Mcb777 CricketI’m a gypsy, I’ve spent £40k on Xmas decorations including a 17ft Grinch, trolls say it’s tacky but I love it | The Sun - Mcb777 Bet

A CHRISTMAS-obsessed traveller has revealed how she spent an entire week turning her £1.5 million home into a winter wonderland - after splashing out more than £3,000 on decorations this year alone.

Joanne Buckley-Smith, who describes herself as a ‘gypsy influencer’, has earned herself the nickname as ‘Mrs Christmas’ with locals in her Essex town of Braintree, as she’s splashed out more than £45,000 on decorations in six years.

Joanne Buckley-Smith has unveiled her incredible Christmas decorationsCredit: Joanne Buckley-Smith

She's spent over £40k on her festive haulCredit: Joanne Buckley-Smith

And it gets bigger and better every single yearCredit: Joanne Buckley-Smith

This year, Joanne, who starts shopping in January to get prepared in time, has decked out her home with a large Grinch display, Nutcrackers and an epic Gingerbread theme.

And while her attitude is always “go big or go home”, this year she says she’s kept her decorations “modest” and says she doesn’t want her property to look like a garden centre.

But she doesn’t mind that her home is like a tourist attraction for her neighbours.

Joanne, 41, said: “This year, I haven’t gone crazy for Christmas but I’ve still spent an extra £3,000 decorating my home.

Most read in Fabulous

BANG OUT OF ORDER

I forked out £11K to get Barbie nose but trolls say I look like The Grinch

“Every time they walk past they say how long is it going to be until they’re up. I actually think I have encouraged most of the village to decorate more as there seems to be more and more up each year!”

Each room in Joanne’s house has a different theme - which takes her months to plan and took her a whole week to decorate.

This year, Joanne has also splashed out on decorating the entrance to her house with a large Grinch display with five massive 3XL baubles as well as posters of the character.

She also has a 17ft inflatable Grinch taking over the front of her house.

The mum, who is proud of her Gypsy background, also has new Nutcracker soldiers for the living room which cost £700 each, two 6ft-tall gingerbread men from the Philippines that cost £1200 as well as an 8ft light-up bear sitting on a drum.

Joanne and her husband Andrew, who own Braintree Van Sales and a property business, are already feeling jolly.

“This year, I've gone traditional with Nutcrackers, red and green decor in the living room as well as a huge Christmas arch and a ceramic Santa sitting on a chair.

“But the entrance to my house looks like entering Whoville,” she told MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk.

“The Nutcracker theme continues in my hallway and the kitchen is decked out with Gingerbread men. I’ve purchased the biggest gingerbread house I’ve ever seen and even bought my lifesize cooking Santa out of storage.”

My collection has now cost me over £45,000 over the years
Joanne Buckley-Smith

Joanne also has festive bows on her door, giant candy canes, glittering lamp posts, a Santa postbox, members of the gingerbread family and an incredible Grinch Santa.

She thinks she's kept her decorations “pretty low key” this year but it’s because next year, Joanne is moving into an incredible seven-bedroom mansion and wants to host the biggest Christmas ever.

Upstairs, Joanne has her famous Louis Vuitton Christmas tree in her dressing room and four other Christmas trees dotted around the house.

It’s important to her that her display looks different every year and Joanne's collection is ever growing.

She said: “I don’t like to ram things in or for it to look too over-packed with decorations. I don’t want it to look like a garden centre! I want it to be elegant.

“My new gingerbread men from the Philippines came on giant pallets. But I had so many gingerbread themed items from previous years I’ve just reused them.

“All my decorations get quite a lot of attention. People stop and stare as they walk past and kids have been at the gates as soon as the inflatable Grinch went up.

“He’s huge so you can’t walk past without stopping and staring!”

My neighbours countdown to see my display go up while my decorations go viral online
Joanne Buckley-Smith

It took her a week to put her decs up - and her 16-year-old son helped her lift heavy pieces.

But on the whole, Joanne, TikTok following, does it all herself and her Christmas Day follows her yearly traditions.

Joanne’s family-of-three will visit the Ritz in London for their annual Christmas trip. Then on Christmas Day, Joanne will host her family with her sister, her husband and their two children.

She said: “In the lead up to Christmas, I like to host lots of parties and game nights so family and friends can all come and have a look at our Christmas house - and have an evening here.

“But I enjoy it all especially after I’ve spent a whole week putting the decorations up. My son helped me lift the heavy items but the rest of it, I sort out myself.

“My two candy Christmas trees from Germany haven’t arrived so I’ll be saving those for next year’s decorations - which I’m already planning.”

Joanne also does an Advent handout for local school children and she decorates the local church’s Christmas tree and decorations.

Next year, Joanne’s new home will be decked out with even more extravagant decorations.