Sydney Christmas lights guide and #SnapXmas wonder wall

CHRISTMAS lights are sparkling around Sydney and this is your regional guide to our city of lights. Also check out our #SnapXmas wonder wall that will host all your festive snaps.

• Mum and daughter Xmas light duo

CHRISTMAS lights are lit up around Sydney and this is your regional guide to our city of lights.

Also check out our #SnapXmas wonder wall (scroll down below) that will host all your social media festive snaps.

The photos don’t have to be of Christmas lights, they can be of your Christmas tree, your kids with Santa or your dog with reindeer ears on (although that last one is a bit cheesy)! Read on to find out how to be involved.

THE STORY BEHIND THE CHIPPING NORTON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Cade Herringe and Neil Teodorovic Chipping Norton lights, as seen in the video. Picture: Philip Ly

HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN #SNAPXMAS

Instagram: Post your picture using the hashtag #SnapXmas, so we can find and repost your pictures on in our social media gallery.

Twitter: Tweet your picture with #SnapXmas.
All the pictures contributed will show up on you #SnapXmas wonder wall below.

SYDNEY’S BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

NORTH

DAVIDSON: Borgnis Street; 10 Cambage Court. MOSMAN: Prince Albert St. WILLOUGHBY: The Avenues

EAST

BONDI: Avoca St; NORTH BONDI: 5 Waratah St, PADDINGTON: Hargrave St; Elizabeth St. RANDWICK: Frederick St. VAULCLUSE: 52 Hopetoun Ave. WOOLLAHRA: Holdsworth St; Churchill Butcher, Queens St.

Tyler Draganov, then 7, with the Lights outside his home at 76 Warbler Street, Erskine Park in 2015. Picture: Justin Sanson

SOUTH EAST

BOTANY: Bay St; CLOVELLY: Arden St; Trevelyan St, Hastings St. HILLSDALE: 1 Jauncey Place. MAROUBRA: 8 Storey St. MASCOT: David St; Coward St; Alfred St; MATRAVILLE: Barwon Cres; Flanders Ave; Franklin St; Gwydir Ave; Knowles St; Larose St. RANDWICK: Barwon Cres; Frederick St; Matraville.

INNER WEST

ASHBURY: Second St. CONCORD: 191 Burwood Rd; CROYDON PARK: 10 Hay St; STRATHFIELD: 71 South Street

The Christmas lights display at 11 McDonald Street, Berala.

NORTHWEST

BAULKHAM HILLS: 2c Hilda Rd; 18 Hilda Rd; 3 Marcel Place. BEROWRA: Richard Close. CASTLE HILL: 17 Brookfield Way; 136 Excelsior Ave; 3 Grandoaks Place; 6 Kullaroo Ave; 8 Minago Place; 83 Ridgecrop Drive; 5 Rondelay Drive. DURAL: 1 Jenner Rd. GLENHAVEN: 28 Beacon Ave. HORNSBY HEIGHTS: Sydney Rd. KELLYVILLE: Lot 16 Karinya Place; 30 Kirkcaldy Circuit; 6 Tuscan Ave. NORTHMEAD: 28 Derby St; 5 Dorset Ave; 45 Grasmere Ave; 72 Meadows St.; NORTH RYDE: Blamey St; Chauvel St; Cutler Parade; Farrington Parade; 4 Schumack St; 14 Schumack St. WEST RYDE: 10 Darwin St.

PARRAMATTA AND SURROUNDS

BERALA: 11 McDonald Street; CARLINGFORD: 7 Lindisfarne Cres; 59 Oakes Rd; 12 Watton Rd. GREYSTANES: 44 Camellia St; Eldridge Rd. GUILDFORD: 51 Mountford Ave. PARRAMATTA: 25 Albert St. TOONGABIE: Nulang St; 6 Vancouver Ave; 31 Victoria St. RYDALMERE: Pine St. WINSTON HILLS: 37 Bellotti Ave; 40 Caroline Chisholm Drive.

Lights at 12 Carpenter St Colyton.

PENRITH AND FAR WEST

BLACKETT: 8 Idriess Cres. BLACKTOWN: 11 Dunstable Rd; 14 Indigo Way; 51 Ironbark Cres; 72 Lock Street; 37 Matthew Cres. BUNGARRIBEE: 72 Steeltrap Drive. ERSKINE PARK: 74 Warbler St. GLENWOOD 6 Tallow Pl. KELLYVILLE RIDGE: 15 Courthouse St; 37 Merriville Rd. LALOR PARK: 107 Kennedy Parade; 12 Kulgoa St; 41 Lawson St; 19 Purcell Cres; LEONAY: 11 Cornell St. LETHBRIDGE PARK: 54 Hatherton Rd. MARSDEN PARK: 23 Excelsior Ave. QUAKERS HILLS: 7 Mallee St; 111 Summerfield Ave. ROOTY HILL: 39 Alice St; 12 Gardner St; SEVEN HILLS: 10 MItumba Rd; 5 Nice Pl; 7 Nice Pl; 35 Pretoria St. SOUTH PENRITH: 10 Exley Place; 42 Fragar Rd; 3 Tuscany Grove. STANHOPE GARDENS: 6 Tilbury Ave; 8 Trafford Lane. THE PONDS: 106 Mosaic Ave.

BANKSTOWN/LIVERPOOL/FAIRFIELD AND SURROUNDS

KINGSGROVE: 14 York St; MILPERRA: 15 Whittle Avenue

#SNAPXMAS WONDER WALL

WINTER WONDERLAND SINGALONG

From Friday, December 15 to Christmas Eve between 8pm and 10pm, ‘Elsa’ will be singing at 14 Schumack St in North Ryde in Elsa’s Frozen Singalong.

Real name Maggie Salmons, four years ago she created a winter wonderland and began singing.

The event supports Feel the Magic for Camp Magic, a charity the supports children who are grieving the loss of a parent or sibling to reach their full potential.

Visit the Elsa’s Frozen Singalong Facebook page for performance and weather updates.

Maggie Salmons performing for children for charity last year.

100,000 LIGHTS AND THREE DISPLAY WINDOW

It will be a Christmas lights spectacular in Cambage Court, Davidson.
For the 17th consecutive year the Grey family will have a Christmas display, this year there will be about 100,000 Christmas lights along with three window displays, and it is open to the public.

One of the window displays at 10 Cambage Court, Davidson. Picture: Michael Grey

Michael Grey said there would be a charity raffle with the first prize of one week at a waterfront villa for six people in Fiji.

Proceeds will be donated equally donated to the charities, Red Nose, Humpty Dumpty Foundation and the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

And some of the lights: Michael Grey.

There will also be community BBQs, professional carollers, and Santa.

For more information visit their website.

WINDING UP AFTER 36 YEARS

After 36 years of decorating their Castle Hill home with Christmas lights, Gloria and Erminio Buosi are having one last hurrah before downsizing and moving into a home unit.

Their entry in the Hills District Christmas Lights Competition will again showcase their Bethlehem nativity scene.

Erminio and Gloria Buosi from Castle Hill. Picture: Julian Andrews

A MERRY MICHAEL CHRISTMAS

Michael Pagano, 22, of 10 Hay Street, Croydon Park is nothing short of ‘extra’ when it comes to festooning his family home with festive cheer each year. However, it does come with it’s challenges and a sizeable price tag.

“I’ve always been into Christmas lights since I was a kid,” he said.

“No other house on our side of the hill or street would ever participate and I was always so jealous of the streets in the neighbouring suburb of Ashbury because people would flock to see their light displays.

The brightest house on Hay Street.

“So I started, little by little, and every year it gains momentum as I can’t hold back on my spending when I walk into the Christmas sections of shops.

“It became my job to do because I am the only one in my family with enough patience and effort to put it all up and take it down year after year.

“If it weren’t for me, our family wouldn’t even have a tree.

THE PAGANO FAMILY HOME IS LIT

“This year, more decorated houses in my area are popping up and I have more people to compete with.

“So I splurged a bit more this year and bought a tree with a hefty, although worth it, $1000 price tag.

“The lights took about two days to put up mostly because my traditional Italian father is very particular with how I decorate the house and I can’t use a lot of technical tools which would allow me to hang things up much more quickly.

Michael Pagano's $1000 Christmas tree and train set.

“My father’s list of things I can’t use and places I can’t put the lights grows every year.

“I.e., no nails or the paint will peel, no lights and inflatables on the grass or the grass will die, nothing on the front gate or strangers will vandalise, and the most recent rule is the time limit the lights can be switched on for due to growing electricity prices.

“Every year the theme changes and I guarantee you next year will be even bigger and better. “Now that I’ve forked out considerable funds for the tree, I’ll have more money for the lights.”