(VIDEO) A quarter-century of Christmas cheer: Mullingar family’s lights shine bright

For over a quarter of a century, the McDonnell family have been spreading seasonal cheer with their elaborate collection of Christmas lights.

The family have moved house four times during this period, but while the locations may have changed, their commitment to having one of the most impressively lit-up homes in the country has never dimmed.

The Westmeath Examiner paid a visit to their home at Assumption Villas on the Delvin Road, and there was no mistaking which house was theirs. Every available space – the house, its roof, the garden, and front walls – is adorned with Christmas lights.

Peter McDonnell, a grandfather of eight and the man who started it all, said he has no idea how many lights they have but knows it takes six or seven people the best part of two weeks to put them up and ensure everything is in working order.

The family still have the original Christmas light they bought in 1998 – a Santa and his reindeer – and have added to their impressive collection over the years, which they power using a generator.

Peter says that he and his wife Sheila love it when people stop to admire the lights. Visitors are welcome to come into the garden to take a closer look or snap a few photos if they wish.

“People probably think they’re invading our privacy, which they’re not. That’s what it’s about – people seeing them and the kids enjoying it,” Sheila says.

The couple’s son Trevor says that the family’s lights have been a feature of Christmas in Mullingar for so long, people who came to see them as children are now bringing their own kids.

“A lot of people say their Christmas starts when they see our lights.”