In the little town of Mosgiel there will be a particularly bright light in the distance for wise men to follow this Christmas.
That is because resident Vicki Clinch has covered her property in lights and decorations, as have others in the wider Dunedin area.
Mrs Clinch’s passion for illuminating her Doon St property began began 10 years ago, she said.
"It was probably because of my daughter. I bought her an animated Christmas tree and that sort of started me off."
After the singing and dancing tree, they moved to lights and a blow-up carousel.
The decorations had accumulated every year since, she said.
"I can’t walk past a bargain."
The family loved Christmas, Mrs Clinch said.Her daughter, Becky, has since moved out, but spent most of December there helping to decorate and bake.
Becky now ran a face-painting business, which was an extension for her love of decorating and dressing up, Mrs Clinch said.
It took a few hours to put all the lights up.
"We do the inside as well, just for the family."
On week days, she usually left them on until midnight.
On the weekends, this was often pushed back 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how many people were around, she said.
"Yep, it’s definitely bright from outside."
