CAPTIVA ISLAND, Fla. — A night of revelry, relaxation, and Christmas lights.
It’s what’s on tap for Captiva residents at the 'Tween Waters Island Resort, part of their 37th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration night. The night providing a brief break from reality.
"We wanted to provide the island an opportunity to start healing.”
It’s a night of healing on the shores of Captiva Island.
“Nobody has seen anyone for two months, really," said John Sprecher, Chief Marketing Officer for Sanibel/Captiva Beach Resorts. "This is a chance for friends and neighbors to maybe gather if they can and hug each other, laugh, watch the sunset and maybe get a little bit closer back to normal.”
A night of normalcy with some lights and music provided by the 'Tween Waters Island Resort and their yearly Christmas tree lighting tradition.
"Santa’s here, the Christmas tree is getting ready to get lit, the band is playing, everything’s great.”
It’s a night that nearly didn’t happen. With Hurricane Ian still fresh on the minds and properties of those on the island.
“There’s so much devastation that’s gone on in the area, a little bit of normalcy or anything is great," said James Didio, visiting from Fort Myers. "When they brought this thing back we were ecstatic. We were ready to be here.”
Ready to put the recovery and rebuilding process on pause and focus on the good. Even if for just a couple of hours.
"We did lose vehicles, homes, and business- that sort of thing," said Didio. "We’re rebuilding. We’re not going to focus on the bad, we’re focusing on the good. Our family is okay, our kids are back in school and everybody’s okay.”
As the night signifies the holidays are getting closer, it’s also signifying there are still better times ahead.
“I think that now there’s certainly hope," said Sprecher. "There’s optimism and yet there’s the reality that it’s not going to happen overnight.”
While Captiva’s comeback may take some time, at least on this night memories are being made.
