Whether you live in Wallacia, Warragamba or even Silverdale, one of the first signs of Christmas each year is the amazing display of brightly coloured lights that appear all over the homes in our community. The 2019 Wollondilly Shire Council Christmas Lights Competition is well underway, showcasing the best lights and displays in the area, with the winners announced at an Awards Presentation on 13th December. So, what does it take to have the best Christmas lights?

Last year’s winner of the Best Lit Small House and Garden and Grand Champion of the Wollondilly Shire Council Christmas Lights Competition, Sarah Anderson of Silverdale, knows what it takes.

“I’ve been entering the Christmas lights competition for about 5 years now. Each year, I go bigger and bigger. When we found out that we were judged the Best Lit Small House and Garden and eventually the Grand Champion last year, it was such a surprise! It was great that all the hard work had finally paid off” explained Sarah to the Mulgoa Valley Gazette.

You could say that Sarah was the architect behind her Christmas lights display. She was responsible for the layout and the design of the spectacular lights, with some help from her family to complete the project.

“I did pretty much all of the lights display. The kids liked to watch and help when they could. I asked my husband for a Santa sleigh, so he built me a full sized one. He helped in that way” said Sarah.

What does the Anderson family enjoy most about Christmas?

“What we enjoy most about Christmas is sitting under all the Christmas lights, listening to carols with our family and friends and talking to all the new people we meet that come to see our lights” smiled Sarah.

Yes, it’s true that Christmas lights really do make the festive season shine!