Morning:
9°c
Exclusive poll: Boris Johnson has clawed his way back to a two-point lead in the closest mayoral race yet despite Ken Livingstone's hugely popular pledge to cut fares
More...
Lighting up early... and we're Muslims!
Last updated at 15:52pm on 21.11.06
Roxanne and Sam with their illuminated house.
It's not unusual for people to festoon their homes with Christmas lights at this time of year. But in the case of Roxanne and Sam there is one major difference - they are both Muslim.
"It doesn't make any difference to us that we're not Christian," said Roxanne. "It's the festive season and I love to celebrate it."
The couple have decorated their mock-Tudor home in Hertfordshire for several years. Roxanne, 62, added: "The lights are a great British tradition and I love to be part of that." They started decorating the house two weeks ago, well ahead of Christmas. "It seems a shame to have them switched on for only two weeks. This way we really enjoy them," said Pakistan-born Roxanne, a retired alternative medicine practitioner.
"People just turn up and ask to look around. They make people happy, especially the children," she said.
Sam, 64, who was born in India, said, "Some people like going down the pub and having six pints. [My wife] likes putting up the lights."
