This year, The Lights of Christmas Festival saw record breaking numbers with 78,753 guests in attendance. Over 700 volunteers and 159 staff worked cleaning rooms, serving food, parking cars, selling tickets, driving the train, helping in Elfland Toyshop, and a number of other festival jobs. The volunteers make The Lights of Christmas possible!

Volunteers came from near and far. Some helped for one night and others helped for the entire event. One volunteer couple, Jim and Chris Nydam, came all the way from Redlands, California, 1250 miles away.

The Nydams heard about the event through friends who work at Warm Beach Camp and they decided to stop in for a night and volunteer. After the experience, they came away with praise for everything from the volunteer sign-up process to the overnight accommodations. When asked what their favorite part of The Lights of Christmas was, Chris said, “The nativity was especially beautiful, from the hanging angel to the music in the background. I could really sense the presence of the Lord on the grounds. What a great event this is!”

While this was their first time to volunteer at The Lights of Christmas, the Nydams are planning to return next year with their whole family. The Lights of Christmas simply couldn’t take place without volunteers like these.