PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BOAT CO.

A million colorful lights. Santa on water skis. Snoopy overhead in a biplane. No, this wasn’t at Disney World. It was the Mount Dora Boating Center & Marina’s annual Christmas spectacular, which the owners, Joe and Susan Lewis, create for their community.

For the Lewis family, it has little to do with selling new boats, filling their covered marina slips and drystack, or upping their popular pontoon rentals. Rather, it’s all about giving back to their small, central Florida town on the shores of Lake Dora, something they’ve been doing for an amazing 27 years.

These days, the 3-acre facility on Lake Dora, part of the 148 square miles of waterways comprising the Harris Chain of Lakes — is bustling with visitors and media. Despite a later than normal opening due to Hurricane Milton, the Lewis family remains undaunted with their schedule of beneficial events. Last Friday evening, the gates opened to hundreds of first guests of the season.

While the displays can be viewed from the streets and waterside, there are nights when the gates open, too.

Last weekend, the lights blazed on for the kick-off of the Lewis family’s annual Toys for Tots event. Admission into the marina grounds was an unwrapped toy or a cash donation for children in need. Members of the Marine Corps Reserve were on hand, and hundreds of families helped make a difference this holiday season.

This Saturday evening, the Lewis family will team up with the Lake Cares Food Pantry to brighten up the holidays. From 6 to 9 p.m., visitors can enter the marina grounds and enjoy the dazzling lights by bringing canned food items or making a cash donation to the pantry. “All donations will help families in our community,” Joe Lewis says.

On Dec. 21, a “Christmas Movie Night on the Water” is scheduled. Visitors can bring blankets, sit under the stars surrounded by the displays and watch a classic Christmas movie on the water’s edge. “It’s really a magical experience for all,” Susan Lewis says.

Each year, new displays are added, and many get bigger. While it’s a family undertaking, it’s Joe who spearheads the untold hours beginning in mid-October to get everything installed on time (barring a hurricane interruption), not to mention the hours during the rest of the year in the special Santa’s workshop area building new displays, repairing old ones and maintaining the light systems.

The Lewises discovered years ago how to give back in their community and impact lives in a positive way. And while not their objective, the business has benefitted, too. “When talking with a boat sale or docking prospect on the phone,” Joe says, “we often hear, ‘You’re the marina with the great Christmas lights, right? We know exactly where you are because we drive over there to see it all every Christmas.’ ”

Every dealer can identify a cause that means something to them, their employees and their community. It doesn’t require stringing a million lights or building new displays of flying reindeer, animated leaping dolphins or a giant Santa. It simply means finding a way to give back in time and treasure, and it’s always worth the effort.