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Margate Santa Spreads Cheer
• Does Santa really live in Margate?
Saturday,
December 26, 2009
Brooklyn native, Santo Curatolo, may or may not be Santa, but then again who really knows. He laughs like Santa, is jolly like Santa and makes rounds to kids during the holidays – just like Santa. Some say his selection of eyewear is a bit off, but other than that, Curatolo may be the real deal.
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From his Bensonhurst Brooklyn residence Curatolo moved briefly to Long Island, where he used to knock on doors and bring kids toys. Although most know Santa as coming down the chimney, ‘longisland’ laws prevented Curatolo from doing so – so the bearded man conformed to a more conventional means of spreading Christmas cheer.
Roundabout the time Santa Claus was rumored to retire to warmer weather, Curatolo and his Santa suit arrived here in SoFla in 1987. One of ten kids himself -- and with three kids and six grandkids of his own – knowing what children want is in his family tree.
This year, Curatolo listened to the wishes of children at Village Elementary in Sunrise, as well as to kids at the city’s community center, taking names and determining who’s naughty and who’s nice (Naturally, all kids are nice as far as Santa is concerned).
He brought cheer to kids in Margate’s Paradise Gardens V -- while elves made Christmas ornaments and parents snapped photos – and sometimes can be seen walking down the street in places where there’s simply no room to land a sleigh with reindeer. Curatolo has been Santa for Fort Lauderdale Airport’s Christmas parade and holds dear to his heart a visit to kids being treated for brain injuries at the local Health South.
"Kids who normally weren’t responding to much lit up when they saw Santa’s face," Curatolo (Santa) said.
“That’s why I do it…the smile on their faces.”
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