The saying may go that one man's home is another man's castle, but one couple has taken the phrase quite literally to the extreme by transforming their house into a real life Christmas fairytale castle that is fit for a princess.
Dan and Mark Extance, from Tintinhull, Somerset, have turned the outside of their home and garden into a winter wonderland, complete with a replica castle and reindeer. Full of lights, magical walkways, lighted turrets, Christmas trees and unicorns, the impressive display looks like it comes straight from the pages of a fairy story.
The couple have been decorating their home in an elaborate way for the past three years in order to raise money for charity, but this year (since it's 2020, of course), they've really gone all out!
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Dan and Mark, who have been together for nearly ten years and married for six, are huge fans of Christmas.
Dan said: "We both love Christmas! We started the village scene in August - the main build took eight weeks. I haven't a clue [how much it cost]. Over the years there's been £50,000."
"We love anything theatrical. [We are] involved in theatre and used to do the carnival. Last year [we raised] just under £3000, so it would be lovely to beat that!"
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The awe-inspiring scene has attracted visitors from all over, which Dan says has been hard to manage during the pandemic.
He adds: "Normally we would be thrilled, but with what's happening lately we have had a lot of stress! Especially with people parking in silly places."
When asked what his favourite part of the whole scene is, Dan said: "[It's] our new castle extension, with the window scene of Santa and the elves working." We think it's our favourite bit too.
Straight from a storybook, it's not hard to see why visitors flock to see the impressive display from miles around.
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Funds raised this year will go towards the NHS, the local air ambulance and several other causes, say Dan and Mark.
BRB, need to up our lighting game!
Featured Image Credit: SWNS