'We're Christmas-mad - we spend THOUSANDS on decorating our house'

Whether it’s tinsel-covered trees or twinkling fairy lights, transforming our homes into winter wonderlands can help set the mood for the festive season.

But there’s one Christmas-mad family who go above and beyond when decorating their homes every winter – spending all year planning out their impressive display.

Mark and Zoe Ward, along with their two children, Ellie and Esmai, are well-known for their famous ‘Christmas house’ in the Fitton Hill area of Oldham.

The festive fanatics have been known to extravagantly decorate their home for more than 10 years – this year even building their own sleigh and a post box to the North Pole.

The family have well over 40 decorations and have invested thousands on their incredible display, saying it's worth every penny to see the Christmas joy it brings.

“It's been popular for a long time; it all started with our house in Newton Heath,” Mark told the Manchester Evening News.

“My wife would make it a family thing to go and visit and always wanted her dad to give her a Christmas house with lights. Upon hearing her story, I decided to give her one of our own.

“Seeing how amazed it made her feel, I wanted to give that and share it with everybody. Now it's a family tradition of our own. We all get involved, including my children.”

Among the dozens of decorations on display there are snowmen, teddy bears, penguins, reindeers, gingerbread men, candy canes, elves, wreaths, garlands and lights all over the home and garden.

Mark, who runs a plastering business, says it takes the family three whole days to put the decorations out and spend a couple more days making adjustments until they get the display looking perfect.

“We spend three days putting it out and a further few days