11 Good News Stories: Subterranean Christmas; ‘Meow, We’re Home’

ACROSS AMERICA — In a parking garage buried beneath a high-rise condo tower on New York City’s Upper East Side, Javier Sanchez has created a winter wonderland rivaling the flashiest windows on Fifth Avenue, Patch’s Nick Garber reports.

Sanchez, the garage manager, told Patch he tried a decade ago to “run a little train” around the lobby, but had to settle instead for a battery-operated train set up on plywood. Though more modest, it still delighted the building tenants, inspiring Sanchez in the following years to transform the lobby into “a happy place, a perfect place — it takes you back to your childhood.”

Sanchez, 52, has outdone himself this year with “Frosty’s Village,” a vast display of Christmasy eye candy that he calls his most ambitious effort in 12 years. It has a flying Santa — a flying Santa — and four moving trains, tiny carnival rides and warmly lit miniature homes, all set before a snow-dusted mountainous village.

He’s even added a challenge for the kids. If they find the Sasquatch, they’ll get a lollipop. “I had a kid here for 40 minutes looking for it,” Sanchez said. “Just to see those guys’ faces — it has no price to see the happiness and joy of those kids.” » By Nick Garber for Upper East Side Patch

No Words For This

There’s no denying the magic of holiday lights, especially for people who are going through tough times. Project Fire Buddies, a volunteer effort of firefighters in 30 suburban Chicago communities, understands that. The nonprofit group that supports children with cancer has grown many times over since its humble beginnings in 2016. Patch’s Lauren Traut has a trio of stories about their efforts this year to bring joy in partnership with other groups dedicated to supporting people with cancer. “I can’t even put it into words, I can’t,” the mother of a 3-year-old fighting cancer told Patch after coming home to the festive outdoor display. “It’s absolutely incredible.” » By Lauren Traut for New Lenox Patch, Homer Glen-Lockport Patch and Orland Park Patch

‘Uplifting Everyone Around Us’

The Festival of Trees fundraising event for Toms River, New Jersey, charities is just a sliver of the volunteer work the more than 1,300 members of Elks Lodge 1875 do to support the community. “Elkdom is about uplifting everyone around us,” Elizabeth Lightbody-Cimer, the exalted ruler of the local lodge, told Patch’s Karen Wall. The money raised at the Festival of Trees stays in the community. » By Karen Wall for Toms River Patch

Wise Words From Sister Jean

At 103, Sister Jean Delores Schmidt, the longtime and beloved chaplain for Loyola University-Chicago’s basketball team, is sharing some of her wisdom in “Wake Up with Purpose,” set to be in February. It’s a non-traditional biography focusing on equal parts: a life well-lived, lessons learned, faith and, of course, basketball. There may be a sequel. College basketball analyst and writer Seth Davis, with whom she worked on the book, said the ordinariness of Sister Jean’s life is what makes her extraordinary. “What strikes you is how simple and ordinary her life is,” Davis told Patch’s Jeff Arnold. “As a writer, you’re wondering how to make it more interesting. But at the end of the day, that’s what makes it so interesting. She hasn’t gone about her life trying to do all these great things and changing the world. She’s just honoring who she is and just working with kids and being a nice person and serving God and fulfilling her purpose.” » By Jeff Arnold for Chicago Patch

This Rocks, And Not Just The Beat

There’s more to Long Island 17-year-old Ben Blanchet’s new Christmas song, “Rock That Jingle,” than toe-tapping music available now on top streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora. Blanchet, who has autism, created the piece in just under two minutes — which may sound incredulous until you consider he didn’t have functional language until he was 7. “When he was 3 years old, he couldn’t speak, but he would hear a song on the radio and come into our house and repeat it on our keyboard,” his mother, Angela, said. Her son’s goal with the song and other creative endeavors is to show other kids with autism that it “has many special gifts,” she said, adding he calls them “superpowers.” » By Michael DeSantis for King’s Park Patch

Skating Toward 2026 Olympics

Every time she glides across the ice, South Jersey native 15-year-old Isabeau Levito is a double axle away from the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy, not far from where her mother grew up. Already the reigning World Junior Champion, she is the youngest U.S. skater to make it to the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix Final in 15 years, and will be the lone American woman competing this weekend in Turin, Italy. » By Michelle Rotuno-Johnson for Moorestown Patch

A Children’s Storybook Ending

Mimi was in sorry shape when she showed up at Gary Guiseppone’s Miller Place home on Long Island about three years ago. “She was in such bad shape, I didn't think she would survive,” he told Patch’s Peggy Spellman Hoey. He didn’t see the fluffy black and white tuxedo cat again until this fall, when she showed back up, still looking like she needed help. The humane trap, to Guiseppone surprise, didn’t faze the feline at all. Usually, they freak out, he said, but “she was like, ‘Okay, what are we doing now?’ ” He got an even bigger surprise when the local animal shelter checked the cat’s microchip and found she’d disappeared 10 years ago from the home of Richard and Marcia Price, who have since moved to Spain. No one knows what Mimi has been up to for the last decade, but “frankly, it makes a great children’s story,” Richard Price said. » By Peggy Spellman Hoey for Three Village Patch

Birdie The Cat’s Walkabout Is Over

Carolyn Lowry never gave up hoping for a reunion with Birdie, the cat she planned to adopt for Christmas two years ago. But the cat slipped away in Long Island Petco parking lot when the top slid off the carrier Lowry was using. Someone saw Birdie near a Home Depot store on Christmas Eve, but that was the last anyone had seen of her until this month, when Lowry got a call. “I found a gray cat that might be yours,” Lowry said, recalling the conversation with the woman to Patch’s Lisa Finn. “He’s a big boy.” Could that be Birdie, who was small when Lowry last saw her? “Oh my God,” the woman exclaimed, “I have her!” They’re back together now for the Christmas Lowry imagined two years ago. » By Lisa Finn for Riverhead Patch

Epic Doggy Paddle

A New York City service puppy that broke free from its owners was rescued in New Jersey after an epic doggy paddle across the Hudson River. Police found the Leonberger puppy just after midnight when someone reported barking underneath an Independence Harbor pier. The pup escaped from its rescuers, who were wearing wetsuits the local fire captain said may have scared the pooch, but they did manage to pull the dog out of the water. After a checkup at a local animal hospital, the pup was returned home. » By Logan Williamson for Mahwah (New Jersey) Patch