Kirsty and Lee Hamel have spent the last four months prepping their home at 15 Lagoon Way, West Harbour, Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Readers from around the country have shared pictures of their Christmas lights which are rivalling Auckland's famous Franklin Rd display, now in its 20th year.
Terralie Hardy says her husband, Keith, hates putting up the Christmas lights at their Tauranga home on Sapphire Drive each year.
But once he's finished, he loves the satisfaction of a job well done.
"It's my little project," said Mrs Hardy, 54, who designs the elaborate light display.
This year she started the planning process well before the silly season began, and Mr Hardy started putting the lights up in October.
The pair, who have two sons and four grandkids, have about five storage boxes full of lights, but Mrs Hardy often buys new ones.
And not even their cavalier King Charles spaniel is immune to the Christmas fever that has taken over their home.
He has a reindeer coat, complete with Christmas lights, and sits at the front of the house every evening, entertaining the local kids.
"I just love doing it for the kids and for my family," Mrs Hardy said.
"We're all coming together this Christmas time. They think it's wonderful."
This year, her favourites are the reindeer that sit on the front lawn. She said a 3-year-old girl asked if Santa was inside their house.
"She said 'I've been trying to call him, he must be in there because his reindeer are parked on the lawn'," Mrs Hardy said.
"I just love it. This is probably my best year, but I have plans for even bigger and better."
Andrea Kernick, who lives on Uldale Place in Howick, said her road "must be one of the few streets where every house has a Christmas light display".
"Many people come for a look and thank us for putting on a fantastic show," she said.
"Some people even say it's better than Franklin Rd. We are not competing with anyone, we just do our own thing and enjoy spending the time decorating our homes in our own unique way."
Karen Kirk and Paul Stevenson's home on Sayes Close, Dannemora, Auckland, gets a Christmas lights makeover every year to raise money for South Auckland Hospice.
To date, they've raised more than $4700.
"We have Santa most weekends who gives out lollies to the kids along with a snow machine that pumps out artificial snow."
Meanwhile, Franklin Rd resident of 15 years, Hamish Keith, said this year's display had to be one of the best ever.
"The street is probably the most complete street we've had for lights, it's been very successful," he said.
The lights were not commercial, and he said the council discouraged people from selling things in the street or trying to collect money.
"We really want it to be a place where kids can come with their parents and not be asked for money where they can just enjoy the lights."
He said the nicest piece of feedback he'd received this year was from a young boy who liked the Santa that dropped his trousers to reveal undergarments that read "Happy Holidays".
"He said 'thank you for not fixing Santa's trousers, they're very funny', so I promised him I wouldn't fix Santa's trousers," Mr Keith said.
Every year the street's residents would usually have a barbecue around November where they'd agree when to start and finish the lights. They came on on December 1, and go off at 11 each night to discourage undesirables from heading down after nearby Ponsonby Rd bars close. Mr Keith said most residents wrapped up their displays around Boxing Day.
The most important thing, he said, was that it was non-commercial though he wouldn't mind a discount on his electricity bill, which increased by about 50 per cent each December.
He did say Vector had given residents a small cash injection in the past two years, which was most welcome.
The Electricity Authority estimated that a big display of LED lights (about 100 watts) would cost a house about $20.
A single set of LED fairy lights would bump a power bill up by $1 a month, though for incandescent lights the cost would be more like $10 extra a month per set.
And it's not all fun and games health and safety-wise, either.
Last year ACC received 30 Christmas lights-related injury claims and in 2013 they received 38.
These claims included "putting Xmas lights up, fell off my foot stool, landing on my back", "plugging in Xmas lights and got an electric shock", and "stretching to put up Christmas lights and strained shoulder".
Between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day 2013, the ACC received 10,421 Christmas-related claims. Last year they received 11,502.
• ACC received 38 Christmas light-related injury claims in 2013, and last year they received 30.
• Claims included "putting Xmas lights up, fell off my foot stool, landing on my back", "plugging in Xmas lights and got an electric shock", and "stretching to put up Christmas lights and strained shoulder".
• The Electricity Authority estimates a set of LED fairy lights would bump your power bill up by $1 a month, though for incandescent lights the cost would be more like $10 extra a month per set.
• Between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day 2013, the ACC received 10,421 Christmas-related claims. Last year they received 11,502.
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