Paul Castronovo rings in the holidays

Paul & Young Ron Show star Paul Castronovo has a lot on his plate, and he’ll add even more (literally) Monday night during the Meatballs & Martinis fundraiser for Feeding South Florida with his Big 105.9 cohost Young Ron Brewer. Local celebs like zookeeper Ron Magill, author/Decoded host Brad Meltzer and Miami Dolphins player Anthony Fasano are set to be front and center at the VIP party at Anthony’s Runway 84 in Fort Lauderdale as the final leg of the radio show’s 17th Annual Holiday Food Drive. Don’t ask Fasano who his new boss will be, though. “I don’t think these guys have any clue,’’ says Castronovo, who approves of coach Tony Sparano’s recent firing. “After that horrible game against the Eagles, it was like, ‘Let’s wrap it up here.’ I think it’s easier to hire a coach when there’s no one there.’’

Still, the team’s losses sting. “I grew up here; it breaks my heart.’’ At least Castronovo, who wakes up at 4 every morning for his weekday gig, will be soon taking a vacation to catch up on his “beauty sleep.’’ He and his wife Gina plan to travel somewhere off the grid. “I want to get out of the game and go to an island somewhere. If I stay home I’ll just stay on the Internet and work. It drives me nuts.’’ The Castronovos will be back in time for the holidays. Wouldn’t miss ’em.

Every year they go hog-wild with the decorations. “My house looks like Las Vegas,’’ he acknowledges. But it takes a lot to make things so festive. “The nightmare for me is climbing into the attic. I just feel like when I’m up there, I’m gonna die up there. It’s 170,000 degrees, and I don’t know what’s going to bite me.’’ The lights are another issue. “I don’t know why each year I put them away. This was my Saturday: I spent like 19 straight hours trying to unpack them. I laid them out on the driveway, and the neighbors thought I was having a garage sale.’’ If Castronovo has learned anything it’s to consult with the boss: “I put it all together and then my wife will go, ‘That doesn’t go there.’ So we came to an agreement. This year I won’t do anything until I go, ‘Honey, is this OK?’’’

This story was originally published December 13, 2011 at 5:12 AM with the headline "Paul Castronovo rings in the holidays."