Christmas-mad dad's £300 electric bill after covering house with 70,000 lights

11 December 2023 , 10:44

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Paul Bibby has amassed visitors from far and wide to his Christmas house in Chelmsford (Image: No credit)

A Christmas superfan has transformed his house into a festive wonderland with a whopping 30,000 lights despite his electricity bill amounting to £300.

Paul Bibby, from Chelmsford, Essex, has been decking out his home with festive lights for the past 18 years and has even attracted visitors from South Africa. This year, he has used a staggering 70,000 bulbs to bring his creation to life, which also includes an eight-foot gingerbread man, a nutcracker, and a Christmas tree. His mega display also features a blow-up Santa, penguin, polar bear, a six-foot reindeer and dog.

But the dad couldn't have done it alone and relies on his son Aaron, 36, to help him inflate the decorations each morning and night for 45 minutes at a time. Paul, who cares full-time for his son Aaron and lives with him and partner Linda Cummings, said: "Doing my house every year, it's like a jigsaw puzzle."

The display gets bigger and bigger every year (No credit)

Paul, who uses the lights display to raise funds for his local air ambulance, went on: "Last year the cost was well over £300 in electric just for the lights, it might be even more this time but that would never put me off. People will think that I'm crazy, but I do it for a good cause, one year I might need them." The tradition started in December 2005 with a single string of lights and has grown bigger and better every year. This year, he's added four sets of new icicle lights and a whopping 9-foot snowman. He shared: "I tie them to my car with string, it's alright if it's not windy."

The Christmas house has attracted visitors from South Africa (No credit)

It is the the fourth year running that Paul is fundraising for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, hoping to beat his previous record of £1,500. So far, he's already raised £310. Turning on the light show requires 90 switches and inflating each decoration can take up to 35 minutes daily. Paul's festive dedication attracts visitors from all over. He said: "I get people come from Harlow to visit, they say it's amazing and they've never seen anything like it. I've even had people visiting the UK from South Africa come to see the lights!"

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He has vowed to continue his annual tradition despite the hefty cost. "I'll do my lights every year and I don't even care about the cost because people love it and it's a good cause," he said. "People around here probably think I'm crazy - but I love doing it because just want to make people happy. I'll carry on until I'm too old to get up the ladder!" In the past, Paul has also decorated his house with over a hundred union jacks to celebrate the King's coronation, and as a mark of respect for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

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George Mathias