Syd Reid's always excessive at Christmas. He's been that way for years.

That's what people keep telling him. 'Good God, you've overdone it again Syd,” they say. But in the nicest and most grateful of ways because Syd lights up their lives.

Syd and Jean Reid have a propensity for Christmas lights. They have hundreds of metres of lights, probably kilometres. 'It's difficult to calculate although a string of lights is 30 metres long and we have 10 to start with.”

And that's Baywater Village's good fortune. Because every year for 11 years village residents Syd and Jean have put in two long days to light up the retirement home. The place is dripping with festivity.

'We enjoy the lights immensely; we love the joy they bring and we love Christmas.”

It's a passion born decades ago. 'It started when our kids were small and we now have a 56-year-old daughter.” They owned a large property at Matamata and strung lights between the trees.

'But the lights grew a mind of their own and crept around the house,” says Syd. And then into his soul it seems.

'We have built our stock over the years. It's a fairly big investment – I would hate to think how much. Definitely not hundreds of dollars' worth.” So it's thousands, many thousands.

'If you kept tabs on how much you spent you wouldn't do it,” says Syd. But when the lights are up and the switch is thrown, it's payback time.

'It's the look on people's faces. Boy, what a joy! It's what keeps us going every year.” That's what illuminates Bayswater, that's what lights up the residents.

Every morning at about 8am Syd wanders up to the community centre and flicks the lights on. Twelve hours later he wanders back and switches them off. 'We don't like waste.”

Will Bayswater being billing him for the drain on electricity? 'Nuh, I would give them a kick in the butt if they did,” he laughs. A Christmassy kick of course.

One night before Santa, the Reid's will take a busman's holiday. They'll drive up to a cul-de-sac in Maungatapu to see a neighbourhood Christmas lights display. 'Yes, we go and have a look, it's wonderful.”