
Putting up the Christmas tree takes most of us an hour or so.

But for Geoff Stonebanks – who has 20 trees and at least £10,000 of decorations – it's a whole week's work.

The 64-year-old retired Royal Mail manager from Seaford, East Sussex, said: 'It's an obsession. I'm very childlike with Christmas. You have to be – it's a fun time.'

His festive addiction began when he was seven and given the job of decorating the pub his parents owned in Oxfordshire.

He inherited the decorations when they retired in the mid-1980s and has added to his collection every year.

Mr Stonebanks's other obsession is gardening and he has raised more than £95,000 for charity by opening his beautiful coastal garden, Driftwood, to the public.

Retired Royal Mail manager Geoff Stevens, 64, from Seaford, East Sussex, is so obsessed with Christmas he has 20 trees and £10,000 of decorations

Here is a guide to his Christmas tree collection:

1. The Vintage Tree: Covered in glass baubles from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, this one is topped with a fairy bought from Woolworths in the 1960s.

2. The Woolworths Tree: At 55 years old, this is the oldest and is decorated with the most precious ornaments. The tree was bought in 1962 and topped with a fairy made for Mr Stonebanks by his grandmother in the late 1950s.

3. The Real Tree: This is the only natural tree Mr Stonebanks has – he has been growing it in a pot for the past three years.

4. The White House Tree: This John Lewis tree is decorated with every official White House bauble released annually since 1994.

5. The American Tree: Mr Stonebanks bought this mini-tree in Washington DC around 20 years ago while visiting friends.

6. The Yellow Tree: A novelty tree bought around ten years ago.

7. The Musical Tree: A German tree that features music as well as moving trains and a sleigh.

8. The Knitted Tree: This one is made entirely from wool and was given to Mr Stonebanks by a woman he met on Facebook.

9. The Bird Tree: This wooden tree is decorated with bird, butterfly and insect ornaments.

10. The Dog Tree: The dog-themed baubles represent Mr Stonebanks's favourite animal.

Mr Stonebanks began collecting Christmas decorations more than 50 years ago and stores them all in 20 crates throughout the year

The most important decoration to Mr Stonebanks is a clown his grandmother made for him in 1960 from a ping pong ball and pipe cleaners

11. The Silver Tree: This is the crowning glory of the collection, decorated with hundreds of silver ornaments and four strings of lights. It takes a day to set it up.

12. The Purple Tree: Mr Stonebanks bought this 14 years ago when he moved into his home.

13. The Cupcake Tree: The baubles are shaped like cakes and are mainly gifts from friends.

14. The Mistletoe Tree: This tree is made out of fake mistletoe sprayed gold and green.

15. The Orange Tree: A companion to the yellow novelty tree.

He has a whopping 24 trees to put up around his home when the festivities begin. Geoff, who lives with his partner Mark Glassman, 58, takes a week to fully deck out his home

Geoff believes he has spent more than £10,000 on 8,000 decorations for his home in Seaford, East Sussex, and continues to grow his collection

His love affair with Christmas as a child when he started decorating his parent's Cotswolds pub

16. The Gift Tree: This was made for Mr Stonebanks 23 years ago by the eight-year-old American niece of his best friend.

17. The Belgian Tree: Purchased in Belgium around 15 years ago, it is decorated with tiny baubles.

18 & 19. The Red Tree: This is actually two smaller trees put together, with red ornaments.

20. The 1960s Tree: Another Woolworths tree that was bought for Mr Stonebanks's parents' pub.

When the yuletide season begins Mr Stonebanks spends an entire week decorating every inch of his bungalow

Mr Stonebanks has held onto eight 'special' decorations from his childhood which he uses to decorate the trees