00:00 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Central Australian Desert.
00:06 An hour's drive southeast of Alice Springs, residents of Santa Teresa are finalising their
00:11 displays for the popular annual Christmas Lights competition.
00:16 It's a labour of love that brings cheer to the whole community.
00:23 Having won the competition previously, Desmond's Desert Wonderland is once again turning heads.
00:29 What do people say when they see the lights, the people around here, what do they say to
00:32 you when they see it all?
00:33 Wow!
00:34 Yeah, they say wow, look at the lights.
00:40 The displays are judged on their beauty, originality and arrangement, with a $500 cash prize for
00:45 the outright winner.
00:47 It is very interesting and people they sort of compete with each other with the lights
00:57 and it's really beautiful at night.
01:00 Sometimes I try in the comp but I always lose.
01:04 But there's a lot of energy that goes into a lot of people and putting their designs
01:09 up on their houses.
01:11 Beneath the festive fervour lies a robust religious heritage, with the community first
01:15 established as a Catholic mission in the 1950s.
01:18 Most of the people here grow up being Catholics.
01:22 Even though there is less participation in the church nowadays as used to be, people
01:29 still regard themselves and still remain as Catholics.
01:33 An event with a combined cultural heritage and a bright future.
01:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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