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Australian lawyer breaks world record for Christmas light display

Last year, David Richards set the Guinness World Record for largest residential Christmas light display; this year he took his talents to the local mall.

By Brooks Hays
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CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- They say everything's bigger in America. Bigger, maybe, but not biggest -- at least when it comes to Christmas lights. That superlative belongs to Australian lawyer David Richards, who recently assembled a holiday light display featuring more than 1.2 million bulbs at a shopping mall in Canberra.

Richards didn't hang the entire installation himself; he had plenty of volunteers. The massive Christmas light display was assembled as a way to raise money for SIDS and Kids ACT (Australian Capital Territory), a local charity offering sudden infant death syndrome counseling and support services.

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Though visitors to the display will be welcomed free of charge through the New Year, donations will be encouraged. The lights will be powered using electricity donated from a local energy company.

Richards is no stranger to outdoing the competition when it comes to holiday decorations. Last year, he set the Guinness World Record for largest residential Christmas light display, outfitting his house and yard with more than half a million bulbs.

This year, Richards took his talents to a commercial space. "I couldn't do it again to my neighbours or my family," he told The Guardian.

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