But events like last night’s tree lighting at Rosalind Park show what the true spirit of Christmas should be about. 

At its core, the festive season should be about getting together and having fun. 

Especially for children. 

Hundreds of kids will have fond memories from last night’s event that will last a lifetime. 

Eleven-year-old Olivia Foster is unlikely to forget the moment she switched the tree on in front of the assembled crowd any time soon.

Children’s entertainer Brett Gregory noted how hard it is now to keep the attention of young people,  given the number of distractions they have. 

But it’s not the Xbox or iPhone games they’ll remember. 

It’s things like last night’s celebration that they’ll reminisce about in years to come. 

The fact people rallied together to make it happen makes that even more special. 

The Advertiser was flooded with emails and phone calls from people wanting to lend a hand after it was announced the event would be cancelled. 

But as a community, we made it happen. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone to making next year’s Christmas tree lighting even bigger and better, and something more children can enjoy and cherish in years to come.