Maybe we shouldn't be talking about Christmas - after all it has not even been Halloween yet - but personal trainer and passionate runner Renee Schofield has jumped the gun in order to raise funds for an important cause.
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"I love Christmas," the Cameron Park resident said. "It's just a time when everyone's happy."
For the past "three or four" years Ms Schofield has organised a present drive for children staying at Ronald McDonald House Newcastle over the festive season through the gym she owns and manages, RSPT Fitness Family in Rathmines, and other local businesses.
"We just encourage clients to bring in gifts and usually we take them 50 to 60 presents each year," Ms Schofield said.
This year, however, she thought she'd try something different.
Inspired by her love of dressing up for the silly season and keeping active, Ms Schofield has designed exercise-wear with a Christmas theme.
"I asked thirty businesses to sponsor the shirts for $200 and each get their logo on the back. All of the businesses are small, local ones like myself.
"The concept is you buy them online and they are made once it's ordered. It takes about three weeks to make and deliver them and then then they're delivered to everybody.
"100 per cent of the money from the shirts is going to Ronald McDonald House."
Ms Schofield said so far the idea has raised $7,500 for the "home away from home" for John Hunter Children's Hospital patients.
The orders for the shirts close on Thursday, October 31, and Ms Schofield is hoping she will reach her fundraising goal of $10,000.
So far she said the shirts printed with "It's beginning to look a lot like 'fitmas'" were proving the most popular, however, there are an assortment of festive designs in microfibre.
One singlet says 'Deck the halls and do some burpees' and there's even a polo shirt on offer.
"There's a few pubs that signed up and a real estate agent, so we wanted a shirt that people could wear out or to work in the lead up to Christmas," she said.
Ms Schofield said she had visited Ronald McDonald House a couple of times since starting the fundraiser, bringing her fox terrier along.
"There was a little girl who had been there for many months and she was just so excited to see a dog," Ms Schofield said.
The personal trainer said she would be happy for the money to go to whatever the charity needed most.
"The list is so long," she said."I hope it just puts smiles on the kids' faces."
A link to the order form can be found on RSPT Family Fitness' Facebook page.
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