From 1st to 25th December the Dainere’s Rainbow Christmas Wonderland Lights Display took place. The display was originally the mastermind of beautiful Dainere, who was inspired to bring joy, hope, smiles and Christmas Spirit to the Community as well as elevating vital awareness and raising desperately needed funds for paediatric brain tumour research. She did all this whilst in pain and used her own pocket money to purchase many of the original lights in the display. Some of those lights are still part of the display today.
Dainere left the family with many ideas for expanding the lights display to continue to give a knowledge of paediatric brain tumours throughout the Community and of course raise funds. She also asked that the lights continue to be meaningful and to give to the Community a gift of warmth and enjoyment from the lights.
This year the display took on a brand-new look and format which received extremely positive feedback from many of our wonderful return families as well as people who had never visited before but left with enormous smiles and a twinkle in their eyes vowing to put the display as a must visit for 2019.
We were extremely fortunate to have all the way from the North Pole Mrs Claus visit the lights on 22nd and 24th December this year and she has promised to return in 2019. We also had the truly talented Molly Coddle Parties applying the most sparkling Christmas Glitter Tattoos on 22nd December as part of the Anthony Bear Event that evening. Santa himself also popped along on several evenings and was very popular with many selfies taken with him.
There were big winners on the lucky numbers, beautiful craft items many made by the marvellous and talented Alba purchased as gifts, excitement at the lucky dip prizes and the scrumptious gingerbread made by the incredible Liz, Chris and Jenny we were told several times that it was the best gingerbread ever!
A question that is often asked by visitors is – How long does the display take to plan and put up?
The planning goes on throughout the year, we are already following Dainere’s guidance and are working on a special new addition to the lights in 2019. It takes months of preparation including checking and repairing lights and then putting them up over a two-week period. It also involves maintaining the lawn and gardens and advertising.
The other question we often are asked is where we get our lights from?
We do get some from local businesses, but many of the unique ones we find online. The lights are funded by our family, as are the small giveaways each night, they are our gift to everyone. The items on the stalls we have had are donated by the most wonderful people with the light of human kindness and Christmas Spirit, we are so grateful to those people.
One thing to remember is that 100% of all funds raised at the Dainere’s Rainbow Christmas Lights Displays go directly to crucial research programs and projects that are in honour of Dainere and as directed by our family by the extraordinary Associate Professor Ziegler and his team of amazing researchers at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Kids Cancer Centre.
We wish to thank every person who supports the Dainere’s Rainbow Christmas Wonderland Lights Display and we would like to announce that a grand total of $2857.60 this December.
