AS the most wonderful time of year rolls around again one family is putting in the extra effort to make Christmas a magical experience for all.
The Baumbers of Penistone have been putting up impressive Christmas displays annually since 2005, with them constantly growing in scale.
As the years have passed, the switching on of their lights has become a popular event for the community, with hundreds showing up to see what unique surprises the family have managed to put together each year.
Stephen Baumber said: “We started it when my first child, Mia, was young.
“It was just simple lights – I’m the one who made it a big thing.
“From there it escalated – there’s no coming back from this now, I’ll do it till I can’t climb the ladder anymore.”
Previous displays have included everything from a firework show, to a post box to the North Pole where children can send and receive letters from Santa – Stephen describes this as a ‘Mrs Claus job’.
“We put out a charity bucket one year for fun, and ended up getting a couple of cig ends,” Stephen added.
“We get hundreds of people show up now though and have been able to start raising more money.
“It’s not tens of thousands of pounds or anything, but it makes a difference.”
Last year they managed to raise £1,412, which was distributed to various charities around the local area, such as Penistone Food Buddies and Penistone Gateway Club.
The Christmas-loving family have no intentions of slowing down and are hoping to smash the previous year’s total.
“When I sit back and look at it it makes me smile.
“If it does that for me, I like to think how much it can do for others.
“But while we put the work in, its success is all down to the generosity of others.”
The lights are curently on display after a switch-on at the weekend – they're hard to miss at the family's home on Long Furlong in Penistone.
