Throwing a lot of light on Christmas…

NUMBER 1, Woodstock Drive in Ennis is like a beacon of Christmas cheer and with 153 different lights illuminating the home of Martin and Annette Dunne, it is hard not to get into the Christmas spirit.
This is the fifth year the family has lit up their house and they have built on their lights and activities year on year since then. The first Christmas lights were put up by Martin and Annette’s son, Neill, who now lives in Dublin. His parents took on the task thereafter but together, each year, they continue to add to the lights.
December 1 has become a firm date in children’s calendars across the Woodstock and Ennis area because every child in the area knows the evening that Martin turns on the Christmas lights and when Santa comes to visit.
This year, 92 children and their equally enthused parents came to witness this new Christmas tradition. Martin and Annette each year dig deep and provide every child with a Santa gift and no-one is asked for a penny. They do, however, have a securely locked charity box outside their home so that those who appreciate the lights can donate money to the couple’s chosen charity. This year, the money will go towards children with special needs and learning disabilities.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Martin explained he loves the annual activity and the joy it brings to both children and adults in the locality.
“This really started out with a few lights and things in the garden and then all the children started coming. Then it escalated and more and more children were coming. So what we do is on December 1, we turn on the lights at 7pm and we have some food and drink in the house. Santa arrives then at around 7.15pm on a golf buggy and he comes to his grotto, which is set up in the garage,” Martin outlined.
He explained that Annette had worked with special needs children and one year, they held a Christmas dinner for them and raised money for their school. This was while the couple were living in the UK.
“It was great to just see their little faces light up. That’s what we enjoy about this and people are great. There’s a great community spirit around,” Martin said.
Asked what preparation and planning goes into the lights each year, Martin explained, “There’s no real design set in stone, but there is a little bit of planning involved. Neill is really the brains behind it. We’re big kids really. Preparations start in January, we get a lot of the lights in the sales and then we store them in the garage. We don’t go out looking for specific things, just if there’s something I like, I’ll get it. In November, we get them down and we check that they’re all working. I look forward to it every year. There are just so many bad things happening that it’s nice to do something like this.”