It's starting to look a lot like Christmas at churches across Brooklyn, partly thanks to a longstanding initiative funded by Maimonides Medical Center.

During the annual Celebration of Lights, Maimonides gives a $1,000 grant to a number of churches across the borough to fund their Christmas displays.

"This is a time where we need to strengthen our social bonds, and these parishes represent that," said Kenneth Gibbs, CEO and president of Maimonides Medical Center. "We're grateful to be a center point for people coming together."

The initiative started back in 1995 with a single church, they're now up to 44 churches. 

"You go around, and you see all those churches lit up at Christmas time and its a nice warm feeling," said Brian Long, co-founder of the Celebration of Lights.

Most of them will host a special Celebration of Lights ceremony between now and Christmas, during which parishioners also have the opportunity to dedicate a Christmas tree to a lost loved one. 

Check out the Celebration of Light Ceremonies schedule: