Mary Christmas

Christmas begins early in Gozo. In fact, it is almost year-round for the festive fanatics who take decorating their homes to an overwhelming and indescribable level, burying every nook and cranny in Yuletide-related paraphernalia and attaching a whole new meaning to the word clutter.

Mary Vella from Victoria, a self-professed lover of the feast, adds a new - and over-the-top - dimension to putting up a Christmas tree and crib.

Entering her house is a mind-blowing experience: guests are engulfed by a sea of specimen of Santas, Baby Jesus, snowmen, moving statues, hand-made stockings, destined to remain empty despite being named, and a variety of cribs.

To be more precise, Ms Vella has managed to cram in four mangers and four life-size Baby Jesus statues, ensconced in mounds of tulle, some surrounded by countless angels, whose shimmering, detailed dresses she has stitched herself.

More statistics offer a clearer picture: Ms Vella needs six weeks to do up the house by December 8. Dismantling - a less exciting job - requires a fortnight of filling a chest, two massive suitcases and a minimum of 30 boxes, which are stored in another home.

"When they are removed, the home is ugly - almost scary," Ms Vella says.

The decorations have taken over and there is barely room to manoeuvre. You cannot even go to the toilet and forget it's the season to be merry - no corner is spared Santa's smile, which haunts you wherever you look.

The electricity bills are brushed aside - the lights are only on at night for the full magical effect.

It all begins (but does not end) at the Christmas In August Fair, held in Ghajnsielem this year, where Ms Vella stocks up on every imaginable decoration. And they are not cheap! She admits to spending €700... before continuing to shop elsewhere.

It is impossible - if not embarrassing - to quantify her spend. "Don't go there," warns her husband. An approximate calculation, before the sums start spiralling out of control, proves it is astronomical. She has statues of Father Christmas costing €233 each while the home-made items do not come cheap either.

Every stocking kit - and she has over 50 hanging everywhere - costs €23 and requires a week's work of cutting and sticking. Her "tree skirts", clad in padding and sequins, cost around €39 - and she has at least 15! The glittering festive fruit bowls cost about €90 - at a glance, there are three.

Most of the decorations are the result of Ms Vella's painstaking work, accumulated over12 years, so it's not just about splashing out.

She calls it a hobby - and more enjoyable than attending "high teas" at band clubs - although her husband claims she does that too.

"I sew, while my husband watches television," she says, holding up a "luxury-style" angel she created from felt, sequins, glue, scissors - and even rollers to curl her woollen locks. That is the extent of the detail and it took two weeks - plus another €23.

But Ms Vella has also shown some form of restraint in her seemingly unbridled passion. She has stopped her decorating mania at the top of the stairs. "We would not be able to sleep otherwise," murmurs her husband at the thought of the decorations invading the first floor.

Ms Vella is not the only Gozitan to share the obsession. It is contagious and has spread along the road. Her daughter-in-law Doreen Vella's home is a museum, complete with train tracks and toy soldiers. Every inch of the kitchen surfaces, including the hob, is lined with decorations, obliterating its function.

Doreen clears the cooker and table everyday to eat and replaces everything after.

What about the settees, strewn with Christmas-related soft toys, which have no intention of renouncing their soft spot? "We watch television in bed," she says. But a look at the bedrooms proves that is virtually impossible too. Unlike her mother-in-law, Doreen seems to have accumulated too many decorations to stop at the lower levels and Christmas baubles are meticulously scattered on the bedspreads.

No one would believe her home was inhabited by anyone other than the mystical characters of Christmas.

Despite the material decorations, Christmas has a much deeper meaning for these creative women: "It is about the birth of Jesus. Even though it happened so long ago, we rejoice in it every year.

"It is also about gathering my family," says Ms Vella.

In fact, she admits her favourite item is the crib - and it happens to be the simplest, carved out of wood, which she got all the way from Jerusalem.