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Danielle Goff from Bryanston in Johannesburg adorns her house – and her street – with beautiful Christmas decorations every year.
The 47-year-old bookkeeper will spend months planning the colourful displays to spread joy in her neighbourhood.
Danielle tells YOU about her love of the festive season.
“My husband, Shaun, loves Christmas. He started this tradition in our home 18 years ago.
Shaun and I are both from Cape Town, where families flock to Adderley Street and Somerset West to see the Christmas lights brighten the streets.
I remember when I was a new mom, I was so excited to take our children to see Santa at night. It was a great time.
When we moved to Joburg more than 20 years ago, we wanted to bring the same spirit here.
This year I was decorating my street from mid-October to late November. I decorated 20 homes. From 8am to 6pm, I was outside, wiring and cementing. And because we have hailstorms, I have to make sure the decorations are secure.
This year I added 50 new lights. There’s a lot to do, so I do a little bit whenever I get a chance.
Sometimes I work until the early hours of the morning because bauble must be glued onto the tree it's on, then the tree must be cemented so the wind doesn’t blow it away.
One of my competitors, who lives in Douglasdale, sold his Christmas collection to me.
He’s a carpenter so he made the decorations himself. There’s a sleigh, Santa’s chair and a nativity scene, which is very popular because it’s the reason for the season.
I couldn’t afford a life-sized Santa so I bought two mannequins and made my own Santa and the Grinch. Children love the Grinch.
Each year I have what I call a day version and a night version. The day version is for decorations which don’t need lighting.
To be honest, adults and children enjoy both versions.
Dressing up the street takes a lot of planning, time and money, so I start shopping as early as possible.
Thank goodness for the internet – I get most of my ideas from Pinterest and follow a lot of American pages that specialise in Christmas decorations.
Although I'm a shopaholic, I always look for bargains, especially online.
What I can’t afford, I make. I've handcrafted wreaths and baubles, and it's truly a labour of love.
I have snowmen, lights, an elfie station where people can take pictures, a gingerbread house, angels, decorated palm trees and just about everything festive.
I've added five letter boxes so people can post letters to Santa.
Reading people’s wishes is the best part of my job - some of them are so sweet, and they simply want to wish Santa well.
Children have expensive taste! Most of them ask for money for themselves and their mothers as well as shopping on Shein.
Every year I get to meet all sorts of incredible people and we even have international visitors.
Some people have heartbreaking stories. One man lost his wife in 2020 due to Covid-19 complications, and the following year he lost his job.
My decorations are a joyful way to lift his spirits and those of others who are in similar situations.
I had a message from one woman who said, ‘You have no idea how you’ve rekindled my joy and love for Christmas’. She was very close to her late sister whose birthday was on Christmas Day.
And then there are the parents who love bringing their children to see the decorations and displays.
It warms my heart to see people drop by throughout the day.
I'm passionate about spreading Christmas cheer and I take my commitment as Mrs Claus seriously.
Recently, we had cyclists from the Ride Joburg mountain bike event riding down our road – that was an incredible atmosphere and feeling.
By the time they reached our street they were tired, but the Christmas decorations, they said, boosted their mood.
We also go big inside our house - we even have Christmas-themed toilet paper and bathroom accessories.
Shaun is a great home chef and cooks our Christmas feast every year.
My boys, Connor and Austin, are adults now, but their friends still stop by to enjoy the displays.
My seven-year-old daughter, Gia, loves it too and always wants to help with the decorations.
I’ve built quite a collection over the years – and it keeps getting bigger and better.
I've lost count of the number of decorations I have and how much money I’ve spent, but seeing people's faces light up every year makes it all worthwhile.
We built a carport where I store my decoration in boxes.
If you believe in the magic of Christmas, then Moray Drive is a Christmas wonderland.
People have so much respect for our decorations and lights, and apart from lightning damage or power outages, I have no complaints.
People ask me why I do it, because it’s a lot of work and I do it all by myself.
I say, if I can make one person happy then that’s all the reason I need. And everyone thinks I’m making them happy but they don’t realise they’re helping me too.
It took me a long time to talk about it, and to get over it, but I was severely bullied when I was a kid.
Bullying can destroy you on the inside. But now I’m opening up because I’m meeting all these wonderful people and now I’m listening to their stories too.
I absolutely love Christmas, it’s just a wonderful time of giving, sharing, family and friends.
It is my honour – and privilege – to share the spirit with the community.”
