STUDENTS across the Limestone Coast are spreading Christmas cheer this week with eight festive trees on display at the Mount Gambier Marketplace.
Part of the shopping centre’s annual competition, students create decorations in their classrooms before heading to the complex and decorating their tree.
Once all trees are decorated, the public is invited to vote for their favourite tree via the centre’s social media.
The winning class will receive an end of year Christmas party with Santa, while all other classes will receive a $50 Woolworths voucher to put towards their end of year celebrations.
On Monday afternoon, the Mil Lel Primary School Year 2/3 class travelled to the complex to put the final touches on its tree.
Student Aynslee said she was excited to finally see the finished product of their hard work.
“It is really exciting to be part of the competition,” she said.
“We worked hard on making our decorations and it is pretty cool to see them on the tree now.
“It has been a lot of fun making the ornaments and now decorating the tree.”
This year there was no theme for the competition, so students instead made decorations that showcased what Christmas means to them.
“We got the Christmas baubles and filled them up with things we liked,” she said.
“Lots of people made them into Santa or snowmen with cotton balls, other people put colourful tinsel and paper inside.
“We had laminated sheets that we cut decorations out of as well, then we put them in the oven and they shrunk to the perfect size for an ornament.”
Mount Gambier Marketplace marketing manager Paula Creasey said the competition normally catered for the Year 2 and Year 3 classes, but after interest from students in different year levels it was opened up to include other classes.
“We have classes from Reception to Year 7 which is really cool,” she said.
“We have really liked what the kids have shown us so far and we are looking forward to seeing the rest of the trees finished.”
Students will finish decorating the trees this week with the competition expected to be open for voting by the weekend.
