How Cutchogue’s Main Road gets its Christmas lights each year

For 25 years, Joe and Helen Corso have been Cutchogue’s secret Santas, transforming Main Road each December with holiday lights and festive decor.

It’s something magical to experience — one day the lights are absent and the next they’re there to kick off the holiday season. The tradition continues today in conjunction with the North Fork Chamber of Commerce, as the couple takes the lead to keep the holiday spirit alive in town.

The elves have their routine down pat, heading out to decorate when the conditions aren’t too cold and windy on an early December day. This year, the process took three days to complete, the pair told The Suffolk Times.

“Joe does the top of the poles. He does the hard part,” Ms. Corso said. “He’s the guy that’s up and down on that ladder three times for each pole because the input for the electric is at the top. And I do the bottom.”

Over the years, friends and family have helped out with the process. Local businesses pitch in to make the lights a reality each year, donating to finance the garland and decorations wrapped around the lamp posts through the holiday season.

The tradition started when the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Chamber of Commerce led a state improvement project in the hamlet that included lamp posts along Main Road. As part of that project, the chamber was able to use funds to secure decorations for the posts along the Main Road stretch between Highland Road and Depot Lane. 

The undertaking is done quietly, at times without notice or outside help. Dave Bergen, a board member of the Cutchogue Civic Association, dubbed the Corsos Cutchogue’s “secret Santas.” 

“I think it very much improves community spirit during the holiday season and hopefully attracts people to want to shop in the hamlet of Cutchogue,” Mr. Bergen said. “And it gives residents a sense of belonging to see something like this happen in their hamlet.”

The Cutchogue Civic Association’s Board of Directors commended the Corsos for their efforts in The Times’ Dec. 11 edition in a letter to the editor. 

“They are the perfect elves, as they just seem to appear out of nowhere, quietly hang the decorations without help from anyone, then disappear,” the board wrote.

“[Joe] has taken that responsibility every year on his own with little notice,” Paul Romanelli, owner of Suffolk Security, told The Suffolk Times. “One day we drive through town and they’re not there, and the next day they’re up and lit and gorgeous.” 

Beyond the decorations, Mr. Corso helps facilitate the annual “Christmas in Cutchogue” with the chamber, Cutchogue Fire Department and CFD Ladies Auxiliary. The event features Helicopter Santa and a children’s magic show before heading over to the library for pictures with Santa. 

“When you see that helicopter flying over the field by the firehouse and Santa’s in there, you become a kid all over again,” Mr. Corso said. 

Once the holidays are over, Cutchogue’s Christmas couple will take down the decorations and set their sights on the 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. 

“This just lends to the old-fashioned feel of community,” Ms. Corso said of the holiday traditions. “There’s a very strong feeling of community in Cutchogue, and people are so appreciative.”