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Home / New Zealand

Twinkle, twinkle little stars, Santas, trains ...

Vaimoana Tapaleao
By Vaimoana Tapaleao
Pasifika Editor·NZ Herald·
18 Dec, 2011 04:30 PM2 mins to read

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Christmas lights decorate Franklin Road houses. Photo / Getty Images

Christmas lights decorate Franklin Road houses. Photo / Getty Images

Twinkling lights, giant candy canes, reindeer on the roof and a cheerful chubby man in red - it must be Christmas time.

Thousands of people up and down the country are getting into the spirit of the season, decorating their homes and gardens for the holidays.

Franklin Rd in Ponsonby kicked things off early in the month, showing off dazzling displays and decorations.

The street attracts thousands of people each year, with nearly every home decked out in fairy lights and decorations.

But it's not the only street showing some colourful Christmas flair.

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A pine tree now lights up the sky in Parnell with blue, white and red-coloured lights.

And a number of homes in Pt Chevalier's Miller St have also been dressed to impress.

At No 58 about a dozen characters - including Santa Claus, several snowmen and Minnie and Mickey Mouse - welcome guests.

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There are all kinds of lights twinkling from the roof, over the door, among the flowers and in the front yard.

Owner Bruce Rutherford said his family had been doing it for the past eight years.

"We just do it for the kids in the neighbourhood. It brings a bit of life to the street and people just love it. It just makes it a lot like Christmas."

Mr Rutherford said he had built up his collection of lights, Christmas trees, Santas and anything remotely festive over a number of years.

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"It's the kids from 3- to 5-years-old that can be nasty. They come up and say, 'Hey you had that last year' - aren't they precious - so I make sure we have new stuff," he laughed.

"There's a train this year, which we picked up when we were in Australia. It plays Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas and it toots, so when we saw it we thought, 'Right, we've got to have that'."

The train runs around the front yard, under the house and out the other side, with its tracks lit up.

Mr Rutherford said he enjoyed seeing people's reactions.

"We had a taxi pull up last night and these tourists ran out with their cameras, clicking away. They couldn't believe it."

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Is your house decked out for Christmas or have you seen one? Send us your photos and the address to photo@nzherald.co.nz

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