4 5 The Xmas tree addict
One’s not enough for Geoff, so he has 20... and £10,000 of decorations!
PUTTING up the Christmas tree takes most of us an hour or so.
But for Geoff Stonebanks – who has 20 trees and at least £10,000 of decorations – it’s a whole week’s work.
The 64-year- old retired Royal Mail manager from Seaford, East Sussex, said: ‘It’s an obsession. I’m very childlike with Christmas. You have to be – it’s a fun time.’
His festive addiction began when he was seven and given the job of decorating the pub his parents owned in Oxfordshire. He inherited the decorations when they retired in the mid-1980s and has added to his collection every year.
Mr Stonebanks’s other obsession is gardening and he has raised more than £95,000 for charity by opening his beautiful coastal garden, Driftwood, to the public.
Here is a guide to his Christmas tree collection, pictured:
1. THE VINTAGE TREE Covered in glass baubles from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, this one is topped with a fairy bought from Woolworths in the 1960s. 2. THE WOOLWORTHS TREE At 55 years old, this is the oldest and is decorated with the most precious ornaments. The tree was bought in 1962 and topped with a fairy made for Mr Stonebanks by his grandmother in the late 1950s.
3. THE REAL TREE This is the only natural tree Mr Stonebanks has – he has been growing it in a pot for the past three years. 4. THE WHITE HOUSE TREE This John Lewis tree is decorated with every official White House bauble released annually since 1994.
5. THE AMERICAN TREE Mr Stonebanks bought this mini-tree in Washington DC around 20 years ago while visiting friends.
6. THE YELLOW TREE A novelty tree bought around ten years ago.
7. THE MUSICAL TREE A German tree that features music as well as moving trains and a sleigh.
8. THE KNITTED TREE This one is made entirely from wool and was given to Mr Stonebanks by a woman he met on Facebook.
9. THE BIRD TREE This wooden tree is decorated with bird, butterfly and insect ornaments.
10. THE DOG TREE The dogthemed baubles represent Mr Stonebanks’s favourite animal.
11. THE SILVER TREE This is the crowning glory of the collection, decorated with hundreds of silver ornaments and four strings of lights. It takes a day to set it up.
12. THE PURPLE TREE Mr Stonebanks bought this 14 years ago when he moved into his home.
13. THE CUPCAKE TREE The baubles are shaped like cakes and are mainly gifts from friends. 14. THE MISTLETOE TREE This tree is made out of fake mistletoe sprayed gold and green.
15. THE ORANGE TREE A companion to the yellow novelty tree.
16. THE GIFT TREE This was made for Mr Stonebanks 23 years ago by the eight-year-old American niece of his best friend.
17. THE BELGIAN TREE Purchased in Belgium around 15 years ago, it is decorated with tiny baubles.
18 & 19. THE RED TREE This is actually two smaller trees put together, with red ornaments.
20. THE 1960S TREE Another Woolworths tree that was bought for Mr Stonebanks’s parents’ pub.