It was shining in all colours, the Christmas house of the Lordo family in the tranquil German village of Geesdorf, and fascinated many people from the beginning of December until Epiphany, when darkness fell. For five weeks the small village was enriched by a luminous attraction. The people from near and far, who lined the property every evening, looked and marveled and soaked up the atmosphere as intoxicated as a gingerbread dipped in mulled wine.

A Santa Claus next to the door, candy canes on the balcony or a whole crib at the back entrance – the figures and shapes, the lamps, light chains and garlands around the house of the Lordos were of seemingly inexhaustible variety and visible from far away. The decoration, creating an amazing play of lights and colours, ranged from the front garden to the windows to the roof.

No wonder that the decoration of the house was connected with a lot of effort: John and Birgit Lordo, son Thomas and grandmother Rita Herold spent four weekends to install and set up everything with great attention to detail. Even switching all the lights on and off took ten minutes every time. As long as 25 years ago the family had started to transform their home into a Christmas house. The impetus came from John Lordo, a native American, in whose homeland such lighting is not uncommon. In the five years before there had been a break in Geesdorf before the lights started shining again in 2018.

The Lordos had placed a donation box at the entrance of their house and asked the visitors for a contribution – not to pay their electricity bill, but to pass the collected money on to Mix for Kids unselfishly. “India is very close to our hearts,” said Birgit Lordo when she handed over 320 euros to Silke Wurlitzer, the chairwoman of the association. “At Mix for Kids, we know for certain that the donation will go to the street kids and the orphanage.” The non-profit association finances several projects to help socially disadvantaged children and teenagers, including various initiatives in India.