'It's crazy:' Stalwart competes for best Christmas house in Dannevirke

Hayden Beale uses items he has at home in his lights display for the annual Christmas Lights Spectacular in Dannevirke. Photo / Leanne Warr

It's a little bit of Kiwi ingenuity mixed with a love for Christmas.

And judging by the number of Christmas trees inside his home, Hayden Beale wouldn't have it any other way.

Like a few others around Dannevirke, Beale delights in coming up with different displays for the Christmas Lights Spectacular.

The For Homes competition awards a prize for the best-dressed house and Beale, who has won the competition a few times but missed out last year, is hoping to come up with a winner this time.

"You always hope to win," he says.

Beale started his Christmas lights display about 20 years ago, when his older children were small.

"I just started with a couple of sets and it grew from there."

He kept on finding more lights or was given more, and it has grown to a collection of more than 200 sets.

That's sets, with up to 400 bulbs a set – he estimates the number of lights to be in the tens of thousands.

With that amount of wattage, over the next few weeks, he would probably be looking at a huge power bill, but he keeps the lights on a timer.

Every year, he tries to do something different.

Last year's effort was a big wave coming from the top window of the house.

The display last Christmas was a wave from the top window of the house. Photo / Supplied

Another year he had about 30 Christmas trees in the front yard.

This year, he is planning to use a tent pole and some pieces of wood to create one big Christmas tree, which will be up to 8m tall by the time it's finished.

He enjoys doing it, especially for the kids who come with their parents, visiting all the local displays.

"They just think it's magical," Beale says.

"It's kind of the only community thing I do," he says. "It's one of the few things I can do that people get enjoyment from."

Sometimes he gets hundreds of cars coming to see his display.

"It's crazy. The neighbours must hate it."

Beale is not out to compete with his neighbours - not his immediate neighbours anyway.

He believes his house is the only one in his street that does it, but there are at least 10 in the local area.

Putting up the lights is not an easy task and it can take him about two weeks to do it.

Some years he just strings lights through the trees, while other years he really puts more focus into his design.

He doesn't go all out, though, with elaborate setups complete with accompanying music, because that can get rather expensive.

But as much as it is hard work, it's fair to say he gets as much enjoyment out of it as those who come to see it.

Entries for the For Homes Christmas Lights Spectacular close on December 3 for both house and business lights, and the entrants list will be available on December 7.

For Homes is also running a colouring-in competition, which closes on December 14.

The Christmas lights bus tour will be on December 15 and will start at the Christmas Tree Extravaganza before touring the town.

Anyone wanting a seat on the bus should phone Aleisha on 063744103 or email: office@forhomes.co.nz to book.

Public voting closes at 8.30am on December 16, with prizegiving at 5.15pm that evening.