As we get into the festive period, we take a look at the houses that have really embraced Christmas and are covered in lights and decorations.
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00:00For some of us, the idea of putting up Christmas decorations is the worst part of Christmas
00:08and having to untangle the fairy lights sends us running for the mulled wine. For this group
00:13of festive heroes from around the country though, it makes their jingle bells rock to
00:17give us all a merry Christmas. First up, Emily goes to the Walshes in Liverpool to find out
00:22more.
00:23For the fourth year on the run, a family home in Liverpool is putting on a sparkling display
00:29all in aid of a good cause. Helen and Marty Walsh are inviting people to their home in
00:33Hunts Cross to see the synchronised light-up shows which illuminate their house in Palmerston
00:39Road throughout the festive period.
00:41It all came about Christmas 2020. My husband had seen a video on Facebook of Christmas
00:46lights synchronised to music and he looked into it and then he showed me some videos
00:52of it and it was like, we've got to do it because he absolutely loved his Christmas
00:57lights. It was a case of adding bits every year.
01:01Helen says they've received nothing but positive comments about the light show, even from their
01:06neighbours.
01:07So throughout 2021, it took 10 months of planning and making everything. We tested it for the
01:16whole of November and delivered a letter to all of the neighbours on the estate and they
01:24were all for it and we invited them to a little preview show over three nights.
01:29Everyone is welcome to come and see their display. All they ask for is a donation which
01:32goes towards Alder Hey. It's a chosen charity they say because of all the wonderful work
01:37they do for the children in their care and their families. Their son Charlie has been
01:41helped by the hospital in the past and is now a healthy, happy 11-year-old.
01:46Alder Hey, just the fantastic work for the children, especially with the donation that
01:50we did last year, that went towards the MediCinema, which only opened last weekend and it was
01:57just absolutely brilliant to see our money go to something so worthwhile for the children.
02:04The total amount raised for Alder Hey so far is more than £5,000 and they're hoping to
02:08raise even more this festive season.
02:11Each year since 2021, it has grown and they now have over 70,000 lights in the show. It's
02:16no wonder it takes almost a year to prepare for each show as it can take up to 50 hours
02:22of work to sequence just one song.
02:25It's more the technical side of things that takes the longest to put together to work
02:30out what we're putting in the shows, obtaining new songs.
02:34Each show lasts approximately 25 minutes and there are a wide variety of sequences including
02:39Christmas classics like The Pogues' Fairy Tale of New York and current hip-hop songs
02:44like Sabrina Carpenter's Espresso.
02:47There's flashing lights, there's static lights, there's motifs, there's singing trees.
02:53The real stars of the show are the singing trees. Bruce the Spruce, his wife Penny Pine
02:59and their twin children, Zeus and Clementine.
03:02It's people from far and wide. We've even had people who are visiting family up here
03:07from the likes of Salisbury down south.
03:10The Liverpool Christmas Light Show runs every day until Tuesday 31st December at 6pm, 6.30pm,
03:177pm, 7.30pm, 8pm and 8.30pm.
03:21Wow, that is one heck of a light show. Let's see if the Hodgson family in Leeds can outdo that.
03:28Hi everybody, we are the Hodgson family and you're here again at Hodgson Family Lights.
03:33After our amazing Halloween, we're back for Christmas. We've got over 36,000 lights,
03:38we've got 8 interactive stations. We talk about it all year, we're working it all year.
03:43I'm part of a group called the European Lighting Fanatics. We have Zoom calls where we train
03:47people how to do this every week for free on Zoom. So we're talking about this in February basically.
03:52We've been adding a lot more interactive elements this year, so we've got a lot more buttons.
03:56I'm not going to give too much away because the whole idea is you've got to come, you've got to press
03:59and hold a button and then you've got to find out what it's doing. But yeah, we've been putting a lot
04:04more into sort of some homemade crafty sort of things which we're really excited about.
04:09If we just kept it the same, I think it'd be a bit boring. So we just try and say what can we add,
04:13what can we do that's a little bit different and we focused on interactivity. Let the kids
04:17have a play with it. Yeah, a bit of light entertainment. We've got some popular songs,
04:24Disney songs and some Christmas songs obviously. There's some, yes there are some very cheesy
04:29Christmas songs. Scarlet's favourite Christmas robot that if listening to it too many times it
04:34gets stuck in your head. Even more so for me because I program it so then I have to listen
04:38to it again and again and again as I'm programming it. The sensory sessions on Tuesdays, Fridays,
04:43Saturdays and Sundays. It's lower music, not as flashy and you know everybody's welcome to that.
04:51It's a lot quieter as well. We're extremely happy with the reaction that we get from the community
04:57and from everybody and we just want to keep raising money and that's why we do it,
05:01just a bit of fun and bring some light to the streets of Leeds. I really like it and I think
05:08whoever comes, I think they'll really enjoy it. And if you don't come you will make an eight-year-old
05:14cry so you know. It's been incredible. For the charity, for the community, we really just want
05:21to thank everybody for supporting this crazy stupid house full of lights. Light entertainment,
05:29what an excellent pun Dom. Still, interactive Christmas lights is a real step forward in the
05:34Christmas house stakes. Now it's over to Ellie to find out about a lovely charity story from
05:39the lights in Newcastle. It's reported that in the UK we spend more than half a billion pounds
05:45on Christmas decorations each year and the average person will spend at least £600 on gifts.
05:51In a survey conducted back in 2021, it was found that the North East are the most sentimental when
05:57it comes to decorations, where people are more likely to use decorations that have sentimental
06:01value. I'm at a home in County Durham who has spent the last 18 years decorating the exterior
06:09of the home each year and transforming it into Santa's bottle. I spoke with the owner Elaine
06:14about how this started and their amazing contributions to charity.
06:20Well probably about 18 years ago we had a granddaughter about three years old and we,
06:27my husband decided to buy a reindeer and then he bought another reindeer and another reindeer until
06:34in the end he said I'm going to make some stuff and all the wooden stuff that is on display here
06:39has been made by my husband. We started doing it for Zoe's Place, then the Air Ambulance and then
06:46Wellerburn Hospice and then probably for the last four or five years we take with the money
06:52is all donated to Dafters of Brush and we hope and we normally do raise about £2,000.
07:01Unfortunately I lost my husband last year but the firm that we have, Tyne Valley Motorhomes,
07:09all the lads at work come up and they put the display up in memory of Derek.
07:14So it lives on through the lads at work, my son and my daughter. The decorations will be up until
07:21the 1st of January and then they'll come down on the 2nd of January. They're on from half past
07:26four to half past nine. Anybody is welcome. There is a donation bucket beside the snowman.
07:35Please feel free to put as much as you want in.
07:42Elaine's decorations are spread across her garden with magical displays and festive music that gets
07:48you in the Christmas spirit. As Elaine mentioned anyone is welcome to go and check it out which
07:54can be found in Burnhamfield, County Durham. The charity that Elaine donates the money to,
08:00Dafters of Brush, provides cancer patient care specialising in transporting cancer patients to
08:05and from hospitals for chemotherapy and radiotherapy and it's free of charge. It's a
08:11North East charity that was founded by Brian Birney in 2012 and it completes thousands of
08:17cancer patient journeys each year with a team of hundreds of volunteers and a large fleet of
08:22ambulances which you may have seen about the North East that are bright blue with yellow
08:27cartoon paintbrushes. All donations received go directly to supporting cancer patients on their
08:34journey to recovery. What a truly heartwarming story that was. Elaine and indeed Derek's workmates
08:43are doing some amazing things in Newcastle. Now it's over to Jack in Kew Gardens who have their
08:48own amazing light display. Christmas at Kew Gardens is one of London's standout festive events
08:54offering a remarkable display of Christmas lights. The event features three kilometres of illuminated
09:00pathways with over 20 different installations. Highlights include sparkling tunnels, vibrant
09:06reflections and trees draped in dual toned lights. Visitors can enjoy large sculptures, the warm glow
09:14of a fire garden and even the chance to spot Father Christmas. Christmas at Kew Gardens transforms
09:20the famous botanical gardens into an enchanting winter spectacle. The event invites visitors to
09:27explore the garden full of lights with over 20 dazzling installations along the way. These include
09:33both returning favourites and exciting new displays offering a fresh experience each year.
09:40The illuminated path leads visitors through a series of captivating scenes. One of the key
09:46attractions is the fire garden where the glow of flickering flames contrasts with the cool winter
09:52air. Along the three kilometre trail visitors will also find twinkling light tunnels and vibrant
09:58reflections on the lake creating a magical atmosphere. Trees along the trail are adorned
10:04with thousands of dual toned lights adding to the sense of wonder as you stroll through the gardens.
10:09Due to limited capacity, tickets for Christmas at Kew are available with timed entry. It's
10:15recommended to plan your visit and book your tickets in advance to secure your preferred date
10:21and time. The gardens close at 10pm each day with last entry between 7pm and 8pm depending on the
10:28gate you enter through. On Christmas Eve the last entry is an hour earlier so be sure to check
10:34available times when booking. For larger groups of 15 or more there is a dedicated group booking
10:40page and if you're visiting with someone who has a hidden disability, Kew offers quiet access
10:46sessions on the 28th of December. These sessions are designed to provide a more comfortable
10:52environment for visitors with conditions like autism while still offering a full sensory
10:57experience of the lights. Bicycles, roller skates, skateboards and similar personal vehicles except
11:03powered wheelchairs are not permitted at the event and must be left at the gates.
11:08Kew Gardens is a charity and proceeds from ticket sales for Christmas at Kew Gardens
11:13supports the gardens vital conservation and biodiversity work. Each year Kew strives to make
11:20the event more sustainable and visitors can learn more about their sustainability efforts by reviewing
11:26the Christmas at Kew sustainability strategy. For anyone looking to experience the best Christmas
11:32lights in London, Christmas at Kew Gardens is an unforgettable event with its dazzling light
11:37displays, impressive installation and festive atmosphere it's the perfect way to get into the
11:43holiday spirit. For more on this and other Christmas events in the capital head to londonworld.com
11:49Well that's it from me I'm off for a mince pie and some eggnog
11:53I hope we've inspired you to go all out with your decorations this year