VIDALIA &8212; The City of Vidalia hopes citizens will be moved by the Christmas spirit to donate money for the repair of and eventual replacement of its Christmas tree lights.

The 42-year-old tree needs repairs on the strands of wires and light bulbs.

Vidalia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Nunnery said the chamber mentioned plans to repair the lights last year but it was a matter of how to fund it.

&8220;We really haven&8217;t discussed much about it this year either, but we decided one option was to accept donations from people,&8221; Nunnery said.

Nunnery said the chamber&8217;s idea was to start small, not repairing the whole tree at once, but replacing the strands of lights one section per year.

The city&8217;s tree is made up of seven sections with 74 long strand lights and 67 short strand lights.

City Electrician Richard Jones was asked by Nunnery to get an estimate on how much the project would cost.

&8220;I&8217;m waiting on the call for the actual estimate but if I had to guess, I would say it&8217;s going to cost $20,000 to $25,000,&8221; Jones said.

Jones said he would know the actual estimate sometime next week.

Nunnery said anyone interested in donating money toward the city&8217;s Christmas tree should contact the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce at 318-336-8223.