Christmas is a hectic period for most, with meals to prepare, gifts to purchase and wrap, and decorations to hang. It can be quite tiring. So, spare a thought for Andy Park, who has been celebrating Christmas every single day for the past 31 years.
Internationally recognised as “Mr Christmas” thanks to his dedication to the festive season, Andy has become such a holiday symbol that even presidents and royals are familiar with his name. He exclusively revealed to the Daily Express that Queen Camilla had proudly announced her acquaintance with him when the topic of “Mr Christmas” arose at a Royal gathering.
News of Andy’s extraordinary endeavours has already reached America’s next president, it seems. “I’m in touch with Camilla Parker-Bowles,” Andy explains. “She’s very local to me now.
“She often talks about me, and she did say that it was mentioned, when Donald Trump met [the late Queen Elizabeth II]. They were talking about me, and [Camilla] put her hand up and said ‘I know the guy!”.
He shares that Donald Trump is the next celebrity he wishes to invite over for Christmas dinner. “He’d be funny, he’d have some amazing ideas,” Andy says.
Andy prepares a full Christmas dinner every day and celebrates the season with a bottle of Champagne. He explains that he funds his unique lifestyle by working as an electrician: “I work on domestic appliances, refurbish them and sell them on.”
Andy has also launched a series of Christmas singles featuring stars such as Slade’s Dave Hill, with the majority of his record earnings going to charity.
However, Andy devotes a significant amount of time and energy to organising his daily Christmas. Even during the peak of summer, he gathers all the traditional elements: “I get the frozen turkeys, I know a butcher in the town, and the veg, I get the sprouts and the carrots and the turnips.
“I’ve always got my mince pies. You can buy a pack of mince pies for £1.20, it works out the same as a Chinese takeaway.”
Sourcing items like mince pies can be challenging in the summer, but Andy has a contact who can supply them.
Like many of us, Andy also looks forward to taking a break in the summer. However, there are certain prerequisites before he plans his summer vacation: “I’ll go away on one condition. The place I’m staying, they must be able to play the DVD of the Queen’s Speech or the King’s Speech.”
Andy boasts an impressive collection of Christmas-themed entertainment, adding: “I always carry a DVD of the speech, I must watch it every day because Christmas isn’t Christmas without that.
“And I often watch the Christmas films in the daytime.”
![Andy has hosted numerous celebrities over the years, including DJ Mike Read [L]](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article34253185.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Man-eats-6000th-Christmas-dinner.jpg)
Among his favourite films are It’s a Wonderful Life and The Santa Clause. While not strictly Christmas movies, Andy occasionally makes time for family hits like Mrs Doubtfire or Ghost, which he believes have become festive season classics.
The journey began in 1993. Andy recalls: “I put the decorations up, I put the tree up. It was July 14 I remember it like it was yesterday. I made my house look really Christmassy. The sun was shining and I had a Christmas dinner cooking.
“I found an old VHS copy of the Queen’s Speech, and it genuinely felt like Christmas Day.”
Andy confesses he had “always wanted” to create a unique year-round Christmas for himself. “Something drove me to do it, I think I was out delivering a washing-machine and I thought ‘I’ll put some decorations up,’ and it looked really nice in my living-room it was fantastic, I never looked back.”
That decision has since spiralled into a lifelong fascination, leading to TV appearances and visits from celebrities like Joey Essex who are intrigued by his unique lifestyle. With a fan base that includes royals and presidents, Andy won’t be short of company for his turkey dinners in the years ahead.