Christmas Decoration With 1.2 Million Lights By Zlatko Salaj, Grabovinca, Croatia

Salaj says that he was not always able to afford such extravagances. In fact, when he was a child, his family was poor. The mill owned by his father was destroyed in World War II. When he was four years old, his mother left and his family consisted of only his father and himself. As a grown up, he spent many years working abroad, in the Middle East and Africa. When he returned home, he felt the need for such a project and began to work on the ‘Christmas Story” Every year, Salaj and his family lay out 5km of electricity cables underground and around 180km of wires are arranged on shrubs and trees. Preparing for the event starts three months prior to Christmas, and it takes them an equal amount of time to dismantle everything.
Salaj’s Chirstmas Story costs him exorbitant amounts, not just in terms of decorations, but the electricity bill, as well. Last year, he payed around 70,000 kuna (that’s $12,500)for electricity. So, in order to cover some of the costs, he’s started charging visitors a small entrance fee. For now, he’s very happy with the tradition he’s started and has no plans of stopping any time soon.