Jacqueline Jacobs and her neighbours refused to let anything — be it the Grinch or a tornado — spoil their Christmas.
The Jacobs family lives at 136 Succession Cres., near Mapleview Drive East and Prince William Way, an area where the twister hit several homes on July 15, including their own. She decided that, despite many of her neighbours still not being able to return home due to the severe damage their properties sustained in the EF-2 twister, she wanted to find a way that they could come together and celebrate.
On Dec. 8, the family erected a large Christmas tree in their front yard and invited neighbours and passersby to decorate it. To date, Jacobs estimates that more than 100 people have stopped by to leave a decoration on the Christmas tree and to take photographs.
“The reason behind the tree was so many families were without their homes and I just wanted to bring something together for the community to enjoy,” she said, noting the tree will stay up until New Year's Day.
“The tree was filled with decorations, which was wonderful (and) it was well received by the community,” Jacobs said, admitting she wasn’t surprised at all by the positive response. “It’s such a wonderful community and many of the people would just stop and enjoy it.”
Despite several windy days that may have toppled the tree, much like the residents in the neighbourhood, with a little bit of help, it's still standing strong.
“We’ve had to secure it three or four times to the ground… and we’ve had to move things around… (but) it has stayed intact," she said.
Jacobs told BarrieToday she can see this becoming an annual tradition for her and her south-end neighbourhood.
“Next year, I will put a bigger tree up,” she said. “It seems to bring conversation into the community."
