AS WE all know, this year has certainly been a bit of a strange one. So, we are launching our Brighten Up Christmas campaign to help bring a bit of festive joy and fun to you.
We want to see pictures of your Christmas decorations - maybe, like 26-year-old Ryan Hadley, of Abertillery, you've gone all-out with decorating your home with lights, or maybe you've got your children to create some colourful festive pictures to put in your windows, similar to the NHS rainbows which we all saw in the early days of lockdown.
Just go to tinyurl.com/y3dbudnr and fill in our easy-to-use Q&A. We'll be publishing your pictures over the coming weeks.
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Today we are featuring Ryan Hadley's festive display.
Mr Hadley spent about a month putting up the decorations at his Abertillery home, where he has lived for about three years.
Ryan Hadley, of Abertillery, with his family and neighbours are spreading some festive cheer
He said: "Me and my neighbours, Terry and Jackie, have always done a light display for Christmas, but this year we wanted to go that extra mile. We thought that with everything going on we needed an uplift with some Christmas spirit.
"It took me roughly a month to put it all up with the bad weather. I also put some of my neighbours' lights up as they are getting on now, but they love it just as much as me.
Ryan Hadley's Abertillery home with its festive lights display. Picture: Kurt Roberts
"Every year we always go out and buy more lights. Next year I want to do a Santa’s grotto in the garden and try and raise money that way."
Mr Hadley said he got the inspiration to decorate his home from his childhood.
"When I was a kid I used to love driving with my parents looking at the lights and always wanted my parents to do it," he said. "I always do it for my kids and they love it.
"Christmas is the most magical time of the year and especially for the kids. I have always loved Christmas and having your own children, it is more magical and its the time of the year all the family come together."
Ryan Hadley's Abertillery home with its festive lights display. Picture: Kurt Roberts
His wife and children also helped out with the decorations. His children decorated all the costumes for the manger.
Mr Hadley is also keen to help raise money for charity this Christmas and is planning to visit all the children in the 95 streets of Abertillery dressed as Father Christmas with his wife as his helper and handing out selection boxes raising funds for the Make a Wish Foundation.
He said that if there were any selection boxes left over, he would be taking them to the new Grange Hospital, hopefully on Christmas Day.
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