FOR MORE than a decade a house in Emba has become an annual Christmas attraction as people flock to see its ever-growing array of lights
Bernard and Miriam Cole, originally from Keithley in West Yorkshire, moved to Emba village in Paphos thirteen years ago. Each December, they have been festooning the exterior of their house with hundreds of lights.
“It gradually grows on you. We did put up lights when we lived in UK, but not to this extent,” Bernard Cole told the Sunday Mail.
“It has been an evolving process to get to the stage we’re at now. It just got bigger and bigger every year.”
When the pair arrived in Cyprus 13 years ago, they put up just a few lights.
“You couldn’t really buy lights then, but the lights being produced these days are very attractive, and the designs and colours are different every year,” he said. “You think to yourself, I’ll try a couple of those because they’re so nice, and then it snowballs from there.”
Cole and his wife have no idea how many strings of lights, statues and individual displays they own, but they fill up numerous boxes and suitcases in their storeroom. Around ten different power points are used to supply the lights. These are situated under the house, along with dozens of adaptors and extension leads.
With the current economic crisis already taking its toll on many families, especially British retirees who have seen the value of their sterling pension plummet, surely it’s time to scale down the lights?
“We plan to put them up again next year,” said Bernard. “We only have the lights on for about three hours a day from 5pm until 8pm.Our electricity bill for the display last year was about 200 Cyprus pounds, which we thought was very reasonable.”
According to Cole the biggest expense is the initial outlay on the individual items.
“The big expense is purchasing the lights, and this year I think they’re twice as expensive. But I think we’ll continue even if costs rise.”
The Coles admitted that putting the lights symbolises Christmas for them, and this is the only area of the festivities where they go overboard.
Miriam Cole said that hundreds of people have commented on the display in recent years.
“A lot of people knock on our front door and take photos. They also bring mince pies and biscuits. It really encourages the spirit of Christmas,” she said.
“So many people stop on their way past our house. I’ve been told on numerous occasions that people look forward to our lights, and it reminds them of the UK. People bring their kids and it becomes part of their Christmas celebrations.”
Although the British residents may feel a twinge of nostalgia for the lights back home, most of the visitors to the Cole house are Cypriots.
“We’re sitting at our dining room table eating dinner and they’re outside with their cameras, clicking and flashing away,” said Cole. “They love visiting.”
There is no design or plan behind the extraordinary light display, and although Bernard insists it’s all a bit ‘hit and miss’, their display has a professional touch.
“I don’t have an idea about how to decorate the house. I put up the obvious decorations first and hope that when it’s finished it looks right,” he laughed.
As most households pray that the lone string of lights, which will adorn their tree, will work when they’re taken out of the box, the duo must be anxious as they test the thousands of bulbs, which make up their display.
“They mostly work when we switch them on,” said Cole. “We haven’t had a real disaster yet.”
It takes him nine days in total to unpack the lights and put them up. “I test them all twice before I hang them, and they’re then tested individually as they go up, to try and avoid any hassle.”
According to Cole the most reliable lights are the statue units of Father Christmas, which haven’t let him down so far. Plugs, wires and adaptors are everywhere, but the effect of the lights is magical.
The climbing father Christmases and the blue lights surrounding the front door are new purchases for this year. Almost akin to knowing what’s in fashion, Cole knows his Christmas lights and designs.
“Blue is a new colour that came into shops at the end of last year. It’s a lovely shade and different from other blue lights.”
Thieves stole two Father Christmas silhouettes from outside their house last year. Now anything, which could be removed, is screwed down. Despite this incident, the Coles think the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Paphos.
“I don’t remember seeing lights in Paphos years ago,” said Cole. “Obviously the city centre and main roads had lights, but it’s only recently that households are getting into the swing of it.”
Strangers, who congratulate them on the light display of their house, often stop the pair in the supermarket.
“Every day people come and say hello, and that makes us very happy. It’s lovely to see the smiles on children’s faces. It really makes Christmas special for us.”
