6,000 lights, 700 presents, 12 children and a 34lb turkey

VILLAGERS in South Otterington near Northallerton know it's getting near Christmas when the decorations go up outside Christine and Ray Beadle's house. This year there are more than 6,000 lights, a selection of Santas and row upon row of festive flags.

"We started putting the decorations up about five years ago and it's just got bigger and bigger since then," explains Christine. "The children all get involved and people from all over come to see what we've done. It's all part of our Christmas celebrations now."

In the living room there are more decorations, hanging on the walls between the pictures of the children as babies. The excitement is palpable.

"Because there are so many of them, they get each other excited. I think we got our first present list in October this year."

Christmas has always been a special occasion for the Beadles and it all stems back to when the couple first got together. They had just moved into a flat with Christine's three children from her first marriage and had very little money.

"We couldn't even afford a Christmas tree, but the week before Christmas Ray came home with boxes full of decorations. He'd got a bonus from work and decided to spend it on that. He said Christmas wasn't Christmas without decorations and the children were going to have the best Christmas ever. Ever since then, we've tried to make it really special for all the children."

With just a day to go, 45-year-old Christine seems remarkably calm about the big day -but she and Ray have been preparing since January.

"A lot of people leave all their shopping and preparations to the last minute but because we have such a large family, we can't do that. We actually start our shopping in the January sales," she says.

The presents are bought throughout the year, wrapped up and put into boxes for each child. They are then hidden up in the attic until Christmas Day when it can take the family until tea time to unwrap them.

Ray has a landscape gardening and window cleaning business and Christine works with special needs children at Breckenbrough School, near Thirsk, but even with both of them working full time, they have to budget carefully for their remarkably generous Christmas.

"We try to spend between £500 and £700 on each child," says Christine. "I know it sounds a lot, but it was our choice to have a large family and we wouldn't have done it if we didn't think we could cope. Anyway, it's not as hard as it sounds because we start early so we can spread the cost during the year. We put all our spare change in a jar and I save any of the money I win at the bingo."

Ray adds: "What also makes it a bit easier is that they aren't difficult to buy for. There are always certain things they want, particular toys or whatever, but they're not selfish or possessive. After a few days, they're sharing everything anyway."

The children save their pocket money to buy gifts for their brothers and sisters and even the pets aren't left out. This year there are new collars for the dog and her litter of puppies.

Last year the couple wrapped more than 700 gifts but they always take time to remind their children that Christmas isn't just about presents. "We don't go to church as often as we would like because there are so many of us, but the children all know that Christmas is about the Christian faith. We've taught them that and they know how important it is."

With the present shopping out of the way early on, the Beadles can concentrate on other preparations nearer the time. The day before Christmas Eve, Christine and the children do all the baking and put the finishing touches to the Christmas cakes. She breaks off our conversation and dashes into the kitchen, returning struggling under the weight of an enormous fruit cake. "My friend makes us four of these every year and the children ice them and put the decorations on them themselves. It's great fun and it's all part of the celebrations."

The family have become quite famous in North Yorkshire and often receive help and gifts from friends and wellwishers. One year a fresh turkey was left on the doorstep. Another time it was a sack of potatoes and a tray of Christmas cakes.

"It's really nice when that happens," says Christine. "We just think we're an ordinary family but to a lot of people it's quite unusual. A lot of them want to help us out or just let us know they're thinking about us."

The centrepiece of the Christmas feast is a 34lb turkey, but even this gigantic bird isn't enough to feed the family and dinner also includes roast beef and pork, as well as mountains of vegetables.

"Because it's such a big job, we have to make sure we know exactly what we're doing. We prepare dinner the day before. Ray and I do all the vegetables and we put in the turkey. It takes 24 hours to cook it on slow," says Christine.

Two of the older children have left home but they will be back for Christmas Day. The meal itself is a real family affair, with everyone squeezed round the big pine table in the dining room. And one of the bonuses of having such a big family is that once it's over, there are always plenty of people on hand to help clear up.

Marc, 21, who has just walked in with a cup of tea for his parents, says: "We all help out and after dinner everyone washes the dishes so we can all sit down together and watch the telly. I absolutely love it because it's such a family occasion."

A few minutes later, 18-month-old Hayley, the youngest Beadle, appears at the living room door. She's just woken up and is wearing one shoe and sucking a dummy.

"She was a bit too young to understand what was happening last year but I think she's really going to enjoy it this year," says Christine as she picks her up and cuddles her. "It's a lot of hard work getting everything ready but when you see their faces on Christmas morning, it's all worth it.

"Unfortunately it takes about a month to get over it but we don't even have that long. By the time January comes around, we've got to start getting things sorted out for the next year."