Holiday lights tend to be red and green, but one of the biggest trees in Fort Collins will be bright blue this year, and it's for a great cause.

This tree is created by Realities For Children, a non-profit that supports abused, neglected, and at-risk children in Northern Colorado.

It shines blue, the color of child abuse awareness, to brighten up the lives of these children.

"We make sure every child that we know has a need is provided for when all other resources are exhausted or otherwise unavailable," said Craig Secher, president of Realities For Children.

The NightLights Tree Lighting kicks off on Sunday, December 1 from 6-7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church (531 S. College Ave.) in Fort Collins.

There will be free soup, drinks, and cookies available to the public. Children will be able to visit with Santa Claus himself, as well as enter to win a 3-foot chocolate Santa provided by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

This year's tree is new, so attendees will be able to take home a special Legacy Light ornament made from the old tree.

Live music will be provided by Ridgeview Classical School's Madrigal Singers, Emma Marie, and HoldFast. The event will also be emceed by our very own J.B. Kama and Dave Jensen from Retro 102.5.

However, as fun as NightLights is, the issue of child abuse is still ongoing. With almost 7,000 reports of child abuse last year in Larimer County alone, it is clear these children need the community's help.

This is why we have partnered with Realities For Children to create Townsquare Cares: Blue Christmas, a campaign to raise awareness about the needs of these children.

From now until December 24, people can sponsor a light on the NightLights tree, with all of the proceeds going directly to these children's needs.

"The message with NightLights...has always been bringing light into the darkness of child abuse," said Secher. "Our goal is to...bring light into that darkness so that every child that we work with knows that somebody out there has a NightLight for them."

To learn more about the NightLights Tree Lighting and how you can sponsor a light on the tree, listen to the full "Tuned in to NoCo" interview with Craig Secher below.

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