The Spirit of Christmas- Part Two
Man puts up 30,000 Christmas lights – and has to flick 98 switches to turn them on
Paul Bibby decided to string up thousands of lights outside his home this Christmas and he’s hoping the twinkling decorations will help ‘put a smile on people’s faces’
There’s always that one house on every street that goes absolutely mad with the outdoor Christmas decorations.
But one man who earned a reputation for his impressive displays takes Christmas to a whole new level – as it takes him three weeks to get his house ready for the big day.
Paul Bibby, from Chelmsford, Essex, spent most of November stringing up around 30,000 bulbs on the front and sides of his semi-detached home as part of his “biggest ever” festive display.
And the decorations don’t stop at the lights, as there’s also a giant inflatable Father Christmas and a snowman sitting in Paul’s garden.
He said: “It was hard work doing it all on my own – this year is definitely my biggest. “People walk past and tell me they have never seen anything like it”
“Little children love to get pictures with the inflatable snowman – he seems to be the most popular. “Paul – who lives with Linda Cummings, 58, and son Aaron Bibby, 33 – says that since his grand switch-on on December 1, every evening he has to flick 98 individual switches to fully illuminate the display. The 56-year-old carer has been adorning his house with impressive displays for 16 years, and says the festive gesture is to help raise money for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance – because he wants to “give back” to the life-saving service.
He added: “I do it because I want to put a smile back on people’s faces. I just want to make people happy.
“I do it every year and people around here think I’m crazy – but I love doing it. I look forward to it every year. “I’ll carry on until I’m too old to get up the ladder! “And while Christmas is Paul’s busiest time of year for decorating, it’s not the only time he can be seen clambering up a ladder outside his house.
Earlier this year, he also spent weeks adorning every inch of his property with England flags to show spirit for the team in the Euros.
This Article was originally shared on mirror.co.uk