He still opened Christmas presents in a paddling pool: the man who has lived Christmas Day every day since 1993

When the temperature climbed and his usual Christmas routine turned "unbearable", Andy Park did not call the whole thing off. He opened presents in a paddling pool instead and cooked Christmas dinner on the barbecue, because for him every single day is still Christmas Day.

For most people, Christmas is a date on the calendar. For Andy Park, it is a daily commitment that has lasted since July 14, 1993.

The 62-year-old from Melksham, Wiltshire, known as Mr Christmas, says he has celebrated Christmas Day every day for 33 years. That means presents, Christmas dinner, crackers, mince pies and a glass of sherry, not once a year, but every day.

This summer's heatwave has made that ritual far less comfortable. Andy said the weather had been so hot it became unbearable, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees where he lives, as far as he understood it. Even so, he said nothing would stop him keeping up the tradition. Whether it is freezing or boiling, he said, he still does it.

How do you do Christmas in 36 degree heat?

His answer has been to adapt rather than abandon anything.

Instead of sitting inside and trying to pretend the season matched the weather, Andy cooled off by putting his feet in a paddling pool while opening the gifts he had bought for himself the previous day. Rather than switch on the oven during the hot spell, he used a barbecue to cook what he described as a traditional Christmas dinner.

That combination captures the odd logic of his life better than almost anything else. The details may change with the weather, but the occasion never does. Andy said every day is Christmas Day to him, so he has to do what he does no matter what the conditions are.

He does not appear to treat the heat as a reason to scale back either. He still talks about the day in familiar Christmas terms, from the presents to the food to the drinking and the noise of crackers and party poppers.

The boiling hot July day that started it all

Andy says the entire tradition began on one especially hot working day in 1993.

He was out delivering a washing machine, which fitted the kind of work he does, repairing washing machines and cookers. He said he had been feeling low and wanted something to cheer himself up. When he got home, he decided there had to be something he could do other than carry on as normal.

So he went into the loft and brought down the decorations, the Christmas tree, crackers, party poppers and lights. He also found a VHS copy of the Queen's speech. Then he put everything up and treated that hot July day as if it were Christmas Day.

He said it really did feel like Christmas Day. He made the best Christmas dinner he could, putting chicken in the oven and getting frozen sprouts out, and he said it was good fun. What began as something he thought was a bit wacky quickly became something he enjoyed a great deal.

The next day, because he had left the tree and decorations up, he bought himself a couple of presents, put them under the tree and decided to do it all again. He repeated the whole thing and said he got to like it a hell of a lot. From that point on, he said, he never looked back.

What Christmas looks like when it happens every day

The routine now starts at about 8am. His breakfast is not especially seasonal by ordinary standards, but it is by his: four or five mince pies and a glass of sherry.

He then gets Christmas dinner ready before heading off to work for a few hours. At 3pm, the television goes on for the Christmas speech. He said he watches the Queen's speech every day, and sometimes the King's, depending on how he feels.

There are also Christmas cards, although Andy has found a way to cut one cost from the ritual. He said he no longer posts cards to himself because stamps are expensive, so he delivers them through his own letter box.

After the speech, he said, it is party time for the rest of the day. That means party poppers, crackers and the rest of the celebration carrying on indoors, regardless of the season outside.

What is striking is that he insists the novelty has not worn off. He said he still wakes up excited every morning because he knows there will be a couple of presents waiting under the tree. He said he cannot wait to get downstairs, pour the sherry and get stuck into Christmas pudding and mince pies.

Even so, he admitted winter gives him more of the feeling he associates with Christmas, because it is cold and frosty outside. In his view, Christmas is meant to be cold. That is part of why the recent warmth has felt so out of place within his daily celebration.

The cost of 33 years of Christmas

Running Christmas every day has not been cheap. Andy estimates that keeping the tradition going has cost around £1 million over the past 33 years.

He claims he gets through around 7,500 Christmas crackers and 7,500 party poppers every year. His estimates for the food and drink are even more eye-catching. He believes he has eaten almost 14,000 turkeys, about 1.25 million Brussels sprouts and around 2.25 million mince pies since he began. He also claims to have had roughly 14,000 bottles of champagne, as well as his daily glass of sherry.

He said presents and parties do add up. He also acknowledged that people have warned him to be careful about what he eats and not to overdo it. His response is simple: he says he feels good.

He has worked out at least one strategy to limit costs. Andy said he makes the most of January sales, arguing that buying decorations after Christmas can make a major difference. In his example, £600 worth of new decorations can be bought for £60. To him, it makes sense, because if it is Christmas anyway, he might as well buy them then and put them up.

That, he said, is part of why his decorations still look fresh.

How everyone else fits into a year that never ends

Andy says his family has mostly learned to accept the life he has built around Christmas. He described their attitude as letting him get on with what he wants to do.

There is also a practical upside for anyone visiting. He joked that if somebody wants a glass of sherry, there will be a tap at his door, and they can come in to pull a cracker and perhaps get a present.

His grandchildren, he said, especially enjoy it. There is always a present for them under the tree when they come over.

That helps explain why this story has lasted beyond its original impulse. What began as one man's attempt to cheer himself up on a hot day has become a fully maintained world with its own schedule, costs, shopping habits, television plans and traditions for visitors.

And there is now something else for him to enjoy. A dedicated Christmas television channel launched on Freeview on 26 August, 121 days before Christmas Day. For somebody who has already spent 33 years celebrating as though December 25 never ended, the attraction was obvious. Andy said he could watch Christmas movies every single day, right up until January.

For most people, that would sound like too much Christmas. For Andy Park, it sounds much more like the correct amount.