 | | | Financial and health worries have forced Mr Christmas to cut down |
'Christmas comes but once a year' is a familiar phrase, and indeed for many people the 25th of December is the highlight of the calendar. But for one British man once a year is not enough. Andy Park, who is better known by his nickname Mr Christmas, has celebrated Christmas every single day for the last 14 years. The 44-year-old electrician claims to have eaten a full roast dinner every day for the last decade and a half, munching his way through over 5,000 turkeys, 117,000 Brussels sprouts, and around 30,000 roast potatoes in the process. He also sends himself a Christmas card every day and looks forward to unwrapping a present he has bought himself each evening, while watching the Queen's Speech. Mr Park estimates his festive fetish costs him £150 (1,570 yuan) a week. This year, however, the divorcee says he is feeling the pinch due to the global financial crisis, and is scaling back his celebrations. His Christmas habit is putting a strain on more than just his wallet. Mr Park was previously warned by his doctor that his Christmas addiction could kill him. His daily over-indulgence has caused his weight to skyrocket to 19 stone (121 kg). So how did Andy Park's obsession with Christmas begin? "I'll never forget the day it started," said Mr Park, "the sun was shining, but I was just feeling fed up and bored, so I went home and put the decorations up. Suddenly I was happy. I thought, this is fun. So I did it again the next day, and the day after that." And Mr Park has not been content to keep his Christmas cheer to himself. In 2005 he released a song, aptly titled It's Christmas Every Day, but has yet to find chart success. | 
