For around 10 years Kevin and Wendy Lyons have not spent a single night of December away from their South Pambula home.
Even when they have had their family Christmas in Canberra, they had always managed to make it back home by nightfall, less they disappoint the hundreds of kids eagerly waiting to see the magical Santa’s Cave.
Mr and Mrs Lyons are the faces behind one of the regions most well-known and highly frequented home Christmas light displays.
Each November, Kevin spends the days climbing all over the house, single-handedly designing and installing each individual display, as he prepares to spread Christmas Cheer to children and adults alike.
“I never really celebrated Christmas as a child,” Mr Lyons said.
“So for 10 years I have been trying to share Christmas with everybody, I love bringing a smile to a child’s face.”
Every single child who visits the house is given a lolly by Kevin who spends his December nights ensuring that all the kids experience the magic of Christmas.
Santa’s Cave, as the house soon became known, all started with a single Christmas model village that Kevin bought for $500 in Sydney.
“We never planned it to get this big, we just lost control and got caught up in the joy we were spreading,” Kevin said.
But the times of Santa’s Cave are coming to an end. Kevin and Wendy have decided this will be the last year that they fully decorate their house and have even started selling off their lights.
Kevin said he is not well at the moment and as the years have worn on he has found it harder and harder to climb on the roof.
“I just know that one day I will fall so I am quitting while I’m ahead,” he said.
Wendy took to Facebook to starting selling the decorations and was amazed by the response, with half of their collection already promised to buyers.
“A lot of people have come to visit the house and have told us they saw the post on Facebook and wanted to see it all one last time,” Wendy said.
Reflecting on their time running Santa’s Cave, Wendy and Kevin both agreed that they will never forget the faces of the young children who just beam with excitement when they walk down the driveway.
“There was one little boy who was watching the train on a model who couldn’t stop shaking he was so excited.”
