Stanford lights up the town with Christmas cheer again

Volunteer Lanie van Reenen. (Photo: Liz Clarke)

By Liz Clarke

18 Nov 2024

After last year’s success, the little Western Cape town of Stanford is gearing up for a glittering extravaganza.

Volunteering is a big part of little village life, but sometimes you have to be careful what you volunteer for, as writer Lanie van Reenen discovered.

Author of memoirs C’est La Vie (Tafelberg) and Net Mooi Fine (Penguin), Van Reenen has been writing for more than 30 years. Finding that light bulb moment, she says, is what matters.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m writing a synopsis for my next book, or delving into my other passion of reimagining interiors, there has to be a spark – a wow moment – that makes things work.”

That light-bulb moment – the literal kind – came to her not long after a move from Cape Town to the little village of Stanford in the afterglow of the Checkers Christmas light campaign.

For a month the village was transformed into a dazzling Disney world with sparkling displays, from a pink rhinoceros and starry night cascades to bright purple trees and a glittering ostrich.

“As a child I had been entranced by the festive lights in Cape Town, but this was something else. I thought, Let’s hope this is not a one off. This could become a village tradition.”

A month or so later a special meeting was held for the village to decide whether lighting up the village should become an annual event. Yes, was the unanimous decision from the 100 or so gathered.

“Lovely idea, I thought. I immediately shot my hand up to become a volunteer (along with four others). I had no idea what it involved, but within minutes there we were like frightened rabbits in the headlights co-opted on to the lighting committee, responsible for designs, procurement, finding lighting engineers, etc, to ensure the next successful and vibrant holiday season. Terrifying. I don’t even know how to change a plug!”

A few months later the ad hoc team was asked to put together a lighting display using some of the lighting from the Checkers event that had stayed behind after last year, to showcase the Stanford in Bloom Chelsea Flower Show exhibit in July.

Switched on

Festive lights Stanford’s streets boast a dazzling lighting display (Photo: Liz Clarke)

Festive lights Volunteer Lanie van Reenen. (Photo: Liz Clarke)

“These were massive events on a national, even international level, one after the other,” says Van Reenen. “So, the big question, after all that was done and dusted, was, what now? Suddenly our little committee of five rookie volunteers was facing the daunting task of making it happen all over again – on a fraction of the budget that Checkers had spent.

“Quite honestly, I said, ‘No, I’m a writer not an electrician nor a magician!’ Then I thought back about the child from neighbouring Stanford South that I had seen walking with his family to see the Christmas lights. At first, he was so scared, he started to run away, then he came back and just stared with his mouth open in amazement. So yes, I’m still on the lighting committee.”

The official lighting ceremony is on 13 December, and there’s a long way to go. A kilometre of festive lighting is still needed for the designs Van Reenen and her team have created, so that will need a special drive.

“But you know what – from knowing precious little about lighting – we are learning more and more. And we have the assistance of the lighting expert that installed last year’s lights. This year one of the highlights will be a ‘tunnel of light’ erected in the NK Kerk yard, a lit-up caterpillar paraded by children of the village and lighting up the Anglican Church and adjacent church hall for a massive carols by candlelight event on the village green. It will be different and it will be spectacular.”

There’s one piece of Christmas lighting that the team would dearly love to bring back. That is the illuminated image of Marilyn Monroe – once seen every year on Queen Victoria Street – hanging upside down. “It was an electrical wiring fault that never got corrected – and everybody loved it!”

Of course, there could be other village groups that Van Reenen could volunteer for – the snake-watching team or the alien eradication team that meets on top of mountains.

“No,” says Van Reenen. “I’ll stick to lights! You never know, it could be the subject of my next book.” DM

Liz Clarke is a freelance journalist.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

Maverick Life

Switched on