The last few weeks have brought a lot of flashing lights to Belfast. Amid the murals portraying the Troubles in the Falls Road and the Shankhill estate, twinkling red, green and gold fairy lights and fluorescent Santas can be seen. The 10th anniversary of the ceasefire has brought with it an effusion of Christmas spirit and a special guided tour to soak it up. In recent years, huge Christmas decorations on the exterior of houses - similar to those in America - have been seen popping up in remote corners of Belfast.

'At first they were for charity,' said Geraldine Wilkins of Belfast Safaris. 'People would decorate their houses and receive money for charities - one is even sponsored by the electricity board - then everybody wanted to brighten the place up.'

Belfast Safaris runs two-hour tours showing the best of the city's Christmas lights. The most impressive we visited was Carl Knocker's temple to Christmas off the York Road. Suffering from arthritis, Knocker can't do any of the work himself but supervises the construction of a 10ft x 6ft x 60ft steel frame covering the front two houses on which lights, Santas, reindeer and snowmen are placed over a three-week period.

· 028-9022 2925, Belfast Safaris