hours on its annual New City North Pole Airport Holiday Light Display. It’s been a huge draw for Rocklanders, who come by Oriole Road to take in the elaborately themed decorations.

Now the house has been picked to compete in ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” with a $50,000 grand prize. The episode airs 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 on ABC and streaming on Hulu.

‘Just like Santa’

Gary Cirlin said the recognition from show provides a big boost; he’s been a fan for years. “It’s quite a compliment.”

But a bigger motivator, Cirlin said, was the day one of his children made the observation that the family was “just like Santa,” because of the charities the holiday lights display supports.

“I thought, ‘you got it, kid,’ ” Cirlin said.

Being on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” he said, “will be exponentially beneficial for the charities we support.”

A giving opportunity

The display is free to view, of course, but there’s an opportunity to say thanks for the show with charitable donations.

The North Pole Airport display supports Angel Flight North East, a nonprofit that provides free air transportation for children and adults in need of lifesaving medical care. Donations can be give via cash, Venmo (@Angelflightne) or other contactless methods.

Non-perishable food items are collected onsite for People to People, Rockland’s largest food pantry.

How to see it

The annual North Pole Holiday Light Display is up and running. The kickoff, dubbed “First (F)Light,” took place the night after Thanksgiving.

The display features more 300,000 synchronized lights and dozens of custom-made, interactive animatronics. There’s a free (s)Elfie photo station that captures the display in its full glory.