For 26 years, the Randall family has hosted the event, complete with family, friends and a few ring-ins, songbooks "with dodgy lyrics'' and Christmas carols sung "quite poorly in my backyard'', says Nikki Randall.

And, of course, Santa always stops by to say hello to the kids. This year's event attracted revellers from Goulburn, Narooma, Yass and Melbourne to the backyard marquee in Hurley Street.

Nikki Randall and her husband Andrew Hogan bought the family home from her parents, Lyn and Allan, three years ago so that it's now up to them to continue the tradition.

"My husband insists on adding his surname to the event title - 'Carols by Randall-Hogan Light' -  but it doesn’t have the same impact as 'Carols by Randall Light'," Nikki said.

Nikki said she did feel the weight of expectations of taking on the carols mantle, but there was always a driving motivation - "a sense of community and a bit of fun", with a fair bit ot kitsch added.

"We find Christmas can be tough for people for various reasons, they might have lost a loved one or are feeling isolated, and we try to foster a very strong sense of community and we don't exclude anyone - we ask people to bring everyone they know," Nikki said.

"Also, adults don't often get an opportunity to sing together and it's quite an uplifting experience. At the end, we always sing John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over) and Imagine.

"So, we pay tribute to those who are no longer here and that we can look forward to the future. It's a bit cheesy, but the more cheese, the better.''

And, like all good yuletide celebrations, there was a bit of a Christmas miracle involved.

"Three years ago, a lovely woman was busking at Woden Plaza on the afternoon of our event. Without anything to lose, we asked this lovely lady if she would like to play the guitar and provide musical accompaniment to our Carols by Randall Light event,'' Nikki said.

"She agreed -after a little bit of convincing on our part as we had to demonstrate that we weren’t dangerous - and Mrs Grey even brought along her three talented daughters to help her sing at our event.

"The Grey Girls - mum Kellie and daughters Tia, Bella, and Shania - performed their first Carols by Randall Light in 2016.

"In 2017 we lost their phone numbers as they had changed service providers.

"On the afternoon of the 2017 event, we were purchasing last-minute sausages, again at Woden Plaza, and we decided to walk past the busking area on the off chance they might be there.

"Low and behold, the Grey Girls were there - all four of them. It was a sign! They kindly and generously agreed to perform again. And it was sensational. ''

The Grey Girls returned this year, bringing "a connection and generosity of spirit to our humble little event".