Low temperature, cold winds, and even icy sidewalks couldn鈥檛 dampen the holiday spirits of hundreds of Brookswood residents, who gathered on Friday evening, Dec. 2, to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season.

About 400 people attended the annual Brookswood Nights of Lights 鈥� put on by the local businesses, community organizations, and church.

The free, fun, family-friendly event featured coffee, snacks, decorations, and photo opportunities with Rudolph and the elves. People were seen lining up to get their faces painted and enjoy mini soccer, as well as other fun activities.

The event鈥檚 highlight was a photo booth set up by the local Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch. The bank鈥檚 staff brought dozens of holiday-themed props for people to take photos with. In addition, the 91原创 Trappers hockey players were present to distribute hundreds of free tickets to their fans.

Hayden Yahn, the team鈥檚 forward player, said the event offered the community and the players to come together for Christmas.

鈥淲e are hoping to create a bond with people here. Let鈥檚 see how it goes,鈥� he commented.

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While some kids wrote letters to Santa, others eagerly waited for the raffle draw. The prizes were donated by local businesses, part of the Brookswood Merchants Association, which has been putting up the Nights of Lights for years now.

A popular event, especially amongst kids, the Nights of Lights鈥� was known for its tree-lighting tradition. However, due to the poor condition of the tree, the organizers focused more on the fun activities, raffle, and snacks this year, shared Emma Stewart, one of the directors.

鈥淏ut we are raising money to replace the tree and add more activities for next year鈥檚 Nights of Light,鈥� she added.

So far, the group has raised about $1,100 but hoping to collect as much as possible.

The donations at the event might also be used to arrange heaters for next year, she said, noting a little drop in the number of attendees due to cold weather and early snowfall.

Stewart concluded by thanking the community for coming out and supporting the event.

鈥淭he support keeps our communities going.鈥�

For more information, people can visit their website, .

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