From 19–24 December, Stephanus and Eliza Scholtz lit up the town with their amazing Christmas light display at their guesthouse in Arend Street.
People came from Pretoria, Krugersdorp, Toekomsrus, Randfontein and surrounding areas, parking their vehicles in every conceivable spot at night for an opportunity to see the beautiful house of lights.
The couple started preparing two weeks before the time. Eliza said, “My husband also walked on the roof of the guest house now and then.”
All the child visitors received a packet of sweets.
The couple decided to do something very special in addition to the lights. They placed pens and paper on a table outside the guest house, wrapped a big box in Christmas paper, and invited the children to pop their letters to Father Christmas into it. Eliza said she had to empty the box three times, because of all the letters the children threw into it.
The most striking and heartfelt letters the couple read were those of children not asking anything for themselves, just wishes for their families. Eliza handed these to the Herald, and this is what some of them said:
” Liewe Kersvader, dankie dat u liefde vir almal bring, daar is baie arm mense, seën hulle asseblief.” The next child wrote, “Al wat ek soek vir Kersfees is dat my familie ‘n geseënde Kersfees het. Another heart-rending message was ” Maak asseblief vir my ouma Erika gesond, vat die uitasem weg.”
Another letter read: “Dankie dat Kersvader al die pad van die Noord Pool af gekom het om hello te sê. Kan ek asseblief vir Kersfees na my oupa se graf toe gaan en hotwheels kry. Baie dankie Kersvader. The last letter read, ” Dear Santa, please give my mother and father work, and protect our house.”
Eliza said, ” I got goosebumps when I read these letters. Now we can see what some children ache for.”
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