Penny pinching and careful spending can go out the window when Christmas comes to town with most of us spending plenty of money and time making the holiday perfect. For one mum, the festive season is the time to go all out - as she has spent £40,000 on decorations in the last six years.
Joanne Buckley-Smith turns her house into a winter wonderland with a different theme every year and starts shopping as early as January to make sure everything is prepared.
Sparing no expense, the 41-year-old has bought a Santa lamp for £700, two MacKenzie-Childs stags for £1,700 each, a £600 MacKenzie-Childs snowman and a $500 dancing Grinch from the US, for her home this year.
Joanne said: "I decorate every year differently and I never do the same theme twice. Even though I spend a lot on Christmas decorations, I'm not a big spender on myself - I'd much rather buy my decorations than I would buy a pair of Louboutins."
This year's decor is slightly different with her "usual 14 Christmas trees" being replaced by "large life-size figures and designer items." In her hometown of Halstead, Essex, the mum of one is known as Mrs Christmas due to her dedication to decorating for the holiday.
She confessed: "I’ve spent well into £40,000 in total in six years. But each year it doesn’t always look like that amount as I don’t use every item and there’s a lot packed away." Each room in her home has a different theme and takes months of planning plus almost a week to decorate.
This year, Joanne has also splashed out on a huge sack of presents for £850, giant baubles for £140 each and nutcrackers which cost her £600 each - all new additions to her huge collection.
Joanne and her husband Andrew, who own Braintree Van Sales and a property business, have combined more traditional looks with a striking homage to The Grinch.
"This year, I've gone traditional with burgundy and gold in the hallway and entrance and then the living room is the Grinch area which is like being in Whoville," she said.
"I’ve got a massive dancing Grinch that arrived from the US a couple of weeks ago and I ordered it in August. Then through the hallway is my Santa and snowmen. The kitchen has a Nutcracker theme with MacKenzie-Childs items."
With the cost of living crisis on everyone's minds at the moment, Joanne acknowledged that she'd "“probably over done it" this year but her love of Christmas makes it all worth it.
It isn't just her own house where Joanne spreads Christmas joy as she also does an Advent handout for local school children and has gifted her nearby church with a new 10ft Christmas tree and decorations. The mum also hires Santa to come and give out gifts to local children.
She does get the occasional negative comments but they don't faze her - as she believes trolls don’t realise how much she gives back to her local community.
She added: "Sometimes I get the odd negative message. It’s never about my Christmas style but about the amount of money I spend. Everyone just presumes that I don't give to anyone else or help anyone else but I do a lot.
"I’ve just bought the church a new 10ft Christmas tree with decorations and I do loads with the kids in the village and the community."
The family-of-three plan to visit the Ritz in London for their annual Christmas trip and are unaffected by the cost of living crisis.
Joanne said: "A lot of people probably aren't going to be able to go over the top as much as I can afford to be able to do so they can all just come and admire my house as many times as they like!
"If you have that love of Christmas, you can make things if you can’t afford decorations. I’ve seen people making their own Nutcrackers because the price of them can be ridiculous.
"It's gotten a lot more expensive this year. With some of my American items, the import charges are as much as the item itself. It can make it a nightmare but America does have the more extravagant decorations.
"But for me it’s worth it because I do like to have something different that no one else has got."
On Christmas Day, Joanne will host eight family members. Her son is also getting into the festive spirit by dressing up as a Christmas character for the youngsters. Husband Andrew is still "going along with it" but Joanne says he sits and shakes his head when she walks through the door with more decorations - turning a blind eye to her obsession.
Joanne said: "In the lead up to Christmas, I like to host lots of parties and game nights so family and friends can all come and have a look at our Christmas house - and have an evening here.
"Everything has taken me a bit longer to install this year as I’ve been busy at work and normal everyday family life taking over. I had to fit it in when I got home and it took me six days.
"My teenage son isn’t showing as much interest anymore but luckily enough, I have my young niece and nephew who are taking over his excitement."
Sometimes when out and about, Joanne gets recognised by strangers who call out to "Mrs Christmas" to tell her they’ve seen her on TV. But Joanne takes it all in her stride - especially as she enjoys being known for her love of Christmas.
She added: "I share my love of Christmas with the whole village and all year round, the kids ask me when I’m going to put my decorations up.
"Even when I was in Dorset in the summer, I got recognised. My husband couldn’t believe it. It was really funny!"
