Shine a light for Christmas

But the Jerrabomberra resident said it may have been her father's aversion to the festive lights that sparked her fascination with them.

"As a kid my dad never let me have any lights ... as I became an adult I kind of developed a bit of an obsession," she said.

EVERY year Mrs Bridgfoot and her husband, David, sprinkle a bit of Christmas light twinkle over their O'Sullivan Road abode.

"It started with a few lights and as more people stopped to look at them and I got excited putting them up, it just grew from there," she said.

"After Christmas each year we go to the sales and get a few more things. We're very lucky we don't have kids yet so we have a bit of extra cash to do this thing. It's worth it."

Even when their kids arrive Mrs Bridgfoot has no intention of giving up the Christmas lights. In fact she expects it will become a Christmas tradition.

"I'll definitely be doing this with my kids for many, many years. It brings me a lot of joy and I'm sure it will bring them a lot of joy as well. You see kids stopping to look at the house and their faces make it all worthwhile," she said.

"Whether my husband likes it or not, we'll be doing this for years to come."

It's not just putting up the lights that the veterinarian enjoys but also going to see some of the impressive displays around town.

And now that she's in the business of stringing up her own lights, Mrs Bridgfoot has a newfound appreciation for the work and creativity behind some of the displays.

"I have a niece and nephew who live locally and I take them out every year on Christmas Eve to look at the lights. We sort of drive around and try to find some houses, I think I get more excited than they do," she said.

"There's some great houses in Jerra ... there's some people who do some pretty impressive things.

"Some of the people in the houses up high and the big two-storey houses, they can do some pretty speccy things, but for us we just work with what we've got."

And as for her father? Well, he is slowly coming around to the lure of the lights as well.

"I've converted my dad. He put his first Christmas lights up this year, out in the trees," she said.

"He put a couple of solar LED lights out for the first time ever. I'm slowly converting my family over to lights - one at a time."

See the Bridgfoot's Christmas light handiwork at 4 O'Sullivan Road, Jerrabomberra.

n The Queanbeyan Age is compiling a gallery of Christmas light photos and we'll be publishing the best images in our Christmas edition.

Simply email high-resolution photos to kim.pham@fairfaxmedia.com.au and include the address of the residence.

Readers can also submit photos via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by adding #queanbeyan.