Despite a big year with a cost-of-living crisis, Christmas cheer is alive and well in suburban Australia, with many Aussie families decorating their homes for the holiday season. One Sydney grandma has been taking part in the tradition for fifty years, inspiring her entire neighbourhood to join the festive spirit.
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00:00Here in the Western Sydney suburbs of Greystones, the Christmas spirit is burning brightly.
00:08Each year, dozens of families here on Cumberland Road and the surrounding streets decorate
00:13their homes with coloured lights, reindeers, Santa sleighs and even nativity scenes.
00:19Always the nativity is first to come because even my baby Jesus, I had to go all the way
00:24to Malta to bring him from there.
00:27So yes, it's a tradition, tradition that we keep on doing for the people to enjoy.
00:3373-year-old Dolores Milak has been doing this since 1974.
00:39What does it feel?
00:40I don't know.
00:41Some kind of a different kind of joy.
00:42I don't know what it is.
00:44It's just, it's like I get alive myself.
00:47I don't know.
00:48People come and they just, just for them to say thank you is enough for me to say, yeah,
00:53let's think of next year.
00:55Because I'm still here at Christmas time, already I'm thinking of the next one.
00:59I think every year brings our family close together and we always, we're always here
01:05every Christmas, Christmas Eve.
01:06It's pretty special as well.
01:08We've been coming here for 25 years as a family and I get to bring my daughter now.
01:13It feels surreal and it's actually beautiful to see that a lot of the houses still participate
01:19in the tradition and we get to share it with our children.
01:23Many of her neighbours have also been in on the act for years.
01:27I love the lights because they're so bright and pretty and it's so sparkly and it's also
01:34glittery and it's also so, so nice.
01:38There's even an ice cream van that has been in on the tradition for two decades.
01:43So my father and my uncle have been for over 20 years now and now it's my auntie and I
01:46and we're continuing the tradition down at Greysteens.
01:49We've made a lot of regular customers and at this point they're not just customers anymore.
01:52We've got to, you know, we've got to know them, their family.
01:55It's a great time, you know, there's a lot of cherished moments there.
01:58And what began as a small neighbourhood celebration has over the years turned into a huge community
02:03event with big kids and little ones travelling from all over the region to come and see the
02:09spectacular displays.
02:11It's our Christmas tradition, going to see some Christmas lights.
02:14We started a few years ago, going around the neighbourhoods, we've been to a few different
02:18suburbs but this is our first time here.
02:21One big night.
02:22We've got three hours planned.
02:23We've got a Google Maps list, we've got a route and a tour.
02:27We just love Christmas and seeing all the lights together.
02:30We've been friends for years so it's really nice doing something together which kind of
02:33makes us feel like kids.
02:35And if you're in Sydney and haven't yet had a chance to come have a look, they will be
02:39lighting up the night sky until the first Monday of January.
02:44And guys, what do we want to say?
02:46Merry Christmas!
02:48Merry Christmas everyone and have a happy new year.
02:52Merry Christmas!