Man celebrates Xmas all year round

16th December 2009

A BRITISH oddball who celebrates Christmas every single day said the recession had forced him to scale back the whirlwind of daily festivities this year.

Andy Park, who bills himself as Mr Christmas, said his weight had plunged after slashing his mammoth daily portions of mince pies, champagne, roast turkey and all the trimmings.

The divorced electrician from Melksham in southwest England used to blow STG11,000 ($A19,567) a year on his daily Christmas knees-up but has trimmed his budget down to STG5,000 ($A8,894) in 2009.

"Before the credit crunch I was eating a 14-pound (6.4kg) turkey, now I'm down to a four pounder (1.8kg). I've cut down from nine massive roast potatoes to four," Park said.

"I used to have 40 peas on my plate, now its just a tablespoon. I now have to make a bottle of champagne last two days. From 40 mince pies a day I've gone to 12 and there's no double cream.

However, Park reckons he is benefiting from the global economic downturn.

"After all that, I feel 100 per cent better and I look better too. I can go walking every day and take the dog out with no problems," he said, adding that he had cut his weight from 19.5 stone (124kg) to 16 stone (102kg).

The electrician was feeling bored on July 14, 1994 and decided to get out the Christmas decorations to cheer himself up. It worked and Park swears he has celebrated Christmas every single day ever since.

His daily routine includes a hearty breakfast of mince pies and sherry, with a full roast turkey for lunch before settling down to watch a video of Queen Elizabeth II's traditional Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth.

When he dies, Park says he wants to be buried in a coffin full of Brussels sprouts, with all mourners dressed as Santa Claus, and Christmas dinner to follow.