A father in Sydney’s southwest is already well ahead of the festive season, having spent most of the year bringing his Christmas vision to life.
For 41-year-old Alex Mangos, decorating his Oran Park home is an annual labour of love.
Each year, he selects a theme in January and begins gathering supplies before building the elaborate props that form his Christmas display.
“My wife and I are thinking about what we’re gonna do the next year, pretty much as we start packing down the display from the year before,” he tells nine.com.au.
“I build everything from scratch, I’ll actually start setting up around October.”
Over the years, Mangos has created a range of themed wonderlands, including Candyland and vivid colour schemes.
This year, he’s opted for something close to home: mangoes. The display is a vibrant tribute to the classic summer fruit.
To bring his ideas to life, Mangos relies on reselling platforms like Facebook Marketplace and the odd trip to Bunnings.
“I just have an absolute love for it, I’ve always been pretty handy … I just experiment with different things, I get a lot of inspo online, and then I tweak designs to make it a bit more unique,” he says.
“I’ve been doing it for quite some time now, many years… it all started from when I was a kid.
“My mum let me decorate the family house from very young age, I’ve got two kids of my own now. They inspire me to keep going and pushing.”
But it’s not just about the festive spirit.
Mangos uses his display to raise money for the Sydney Children’s Hospital and the Starlight Foundation – a cause near to his heart.
His six-year-old son was diagnosed with leukaemia at age three.
“He managed to get through it, but the Sydney Children’s Hospital and the Starlight family over there were incredible to us,” he says.
“I wanted to give back to them in any way I could.”
Each year, posters with QR codes and donation buckets outside his house help raise thousands of dollars for the organisations.
For those keen to try their hand at DIY Christmas decorations, Mangos has advice to spare.
He says online platforms are an endless source of inspiration.
“YouTube has a lot of fantastic ideas, you just have to sort of make it your own, depending on what you want to do.”
To keep costs down, he recommends searching Facebook Marketplace for materials like foam board and offcut wood.
“People are always selling things, like tradies, companies or businesses around Sydney are always disposing of things,” he says.
“I’ve contacted lots of foam companies for the foam board; they don’t have any use for a lot of their offcuts.
“Do your research and even just pick up the phone and call a couple of the companies around Sydney that you can find on Google.
“You can pick things up, if not for free, it’s very cheap.”
The best ideas often show up once you start – just get stuck into it and see what comes.
“Just experiment, start small and then if you’re happy with it do something bigger,” he says.
“You can print a small image or project one (if you have a projector) and then you can trace it onto some foam or some timber.
“Then you can cut it out with the saw and paint it whatever style you want.”
Above all, he says, the key is to give yourself enough time.
“Start early – that’s the biggest tip.”
Images: Facebook
