Brenda and John Blackett with the memory trees at the Christmas Lights at Takapau Hall.
Brenda and John Blackett with the memory trees at the Christmas Lights at Takapau Hall.
Takapau’s Santa is without his sleigh this year, after a scammer took off with his money and left him grounded.
John and Brenda Blackett are famous in Central Hawke’s Bay and beyond for their astonishing Christmas Lights House, which used to take them three months to prepare.
The couple also used to wrap hundreds of children’s presents to give out, some donated and many purchased out of their own pocket.
In 2022, after the loss of Brenda’s dad and with Brenda awaiting a hip replacement, the couple decided to call it a day. It had been 10 years since they started the venture.
Brenda Blackett has been Christmas crafting for months, and her Christmas scenes will be for sale after the Takapau Hall event.
And this year they’re doing it all again.
“We can’t help ourselves,” admits John.
Brenda says “It’s a labour of love.”
Whereas they had as long as they liked to decorate their house, the Takapau Hall tends to be booked, so they have to wait their turn. This year they had just two weeks to put up 25 Christmas trees and string a great many metres of tinsel and Christmas lights.
They had also sold all their previous decorations: “The purchaser won Dannevirke’s Christmas lights competition with them last year,” says Brenda. Having to start from scratch, they’ve scoured op shops for decorations and Christmas trees, but for the large part they have made props and decorations.
John Blackett has created lanterns of all shapes and sizes for the Christmas display.
John has made Christmas lanterns out of salvaged lights, Brenda has made Christmas scenes, reindeer out of toilet roll inners, bells out of shot glasses, tinsel “monsters”, paper serviette angels ... you name it, she’s spent the entire year creating it.
This year’s theme is “angels” and Brenda has made 600 from ribbons. These are for people to place on the memory trees at the front of the hall, in memory of loved ones no longer here for Christmas.
Jingle bells - made from disposable shot glasses.
There is a winding walkway through the displays, with photo opportunities galore. The last stop along the way is Santa’s grotto, where children will have the chance to meet Santa and choose a gift.
The only thing missing is Santa’s sleigh.
“Having sold our previous sleigh, which was sad as we used to sit in it and have our coffee before it got busy ... we needed a replacement,” says Brenda.
They spotted a seller online who offered the perfect sleigh - one that could be packed down and easily stored between festive seasons.
Brenda’s reindeer made from toilet roll inners: ”I didn’t even have to paint them, they were already the right colour.”
“We ordered it and I planned how I was going to decorate it, then we waited,” says Brenda.
The sleigh didn’t arrive. After many excuses from the seller and a failed attempt to get their money refunded, the couple had to face the fact they’d been scammed.
It was a blow, Brenda says, but Christmas Lights at the Takapau Hall will go on.
In order to help with funding for years to come, there will be a Christmas craft sale when the display closes. Many of Brenda’s Christmas creations will be available.
“It’s a way to get something unique for your own Christmas display, and it means we can get bigger and better as we go.
