Yahoo LifestyleFamily decorate home with 300,000 Christmas lights to break record
An Australian man has smashed the Guinness World Record for the most Christmas lights on a property this year going above and beyond in decorating his home with over 300,000 lights.
After hours of hard labour, David Richards used 331,038 lights, 29,630m of LED strings and a whopping 15,000 cable ties to transform his home into the first largest outdoor light display in the world.
David, who lives with his wife Janean Richards and children Aidan, 11, Caitlin, 8, and Madelyn, 4, in Canberra, Australia, has worked on decorating his home for over four years.
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David said: “It started four years ago with one string above the door and has really grown from there".
In order to claim the record, there had to be 250,000 working lights on for ten minutes and a video had to be sent to London for official confirmation.
With the help of his family, David surpassed the record’s expectations.
All the money he receives from visitors will go to the charity ‘SIDS and Kids’ which he says helped his family out during a difficult period in the past.
David said: “I did it for my kids initially and then it just got bigger and bigger. I remember one year a mother and child came through the driveway thinking no one was around and they started dancing to the music - it's all about putting a smile on people's faces.”
When the family held a party at their home last week he said the guests “couldn't believe what they saw”.
The front entrance to the Richards’ household is draped in colourful lights with a reindeer display and canopy that draws in visitors from across the town.
“It's not just Christmas lights - it goes in colours and waves up and down the driveway, it changes colour and the tree spins.” Most of the lights have been bought from a manufacturer in China for an undisclosed cost. “Nobody, except for Tony in China, knows that [the cost of the lights], not even my wife,” Mr Richards said.
Despite the four year investment in the light display David said that he won't be doing it again next year, saying he hoped to be able to donate the lights to someone else who would continue to use them to raise money for charity.
What do you think of the lights display? Have you decorate your house with a selection of big bright lights?
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