Steiltes house shares Christmas spirit

Since 2017, the Steiltes residents, Shaun O’Regan and Sharon Hodgson, have adorned their front garden with Christmas lights and festive-themed inflatables for all of Mbombela to visit and marvel at.

This year is no different. With an even bigger collection of lights and inflatables this year, including four cheeky-looking Grinches, one of which is perched in a tree, O’Regan opened this year’s display just last Friday.

He said the magical wonder will stay open at his Skylab Crescent home for the public to enjoy until January 3.

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When asked about why he had started decorating his garden this way, O’Regan said that although he had lived in Mbombela for 22 years, he had spent a decade living in Europe. He said he missed the enchantment of the snow and scores of houses decked in lines lining the street.

“Decorating your house with lights for the festive season used to be a much bigger thing years ago. In Mbombela, I think there are only about 20 houses that do the Christmas lights. I do the decorations because it is something I love to see and want people to share in the joy and Christmas spirit,” said O’Regan.

He said he estimated he had a total of just over 6 000 visitors coming to view his Christmas-themed garden last year. He said he thought there were about 500 feet in the garden last Sunday. “Lots of people come back more than once. It depends on how often the children beg their parents to bring them back,” he laughed.

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And while O’Regan decorates his home, purely for the sake of enjoying the Christmas spirit, there is a donation tin for hospice, so those who want to donate towards a good cause over the holiday period can do so.

O’Regan added that although closing time varies every night, the garden stays open for viewing until roughly between 21:30 to 22:30.