WATCH-Christmas lights wonderland in Somerset Park
Every night, residents gather outside a Somerset Park home to watch the home transform into a veritable Christmas wonderland.
IT’S a balmy evening in Durban as a crowd of excited residents gather outside a home on Somerset Drive hoping to catch a glimpse of the Christmas lights switch-on. This isn’t just any home, this festive display sees more than 1 000 lights illuminate the area. Colorful, sparkling and twinkling lights line the walls and edges of the house, giving the appearance of a wondrous palace. The halls have been decked with more than just holly and the Christmas tree fills the living room, however, it’s the outside of the home that grabs your attention with its luminous attractions.
From Santa’s sleigh, complete with a moving reindeer, to a Christmas themed Snoopy hanging out on the post box, or a parachuting Santa, there’s few homes in Durban North that can compete with the Munsami family.
Every night, residents gather outside their home to watch the home transform into a veritable Christmas wonderland. The visual treat features more than 150 different twinkling bulbs and decorations.
Northglen News recently caught up with Nikita Munsmai, who explained how it all came about.
“This all started in 2006, we were having a Christmas/birthday party for my dad, Vasu. His birthday is on 26 December. So we’d put up a few Christmas lights around the home to celebrate. Some residents who saw the lights, stopped by and asked whether my dad had entered the ‘Big Switch On’ competition run by East Coast Radio. People would vote for the best Christmas house and we were the lucky winners and that really sparked what you see today. Every year my dad installs new decorations.
“When we decorated the house the first year, we didn’t expect the overwhelming positive response from the community. So many of them would stop on the side of the road to have a look and bring their children in to have a look. It’s just wonderful because you see the impact of what they are seeing in their smiles. We often get letters in the post box where people and little children say how much they loved visiting our home. That’s what makes it all worth it, seeing the wonder in people’s faces and them just loving the decorations,” she said.
Nikita, has also started a Facebook and Instagram page for those wanting to catch a glimpse of the home. The handle is @durbannorthpole.
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