For the past 29 years, Ross Bryant has been transforming his De Lacy St front yard into a Christmas wonderland for the neighbourhood to enjoy through to New Year’s Eve.
When he started the decorating in the mid-1990s, it was a much bigger job than it is now.
‘‘We used to use the old bulb lights where you had to check each light. If one blew, you’d have to pull one out, put one in, pull one out, put one in, and so on.’’
Once LED lights came in, Mr Bryant’s job became significantly easier and his yard a lot brighter.
‘‘There’s roughly 25,000 lights out in the yard this year.’’
Decorating his house started as a treat for his young children, but soon the entire neighbourhood was looking forward to the yearly tradition.
‘‘It’s just one of those things, a hobby that grew into something bigger every year — it’s nice to see everyone enjoying it.’’
After years of his home being lit up with thousands
of lights, he has become accustomed to falling asleep with the lights flashing outside.
The key, he said, was to invest in the best curtains you could find.
‘‘It all runs from the garage and everything is on a timer. It’s all set to turn on at 9pm, and switch off at 12.30am.’’
Mr Bryant started setting up the display on November 1, and flicked the switch on December 1. They will run until
December 31.
His New Year’s tradition is taking down the display and storing it away for another year.
