And Adele Dixon and Tracey Thompson, who live next door to one another in Fossway, York, don’t care if some people think their Christmas decorations have gone up a little early.

Tracey said that after a year which has seen such hardship because of the pandemic: “There are no rules anymore!”

The 35-year-old, who came down with coronavirus earlier this year before recovering, said the extravagant decorations adorning the pair’s homes all started with a Facebook post by her nine-year-old daughter Lola.

Tracey said: “Lola said ‘if I can get 40 likes on Facebook can we put up the Christmas tree?’

“She got more than 40 likes!”

Both Tracey and her neighbour Adele, 28, who are both cleaners and in a childcare bubble together, put up their trees - and then started working on the outside of their homes.

Tracey said: “This year has been absolutely mad for everybody - worse for some than others. Some people have lost people; some people have lost their jobs.

“I’ve had Covid myself. I was really poorly for three days, then fine. But it was scary.”

Tracey, who is also mum to Courtney, 18, Millie, 15, Albie, five, and Lennie, who is one on Friday, added: “The decorations make the kids so happy.”

Adele, who has two children - Sam, 11, and four-year-old Jack - said the pair had been buying decorations secondhand and had used 200 cable clips outside their houses.

She said: “We’ve been told it’s like Blackpool illuminations. People have been driving past and asking to take photos.

“It spreads a bit of joy to other families and brightens up their day - or night. It makes people smile. NHS workers have said they have gone into work and told their colleagues about it.”