Rotorua Christmas Lights Trail winner 'just loves Christmas'

For the second year in a row Pat Ashton's carefully placed lights, well decorated garage and large inflatable Santa have won her the best lit home in the annual Rotorua Christmas Lights Trail.

Nana Pat, as she is affectionately known, has spent the last 20 years collecting Christmas decorations.

When the Rotorua Daily Post visited the 78-year-old yesterday there were still a few hooks hanging from the soffit, but the decorations had been stowed away in the roof, in cupboards in the garage, in the tops of wardrobes, in fact "any spare space has a few decorations".

Her collection drew large crowds throughout December, with people at times queuing around the corner of the street to get a glimpse inside the garage.

The garage where Pat Ashton displays her collection of decorations. Photo/Supplied

"I used to set everything up in the foyer of the house, but when the collection got too big it was actually my son that suggested moving it to the garage."

A lot of her decorations were gifts from friends, but she said it was hard for her to just walk past Christmas decorations.

"Each year it gets a bit bigger, some of them I even got while on holiday in Australia.

"I just love Christmas."

Although she has 17 boxes full of stuffed teddies, dancing Santas, Christmas lights, trees, baubles and tinsel, she has a definite favourite.

"I've got a little angel bear that plays Silent Night on the violin. I got him from a friend who passed away last year."

The lights around the winning house. Photo/Supplied

He is one of more than 50 bears in her collection.

On December 1 she tries to put most of the decorations up herself, but says she gets good help from friends and relatives.

"I just love to see the delight on children's faces, and the parents, who become big children.

"The children love anything where they get to push buttons and the parents love looking at the miniature Christmas village."

For the second year in a row Pat Ashton has won the annual Rotorua Christmas Lights Trail. Photo/Ben Fraser

She said there were lots of people who came back time and time again and the Christmas cake and shortbread may have been a drawcard.

"I just love doing it, I spend my days in the kitchen baking and then the visitors come at night."

This year she made at least 12 Christmas cakes and more than 90 batches of a dozen shortbread biscuits.

"As long as I can keep going it will keep getting bigger.

"I take great pleasure in giving back to people, it wouldn't matter if there wasn't a competition, I would still do it."