One of the best parts of the run-up to Christmas is putting up the decorations and making your home feel all festive - but one man has taken his decorations to the next level and splashed out £5,000 on his festive lights.
Christmas lights and decorations can transform any neighbourhood street and make people feel Christmassy, and there's no denying some neighbours will try and go all out to have the best decorations. Naylan Dane Thomas loves transforming his home into a magical winter wonderland - and has proudly put up 10,000 lights for Christmas as he's forked out £5,000 on his latest display.
The 32-year-old Christmas fan from Pontyclun in Wales wants to spread Christmas joy to all around him and has decorated his home with lights and LED Santa Clauses. Being the third year in a row he's put up his impressive decorations, he decided this year to go one step further in his new home.
Now the owner of a hotel, he added to his collection with over 150 Nutcracker figurines to display among the lights - and Santas too. Despite forking out a fortune in energy bills, costing him an arm and a leg, it's worth it for his magical festive wonderland and has tried to make some changes to try and keep the costs down.
"This year, I have collected Nutcrackers and toy soldiers using charity shops, Facebook Marketplace and [other secondhand] apps. I've also managed to save on energy this year, by making sure I'm only using low-wattage LED bulbs that don't consume as much energy."
Naylan has always made sure the rising bills won't stop him from putting his decorations up and wants to put on a show for the families around him. "I have always said from day [one] that I was always going to put the lights up and I wasn't going to stop because of some bills. I wanted to do it for the young kids and families that may be struggling.
"To see their faces light up when they see them is just great, I love it. Everyone is having a tough time at the moment due to the cost of living, so it is nice to give them that relief and spread some Christmas spirit. We have even been given thank you notes in the past for the lights," he shared.
Due to the sheer amount of decorations, he takes a whole week to decorate both his house and hotel which is estimated to cost him around £5,000. It came after he moved into his previous home and noticed how empty the garden looked and wanted to transform it - and calls his decorations an "investment".
Naylan further explained: "It had a huge front garden perfect for all my Christmas ideas. We just wanted to go all out and it went from there really. I had a mad weekend shopping spree looking around for the best deals and it took numerous trips, it was a bit of a whirlwind.
"Just that weekend I easily spent £3,000 on the decorations for both inside and outside, but to me, they are an investment. I put these decorations up for no other reason other than the fact I love Christmas. The lights go on at dusk every day and turn off at 10pm, anyone is welcome to come and see them."
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