The Jones’ house on Johnstone St. PHOTO/GRACE PRIOR
Trudy and Tony Jones have lit up their house again this year, bringing a bit of Christmas joy to Masterton.
The Joneses have been lighting up their house at Christmas for about five years now, but this year was bigger and better than ever.
“We wanted to do it for people to have a bit of a smile,” Jones said.
Every year, the Joneses have Santa visit on Christmas Eve in his sleigh in their front garden for children to meet.
Jones said it was not about the cost but the joy it brought people.
“During this year, I think people are going to take a bit of time to enjoy what is around,” Jones said.
“People bring their kids down in their pyjamas before bed, and they get to have a bit of a play and leave absolutely buzzing.”
Jones is the manager of the Wairarapa Resource Centre and sees how covid-19 has affected people on a daily basis.
“It’s been a trying year for some people,” she said.
Jones said they had “heaps of time to plan during covid-19; we made the train and everything else.”
For the Joneses, decorating their house at Christmas is a labour of love, and something worth putting some effort into.
“It’s not cheap, but if you want to do it, you want to do it well; the least we can do is slap up some lights and put a smile on people’s faces,” Jones said.
Jones said it took months to put all the lights up, and months to take them down again.
The driveway alone took 300m of lights and about 2500 cable ties, Jones said.
Hundreds of people flock to experience the Johnstone St Christmas magic on Christmas Eve, Jones said.
The house can be found near the end of Johnstone St in Masterton.
Other Christmas lights can be found at:
34A Gordon St, Masterton
35 Michael St, Masterton
63 Millard Ave, Masterton
Leeds Place, Masterton
Kippenberger St, Masterton
7 Pownall St, Masterton
31 Armstrong Ave, Carterton
5 Hartley Ave, Carterton
