Christmas lights: A festive bit of bling

For every person that loves to carpet the outside of their house with twinkling lights and glaring neon Santas, there's a neighbour that spends the nights seething that their bedroom is bathed in eerie red and green flashing lights and contemplating very un-Christmassy actions including shoving stuffing into something other than the turkey. However, fret no more! You can now give rein (see what I did there?) to your tackiest fantasies without having to sorry that your neighbour is hiding in the bushes ready to pelt you with vindictive brussel sprouts whenever you leave the house. Housing charity Shelter has teamed up with Google Street View to create a virtual design tool allowing people to give the outside of their home a Christmas makeover, without causing a serious rift in neighbourly relations. Visit housebling.org.uk and simply type in your postcode, then get decorating with virtual outside wall lights and decorations - including snow! I glammed up my house - what do you think? The site's association with Shelter highlights the plight of the homeless people at Christmas, offering you the option to donate after your decoration is complete. Found via House To Home.