A Sussex man has been dubbed Britain’s “most festive man” because he decks his seaside home with 10k decorations every Christmas.
His interest and talent began at his parents’ pub as a teenager. He says: “The Dolphin would open on Christmas Day so people who lived alone had the chance to have some company. It needed to look the part.
“In the sixties, we got a lot of decorations from Woolworths as it was the place to go back then. But, being a country pub, we also brought in holly and ivy from the garden.
“It always looked really nice and as I got older, I started to take control of the decorating a bit more. I probably got a bit bossy with it all.
In his own Bishopstone bungalow he says each room has a different theme: “The lounge is black, gold and silver; the dining room is mainly reds and greens and what we call our “garden room” has a collection of about 12 trees at the moment. Each one is decorated in a completely different way.
Former Royal Mail manager Geoff says: ‘People have always been fascinated by the bungalow at Christmas,
“For about ten years, we had an annual party in the house each December with friends and family. I’d thought “what’s the point of having these beautiful individual decorations when, hung on mass, you lose the impact of them”.
“So I used to take pictures of them, print them off and create a quiz for people who arrived at our party. They’d go round the house to find the decorations and note down details about them, and the winner got a bottle of champagne. People got quite into it.
Geoff’s partner Mark isn’t so keen on the decorations he says: “Mark and I have been together for 23 years now. When we met, he couldn’t bear Christmas – it just wasn’t for him. He’s come to tolerate it and my collection in the years since. Mark does like the bungalow once the decorations are up, but he doesn’t like the assembling process. He stays out of the house for those bits.
You can see Geoff’s Christmas display in all glory at http://www.geoffschristmas.co.uk/
