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Christmas-loving community members had their chance to keep up with the Jones's as the family made the difficult decision to sell off pieces of the massive magical miniature Christmas village at a garage sale which was held on Nov. 23, and 24 which raised more than $3,400 for the Cowichan District Hospital's cancer care department.
"We as a family gathered together and decided it was best to sell a portion of the village to share with others," said Marcia Jones. "Sadly, we could not find a venue that would hold our 300 houses and thousands of accessories, not to mention we would need many volunteers to help us move, unpack and set up the display, and and then dismantle it once Christmas was over, and with my dad just turning 80 we decided it was too big of a task to take on as a family."
Donna Jones, who was diagnosed with cancer three separate times in her life, was well-known to community members for sharing her love of the holiday season though the magical miniature Christmas village. She first began collecting pieces for after she received a 14-piece Christmas village as a gift one year many years ago.
Donna's husband Dennis found some darling Dickens houses to add to to the collection, and it only continued to grow from there which brought the entire family great joy, which they decided to spread after moving to the town of Lake Cowichan 12 years ago. For several years through the generosity of Cassy's Coffee House in Youbou, the Jones family was able to set up more than 300 houses and 2,000 accessories in Cassy's back room, though last year, they set up on a smaller scale at the Seniors 50+ Activity Centre in Lake Cowichan.
Finding a cure for cancer has always been a cause close to the hearts of the Joneses and they began raising money to go towards cancer treatment at the Cowichan District Hospital during the pandemic. They raised $1,500 in 2021, $1,600 in 2022, and raised just over $2,000 last year.
Donna who was diagnosed with cancer three separate times over the course passed away from two small strokes in 2023.
Marcia Jones says that they have now sold about half of the voluminous village, which also included accessories, lights, and snow. She and her dad dedicated a lot of time deciding which pieces they were willing to part with and which they needed to keep.
"I admit when we first began to organize all the houses, we were a bit sad as we recalled the joy my mom had in finding each one. But then it made us even more happy to know that that her collection would be cherished by so many," she said. "We can not thank our island community enough for their generosity and support. I will miss setting up the village she loved so much, but without her by our side it’s not the same. To share that magical feeling of Christmas with others is pure joy."
Marcia Jones says that when her and her father began counting up the money they raised from selling off some pieces of the families treasures seasonal collection they were flabbergasted and giddy with excitement that they had raised well over $3,000.
"That’s the most we have ever raised for the foundation and my mom would’ve been overjoyed at the amount of money we made," she said. "Plus this way a piece of my mom and her love for Christmas is now spread across the island. It truly makes me so happy to share a wonderful mom, wife and friend with others."
Marcia Jones says that they have held onto a small collection of all her mom‘s favourite pieces, and while there is no plans for a public display of them this year, the family will be setting up Donna's favourites inside their Lake Cowichan home for only close friends and family members to view. For now the Jones family plans to cherish the remaining pieces of the enchanted village, and while they may decide the part with more pieces one day, it won't be anytime soon.
"People were ecstatic to have a part of mom’s legacy, and were sharing photos and videos of their own villages while telling both my father and I how they were going to incorporate the pieces of mom’s village in with their own," she said. "That’s what my mom was all about, she loved sharing the joy of Christmas, to know that people across the island have a piece of my mom makes me smile with happy tears. It’s important that her love is shared with so many others."
