As Christmas rapidly approaches, residential properties and malls are beginning to glow with bright neon lights and decorations.
But nothing compares to one Christchurch lightshow in Prebbleton.
Carl and Maureen Seaward have become a bit of an institution in the South Island. Their Christmas lightshow boasts around 600,000 lights, and last year drew more than 30,000 people to their home.
It takes nine months to put up the festive extravaganza, but it's worth every bit of time spent. Ms Seaward was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2009 while holidaying in Australia, and is now restricted to a wheelchair. She is constantly undergoing treatment, and a $5 donation at the door will contribute to her battle against the curable disease.
Lyme disease is caused from the bite of an infected tick, which left untreated can cause problems with joints, the heart and other vital organs.
"We use it as a fundraiser for my wife's ongoing medical treatment. It has taken her from being fully mobile to being totally restricted to a wheelchair now," Mr Seaward says.
The lightshow is open every night from 8:30pm until midnight, and the Seawards use the late nights to meet people and share the experience with them.
"We don't do this because of Christmas; we do this because we love meeting people," Mr Seaward says. "We actually had a family come up to us on Saturday when we opened and said that they had driven up from Dunedin just to see the lightshow."
Mr Seaward sets the lights up every year along with the help of friends and family, adding to the collection as well as replacing the broken bulbs.
The couple have been setting up the event for eight years now, and since 2012, they have added approximately 300,000 lights to the collection.
"Building the lightshow, I have got a couple that come throughout the year to help me do the build now. The scale of it has got way too big for me working on it alone," Mr Seaward says.
The lightshow will be in action until December 30, and Mr Seaward says the event is the perfect way to start feeling festive.
"A lot of people come because it puts them into the Christmas spirit. We have a lot of people say they come they are just excited to see what is new each year and because they can't experience it anywhere else in New Zealand."
For those wanting to see the lights, the Seawards can be found at 650 Shands Rd, Prebbleton, in Christchurch.
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