The most popular, elaborate holiday display in the Tamaqua area is a work of the heart.

Attracting thousands, it’s recognized as the largest private sight-and-sound Christmas presentation in Schuylkill County.

Yet it never was intended to be anything out of the ordinary.

“It started in 1965 with my dad. He began the decorating,” says Frank Fabrizio, 59, a self-employed videographer.

Frank speaks with reverent tones when he mentions his dad, Francis T. Fabrizio, who passed in January 2008.

“I’d help him. He’d put red lights around the roof. So I still do it that way today.”

The elder Fabrizio was an honest, humble, blue-collar man who always put family first.

The Air Force veteran was a tough steelworker. He commuted an hour’s drive daily to Dana Corp. in Reading, later called Parish Pressed Steel.

“Everyone knew him by the nickname FiFi,” says Frank. Of course, FiFi is an unusual name for a steelworker, but it originated from his initials.

Back home at 402 Green St., Brockton, the holiday display grew larger each year, with Frank and his mother, the former Theresa Protivnak, helping.

By 1999, the display featured 38,946 lights with 8,000 ground lights positioned to heighten visual impact.

In 2002, NBC-TV became interested and requested video footage. The colorful light gala became a contender for the show “America’s Greatest Christmas Decorations.”

A related Times News story went viral, picked up by The Associated Press and distributed internationally.

All was going well until, sadly, the elder Fabrizio died at age 68.

Rather than stop, Frank and Theresa grew the presentation by leaps and bounds. A fitting tribute.

By 2016, it expanded to 67,000 lights, and Frank was King of the Kilowatt. But lights were only part of the show.

The panorama featured laser beams, synchronized music, decorated trees, New Year’s ball drop, life-size teddy bear carousel, cartoon characters and movement galore.

It bubbled with brilliance. It flickered, glittered and sparkled into the hearts of visitors, solidifying a distinction as Schuylkill Township’s primary tourist attraction.

But the biggest surprise was still to come.

“I heard about a man way down South who had a huge LED Christmas display for sale,” says Frank.

It included rows of lights, each capable of 1.7 million color and design variations.

However, the prospect immediately raised questions.

Would an LED setup complement Frank’s incandescent display? Could both be integrated? If so, it’d double the size and effect. He’d need 24 circuit breakers. Electricity alone would cost $400.

Undaunted, Frank jumped on a plane, flew to River View, Florida, and met with the seller.

There, he loved what he saw. So Frank bought the entire kit and caboodle.

“Oh, there’s one more thing I want you to have,” said the seller. “It’s a reindeer I’ve had since day one. His name is FiFi.”

Frank stood dumbstruck. Speechless. A sign from above, he thought. Meant to be.

Frank rented a truck, loaded the boxes and started on his long trip home - driving with a reindeer sculpture sitting on the passenger seat.

He drove 1,100 miles with a tear in his eye the entire time. That’s because he realized he wasn’t alone.

FiFi had been with him all along.