Thanksgiving

Electric Bill Is High, But So Is Chester County Santa's Holiday Spirit

Jerry Corrado, who is in remission with a rare form of leukemia, says the lights

What to Know

  • Every year for over a decade, Jerry Cerrados has painstakingly decorated the front lawn of his two-acre farm with thousands of lights.
  • The display is also a toy drive for children in the Chester County Hospital. On weekends, Cerrados dresses as Santa & hands out candy canes.
  • Cerrados is still in remission with a rare type of leukemia. He says that the joy of seeing everyone together is "good for his health".

If there's Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Elmo and Big Bird, Mighty Mouse and a snowman, it must be Christmas time at the Corrado house in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

For more than 13 years, Jerry Corrado has transformed the front yard of his two-acre property in East Bradford Township, with almost every square inch of grass covered with inflatables and lights, into a winter wonderland.

This year, Corrado spent seven weeks connecting thousands of Christmas lights to 500 extension cords. The Corrado's electric bill goes up $500 every December, the Daily Local News reports. Their display might even be visible from space.

Corrado has been in remission for a year with APML leukemia, the rarest form of leukemia. Neighbors have pitched in more than usual the past couple of years — they say it brightens up the neighborhood, in more ways than one.

But for those who line up on Nobb Hill Drive every year, the lights are more than just a feast for the eyes.

No kid likes to be in the hospital, especially during Christmastime, but Corrado makes sure that hospitalized children can pick out a toy a day from a huge pile. On the weekends, he dresses up as Santa. Last year, he gave out 1,500 candy canes.

Through last year's toy drive, the Corrado Family donated 1,615 toys to the Chester County Hospital pediatric unit and emergency room.

"I like to see everybody get together, especially the kids," Corrado said. "This is good for my health."

Corrado officially flicks the switch Thanksgiving night and the show runs into the first week of January, says the Daily Local News.

The display and toy drive began when daughter Amanda Morgera worked at the Chester County Hospital. That first year, 275 toys were collected. Since then Corrado has become a regular, seasonal shopper for Christmas goods at Lowe's, Home Depot and Sears.

"In June he starts planning for what he’s going to do," his wife Joan Corrado said.

And the light show is popular with more than just the children.

"It makes me feel young," neighbor Barb Gallagher said.

Another resident, Dick Jenkins, said the display lights up the whole neighborhood. And still another, Jennifer Gosney, said the display brings "so much joy", while husband Evan Gosney said it gets him "into the spirit."

Every three months, Corrado gets checked out by the physicians at University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Last week he got a clean bill of health and the doctors told "Santa" that the cancer is still in remission.

A more than two-month hospitalization and 11 months of chemotherapy has added to Corrado's load. But his wife will tell you that when showing off his lights, he still smiles like "that kid in a toy store."

Nobb Hill Drive is located north of the intersection of Route 322 and the Route 322 Bypass on Route 322. To see the lights, take a right on Copeland School Road, the first right turn after the bypass intersection when headed toward Downingtown. Nobb Hill Drive is on the right, after about two miles on Copeland School Road.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us