The temperature was in the 20s, putting a bite to the night’s wind.

But Frank Picozzi couldn’t Facebook Live what was about to happen without taking off his gloves. They stayed off for the next 10 minutes, and by the time he was done his fingers were numb. The important thing, however, is that what Picozzi and about 80 people, mostly from Warwick, were doing under the overpass of Route 95 on Allens Avenue was bringing warmth to a group of children who are fighting to overcome much more than being cold. These children are patients at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

Knowing of the Goodnight Lights ritual that started several years ago when a hospital volunteer said he would wink his bicycle light as a way of saying goodnight, Picozzi wanted to do more at this time of year. He wanted to bring the children a Christmas tree.

There’s no holds barred when it comes to Picozzi Christmas decorations. He has transformed his home on Gristmill Road into a veritable Christmas show lasting more than an hour. With pixel lights that he programs by computer, his home display synchronizes Christmas music to a light show including dancing hoops, fireworks, a giant spinning snowflake and talking characters. In a single evening Picozzi estimates as many as 1,000 spectators will visit the display.

Picozzi wanted to bring some of the show to the kids at Hasbro, and Goodnight Lights seemed like the appropriate timing. He built a tree he could light from the flatbed of his truck. What he devised is a telescoping pole based in a frame of 2 x 4s. The lights hang down from the tip of the pole to a ring of PVC piping to form a conical tree. The entire assembly can be broken down in a matter of minutes for easy transportation. The lights are programmed to change color and flash in sequence to give the appearance of a rotating and even dancing tree or, as Picozzi has also done, wish merry Christmas.

With the tree built, Picozzi searched for the best location to stage the show. The shores of East Providence, more than a mile away, was too far for any impact. He eventually discovered the lot off Allens Avenue in the shadows of oil tanks and a sea of concrete.

“You could get killed there and they wouldn’t find your body until the next day,” said Picozzi. The place gave him the creeps, but it also offered a clear view to the children at Hasbro. He decided to give it a shot last week.

He didn’t go unnoticed. The cops showed up and, when they learned what he was doing, joined in to flash their lights.

At first Picozzi, a confirmed contributor to the Warwick Positive Facebook page, thought he wouldn’t publicize his effort. He wanted to keep the focus on the children in Hasbro. On reflection, he thought others might also want to bring cheer to the children, so he posted a video clip.

By Thursday night the clip had been shared hundreds of times and people started showing up as much as a half hour before 8:30 when the lights are turned out in the wards and the children use their flashlights to acknowledge those flashing their “goodnights” to them.

With the help of his grandson, Tyler Picozzi-Yates, Picozzi erected the tree and made all the connections for the display. The truck’s battery provides the power.

“That’s what I love, all the kids who are here,” he said, looking out at the assembly that had their own flashlights. Some were also clad with Christmas lights and flashing reindeer horns.

The police showed up, as did hospital security. Programmed to do its thing, the tree flashed and sent its messages as Picozzi broadcasted the event live on Facebook. When it was over – rules are not more than five minutes of goodnight lights – the crowd circled Picozzi to give him a group hug.

Back in the truck, the heat on full blast, Picozzi rubbed his hands to take out the sting. But he wasn’t concentrating on getting warm.

“Somehow I’ve got to get them the music,” he said.

At his home he broadcasts the music that can be picked up within a short range. FCC regulations restrict the wattage and there’s no way it would reach the hospital.

“I’ll figure out some way,” he vowed.

There will be more Christmas tree goodnight lights Wednesday, Christmas Eve and Christmas night. As for a lullaby, Picozzi said that would have to wait until next year when he plans to have an even larger display.