Christmas lights at Carlingford, Pemulwuy, Constitution Hill
The Christmas spirit has cranked up across Constitution Hill, Carlingford and Pemulwuy with displays to bring out the big kid in all of us.
Parramatta
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Ambitious Christmas lights decorator Scott McCamley has brought a touch of Sydney Harbour to Constitution Hill with a 15,000-light display radiating Elm Place.
His replica Harbour Bridge and Centrepoint Tower is dripping with icicle lights and next year he wants to add an Opera House replica.
“I want to become the best in Sydney,’’ he said.
“I change my game up every year. I’m planning 12 months ahead all the time. There’s so many things that are going through my head that I can outdo what I’ve done. I’ve gone bigger and better every year and I’ve had to replace lights every year.”
The 37 year old father of one, also known as Scott McCamley, takes 12 weeks to assemble his display at 1 Elm Place where visitors are treated to 1km worth of rope lights. The display is worth up to $2000 including electricity bills.
“I get Sydney tour buses and charity bikie runs come through here,’’ Mr McCamley said.
“The final week of Christmas is always insane. One year I pretty much had the whole street blocked.
“I love summer and I love Christmas. I’ve always been like that. It’s not about the presents, it’s about the family and friends around and I do this to bring their kids here and to give them the best show.’’
The display runs until January 5 and extends on Christmas Eve from 8pm to 2am.
At Bunnai Rd, Pemulwuy, Christmas is a community affair with neighbours flocking to Lester Denetto’s house to marvel and dance at his kaleidoscopic lights show.
Mr Denetto orders a system from the US which synchronises music with lights on props, including the centrepiece Christmas tree, nativity scene and a map of Australia.
“I’m not a computer wizard, I’m 72 years old,’’ Mr Denetto said.
“I’m just crazy on lights.’’
His tech-savvy neighbours Michael Gotfredsen and Chris Werring help engineer the show, which runs for 20 minutes, and is expected to draw hundreds of visitors when school holidays start this week.
The show is at 9 Bunnai Rd and visitors can also check out neighbouring properties whose displays include electronic Christmas greetings.
Resident Genevieve Begg settled herself on a foldaway chair with a glass of wine while her daughters Matilda, 10, and Charlotte, 9, grooved to the festive soundtrack.
“We live on the street so it’s a ritual every Friday, Saturday and Sunday,’’ Mrs Begg said.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger every year. Since they started all the houses started to put up lights. It’s a really great atmosphere.”
CARLINGFORD
IT doesn’t matter if she’s surrounded by snow or sun — Scotland-raised Louise Phillips is a Christmas fanatic.
The Carlingford mother of four is the biggest kid of all when it comes to Christmas decorations, which have adorned her family’s front yard at 12 Watton Rd home since 2015.
“Last year the lights were taken out because I had a 25-year pine tree come down so it took out a couple of thousand dollars worth of my display so this year it’s bigger. It becomes an addiction with seeing the children smile. I love doing them.’’
Mrs Phillips grew up with chilly Christmases but has adapted to the hot festive season since she moved to Australia with her husband Paul 13 years ago.
“In Scotland it was cold, we had snow falling by Christmas so it had that real Christmas feel and we were all rugged up, and here we are walking around with shorts, T-shirts and thongs in a winter wonderland – it doesn’t quite go together.
“It’s a lot warmer and very, very strange.”
The Phillips’ children, Rory, 17, Erin, 11, Dean, 9, and Samantha, 7, relish the lights display which includes an inflatable Santa, an illuminated Christmas tree and reindeer prop, but it is their mum who makes the magic happen.
“They love it when mummy does it,’’ she said.
“I’m a big child at Christmas. I love it and I like to keep the Santa dream alive, which now kids seem to find out a lot earlier, but I think the longer you keep that alive, it’s a great feeling.”
Mrs Phillips has also shown Christmas is about giving and has a Breast Cancer Foundation donation box in memory of a friend’s mother who died of the disease.