Andy Park, known as Mr Christmas, has marked every day since July 14, 1993, with presents, Christmas dinner, crackers, mince pies and a glass of sherry. The 62-year-old from Melksham in Wiltshire has revealed how this summer’s scorching heatwave has made his unusual tradition "unbearable".
While the sweltering heat has made his daily celebrations a struggle, Andy insists nothing will stop him from celebrating, and he’s adapted by opening his presents in the paddling pool to cool off and using his barbecue to cook a traditional Christmas dinner.
Heatwave challenges
"It’s been so hot, it’s been unbearable," Andy, who repairs washing machines and cookers, told Creatorzine.com. "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."
He added: "No matter if it’s freezing cold or boiling up, I still do it." Rather than let the heat stop him, Andy has adapted his celebrations, including cooling his feet in a paddling pool while opening presents he bought himself the previous day. Instead of turning on the oven during the heatwave, he has even cooked his Christmas dinner on the barbecue.
The tradition's origins
Andy revealed his tradition began on July 14, 1993, when he was out working one day, feeling low and wanting to cheer himself up. He said: "It started 33 years ago. I was out and about delivering a washing machine because that’s the nature of my job. 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."
Andy continued: "I found a VHS copy of the Queen’s speech, then I put all the decorations and the tree up. I thought, here we are, this is Christmas Day, on a hot July summer day. It really did feel like Christmas Day. I conjured up a Christmas dinner, the best I could, put chicken in the oven and got some frozen sprouts out, and it was really good fun. I thought, 'this is a bit wacky,' but you know, I’m enjoying this. The next day, I bought a couple of presents for myself, put them under the Christmas tree, because I kept all the decorations and the tree up, and I thought I’d do it all again. So I did it again. I got to like it really, a hell of a lot. And ever since then, I’ve never looked back."
Daily routine and costs
Andy now buys himself presents every day and even writes Christmas cards to himself. "I don’t post the cards anymore because stamps are a bit expensive, so I deliver them myself, through my own letter box," he said. "I also watch the Queen’s speech every day at 3 o’clock, sometimes the King’s, depending on how I feel. After that it’s a party all day long, pulling party poppers, pulling loads of crackers."
Andy added: "Winter does give me a bit more of a festive feeling because it’s cold and frosty outside. Christmas is meant to be cold, but not right now – it’s so warm, but I won’t let that affect my Christmas Day." His day begins at around 8am with an unusual breakfast of four or five mince pies and a glass of sherry. He then prepares Christmas dinner before heading off to work for a few hours. At 3pm, the TV goes on for the Christmas speech before the celebrations continue.
Despite having followed the same routine for more than three decades, Andy insists he is still as excited as ever. "Every morning I wake up, I’m so excited because I know I’ve got a couple of presents to open under the tree," he explained. "And I just can’t wait to get down the stairs, get some sherry poured out and get a little bit of Christmas pudding, some mince pies out and get stuck into them."
His daily Christmas habit has racked up an astonishing bill. Andy estimates he has spent around £1 million on keeping Christmas going over the past 33 years. He claims to get through around 7,500 Christmas crackers and 7,500 party poppers every year. Andy also estimates he has eaten almost 14,000 turkeys, 1.25 million Brussels sprouts and 2.25 million mince pies since his tradition began. He also claims to have enjoyed around 14,000 bottles of champagne and a daily glass of sherry during his 33-year Christmas marathon.
"Presents, parties – it does add up a bit," Andy said. "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." Andy has also found a way to keep the cost of his decorations down, snapping them up in the January sales. He said: "I do cash in on the January sales bit. Because you can go and buy £600 worth of brand new decorations for £60 and that’s quite a saving."
Andy added: "All right, but, you know, 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."
Family and new channel
While his family has largely learned to accept his unusual lifestyle, Andy says his grandchildren particularly enjoy visiting because there is always a present waiting for them. He said: "They just let me get on with what I want to do. Because if they really want a glass of sherry, there will be a tap at my door; they’ll be there to pull a cracker, maybe get a present. The grandkids, they love coming over here; there’s always a present for them under the tree."
Now, he has something new to get excited about: a dedicated Christmas TV channel launching on Freeview on 26 Aug, a staggering 121 days before Christmas Day. Andy said: "I can’t wait for the new Great Christmas channel launching. Christmas movies right up until January. Can you imagine? I can watch Christmas movies every single day."
