The festive lights that decorate what has become known in Brackenfell as the “Grinch House”, at 35 Gelb Crescent, at this time of year, bring smiles to the faces of young and old.
The Bradshaw family switched on the lights on Thursday December 1, turning their home into a magical Christmas fantasy land that draws admirers from far and wide.
Antonette Bradshaw says she and her husband took things to a whole new level following the birth of their daughter.
“My husband and I got pregnant with our little girl, she changed everything for us. We started in 2021 with ‘The Grinch’ theme, mostly because I love to be different and unique, and I wanted our little girl to have the most famous Christmas even though she was only 2 years old at the time.
“I left everything until November 2021 and in a month I built a few outside decorations with the Grinch theme. I placed it on Facebook and it went boom. We were surprised how many people came around and enjoyed it with us. We even had Coca-Cola trucks come by to give out free Cokes. It was so festive and fun for everyone especially after the hard Covid-19 year we all had. Families and friends coming around and just taking photos being normal for once.”
This year, the couple discussed with their neighbours how to take things up a notch, and now there are eight houses helping to promote and support what has become something of a social event in the suburb.
“I try to be outside most nights and just to chat with the people and tell them to take photos and just enjoy everything,” says Ms Bradshaw. “The feedback has been amazing, people thank us mostly for creating a beautiful Christmas spirit and allowing the kids to have fun and run around. We also have treats at most of the houses. We sell all sorts of sweets.
While Eskom load shedding threatens to be the real Grinch in this instance, Ms Bradshaw says the family do their best to keep the magic of Christmas alive.
“We do this for our little princess and all the other kids out there. We want every child to believe in Christmas and Santa of course.”
