The Opa's Gluehwein fundraiser was started in December 2020 by Drs. Beth & Hubert Zajicek, as a fun and safe way to enjoy the Christmas lights in a time when it seemed like fun was "outlawed".
The event is named after Hubert's dad, Dr. Peter Zajicek, who passed away in 2021. Opa’s recipe for Gluehwein was used at the pre-Christmas get-togethers of the Zajicek family in Vienna, Austria. For this event the concept was to come by, masked, at Opa's Gluehwein stand on Lakewood Boulevard in Dallas, in front of the Zajicek's house, pick up a cup of Gluehwein (mulled wine) or hot chocolate with your "bubble" of family or close friends and go on a walk and enjoy the Lakewood Boulevard & Avalon Avenue Christmas lights.
 
The event has grown since then. Masks aren't required anymore, and you don't have to go on a walk, even though it is still a nice tradition. This and a second, smaller event raised almost $15,000 to be distributed by the Dallas Rotary Club Foundation to ShelterBox, a Rotary-affiliated charity, for winter relief in Ukraine. Dr. Hubert Zajicek is the 2023 president-elect of the Dallas Rotary Club.