Throughout the end of summer and into the fall, Nonahood News, on behalf of the Nona Ambassadors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida (RMHCCF) committee, hosted a call for local artists to submit their own original designs for a Lake Nona holiday ornament. Esther Gregory’s design took the cake as far as creating a beautiful, engaging, and entirely unique artistic design capturing the spirit of Lake Nona for the inaugural holiday ornament. The Nona Ambassadors plan to host the contest every year and sell the dated holiday ornaments with original artwork, sure to become collectors’ items, with all proceeds going directly to our local chapter of the Ronald McDonald House.
Gregory said that the idea for her design actually began as a bit of a joke. She had seen the ad for the contest in the paper and “couldn’t imagine what she could come up with for a design and continued on reading.” Late one night, she eventually came up with a concept idea and after taking plenty of pictures of the “Town Center Cone” (more formally called The Beacon), Gregory began plotting out her design. It took her about a week or so to finish the construction of the design, including the sketching and painting.
“I am absolutely over the moon about my design being chosen. It’s for a great cause. I love Christmas, and it’s even more exciting because it will be the inaugural ornament!” said Gregory. “Living in Lake Nona feels like you’re part of something new and innovative that is just getting going, so I’m delighted to contribute to one of the very many new and innovative things that happen here! It helps me believe I can be new and innovative instead of old and boring!”
Furthermore, Gregory is a huge fan of anything and everything related to the holiday season, so this ornament (or, as she calls it because of her English roots, “bauble”) felt like something that would incorporate all the things that she loves about Christmas, with a dash of Lake Nona and a hint of humor. When sharing her favorite things about the holidays, Gregory said, “The first is all the extra light. It’s the darkest time of the year, so thank goodness we go all out in lighting up our homes and businesses, inside and out. I love the white ones (tasteful), the colorful ones (retro), the projected ones, the battery-operated, lit-up knick-knacks, and anything else that people come up with to add light.” She continued, “The second thing I love is the chance for singing! When else do ordinary people get the chance to sing in public?” Gregory joked. “Nothing makes me feel ‘Christmassy’ quicker than Christmas carols. Even store fitting rooms playing Christmas music can encourage breakouts.”
Gregory is honored in the selection of her design for the inaugural holiday bauble and hopes that the rest of the Lake Nona community enjoys her design. The dated glass ornaments can be purchased for $25 at the Santa’s Workshop Weekend event being hosted by the Nona Ambassadors of RMHCCF at Lake Nona High School on Friday, Dec. 7, through Sunday, Dec. 9. TiSoren R&P, LLC, who provides employee recognition and advertising products for organizations, helped sponsor the manufacture of this year’s ornament. More details about this event can be found in this special edition magazine insert.
Preorder your 2018 Lake Nona Ornament here: https://forms.nona.media/nonaornament2018
