With about 300 residents, stuffed Santas currently make up about 13 per cent of the town’s population as the latest Christmas craze takes over. 

Putting the silly into ‘silly season’, this year the town decided to try something a little bit different with around 40 stuffed Santas currently on display. 

An initiative of the Lilydale Lions Club and inspired by a town in South Australia, the club bought Santa suits in bulk in November before handing them out to stuff-savvy residents.

Lion’s Club vice president Stephen Griffin said the result speaks for itself.

“It really has taken over Lilydale,” he said. 

“We didn’t think it would go this far but it has really taken off.

“People make them their own.

“We have been very surprised at how creative some people have been.”

Santas of all shapes and sizes can now be found everywhere around the town, from the roof of the petrol station, to relaxing on a deck chair. 

At Sunday’s monthly Lilydale Village Market, Mr Griffin said more tourists seemed to be passing through the town just to get a photo with a Santa. 

“They are actually very hard to stuff so people have been very creative in how they have gone about it,” he said. 

“It is all just a bit of fun.”

Because of the popularity, the club has now started a people’s choice award for the most popular Santa. 

Mr Griffin said next year the club wants to double the amount of stuffed Santas in the town. 

“We want them all the way down the main street,” he said.