GOING CRACKERS FOR CHRISTMAS! MAN, 62, HAS PRETENDED IT'S DECEMBER 25TH EVERY DAY FOR 33 YEARS

A Christmas fanatic has revealed how he's celebrated the festive event every single day for 33 years.

Andy Park, 62, from Melksham in Wiltshire, has refused to let recent temperatures of up to 36C stop his daily celebrations, instead opening presents while he sits with his feet dangling in a paddling pool and cooking his Yuletide feast on the barbeque.

The self-confessed 'Mr Christmas' has followed the tradition since July 14, 1993, when he decided to cheer himself up after returning home from work on a boiling hot day.

Andy, who repairs washing machines and cookers for a living, said of the sweltering heat that gripped the UK over the summer: 'It’s been so hot, it’s been unbearable. It’s been crazy – up to 36 degrees here, I believe.

'But every day is Christmas Day to me and I’ve got to do what I do, no matter what. No matter if it’s freezing cold or boiling, I still do it.'

Andy's daily celebrations typically include presents, crackers, a roast dinner with all the trimmings, mince pies and a glass of sherry. 

His day starts at 8am with four or five mince pies and a glass of sherry, before preparing Christmas dinner and heading off to work for a few hours. 

At 3pm, he watches a recording of the Queens speech – or the King's, depending on how he feels – before continuing the festivities. 

He also buys himself presents every day and writes Christmas cards to himself, although he now delivers them through his own letterbox to save money on stamps. 

Despite living the same routine for more than three decades, Andy says he remains just as excited every morning. 

He explained: 'Every morning I wake up, I’m so excited because I know I’ve got a couple of presents to open under the tree.

'And I just can’t wait to get downstairs, get some sherry poured out and get a little bit of Christmas pudding, some mince pies out and get stuck into them.' 

Andy's quirky tradition began after he returned home from his washing machine deliveries on July 4, 1993. 

He said: 'It was a boiling hot day. I got back home and thought, "There must be something I can do other than what I’m doing now." I got into the loft, got all the decorations out, the Christmas tree, crackers, party poppers, the lights.

He found a VHS recording of the Queen's speech, decorated the house and cooked himself a Christmas dinner of chicken and frozen sprouts. 

Andy added: 'I thought, here we are, this is Christmas Day, on a hot July summer day.'

The following day, he bought himself presents, placed them under the tree and did it all over again.

He said: 'I got to like it really, a hell of a lot. And ever since then, I’ve never looked back.'

His festive obsession has also cost him a fortune, with Andy estimating he has spent around £1 million on Christmas over the past 33 years. 

He claims to have gone through around 7,500 Christmas crackers and 7,500 party poppers every year, as well as almost 14,000 turkeys, 1.25million Brussels sprouts and 2.25million mince pies. 

Andy also estimates that he has enjoyed around 14,000 bottles of champagne, alongside his daily glass of sherry. 

He said: 'Presents, parties – it does add up a bit. People have said, "You’ve got to watch what you eat, be careful, don’t overdo it," and all that stuff. But I feel good.'

However, Andy keeps costs down by buying decorations in the January sales, saying he can get £600 worth for £60.  

He said: 'A lot of people will say, "Oh, it's a waste of time doing that", but to me, it is Christmas, so I might as well buy them now and get them up, you know?

'It’s nice. That’s why my decorations in the house all look nice and fresh.' 

His family has largely accepted his unusual lifestyle, while his grandchildren particularly enjoy visiting because there is always a present waiting for them.

'They just let me get on with what I want to do,' Andy said.

'The grandkids, they love coming over here; there’s always a present for them under the tree.' 

And Andy has another reason to celebrate, with the Great Christmas channel launching on Freeview on August 26 – 121 days before Christmas Day.  

He said: 'I can’t wait for the new Great Christmas channel launching on August 26. Christmas movies right up until January. 

'Can you imagine? I can watch Christmas movies every single day.' 

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2026-08-31T11:44:32Z