It’s hard to miss. Well-known Cold Lake, Alta., resident Marty Belilse has been going all out to light up his home for more than three decades.
But after getting older and battling Mother Nature to put it all up every year, he’s decided that this display will be his last.
“I wanted to do it while I’m still physically capable of doing it,” he told Global News. “At the end of last year, after I was doing the tear down, I told my wife: I don’t think I can do another year of this.”
His family convinced him to do one final hurrah.
“I’m not second-guessing it,” he said. “I wanted to end this on my own terms.”
Belisle spent 24 years in the military as a technician. It’s what originally brought him to the community of Cold Lake. While living on the base, he started decorating for the holidays.
“I was posted from Europe to Cold Lake,” he said. “The first year we were here we had a newborn daughter, and my wife had bought me a paper nativity scene that I had to fabricate and build out of plywood.”
“I thought I could do a little better and I won a little Christmas contest, like third place.”
He’s been adding to his display ever since.
This year’s display took more than 140 hours just to set up, not including planning, designing or programming. It includes more than 125,000 lights and 16,000 pixels on the front of the house alone. He’s also posted the displays on YouTube for more people to enjoy.
“I grew up with the technology,” he said, adding he’s relied on online forums and his own creativity to change up the performance every year. “I had to do it old school when I first started and slowly started building on it.”
More than 1,500 zip ties keep it all together.
“If you don’t have a good relationship with zip ties, you aren’t going to be a good exterior holiday decorator,” he laughed.
The decorations go from the front yard, down the side alley, and to the back. It even spills over onto his neighbour’s fence.
“I call this my Christmas mullet,” he joked. “I have techy in the front and tacky in the back.”
He starts decorating in September but not for Christmas. He also uses his skills to welcome trick-or-treaters to a more haunted display. He announced this year would be his last on social media, just before Halloween, and nearly 1,000 kids came by to say thank you.
“That was probably my biggest shock this year …. the amount of people that have been touched by the display,” Belilse said.
Belisle can’t say exactly how much money he’s spent on his work over the years, but over the past decade or so he’s put in roughly $60,000, which he said is “probably no more than any other hobby where someone’s a little more obsessed.”
“I wanted to create something that it didn’t cost anyone to do,” he said. “I’ve never asked for anything.”
The community has come out in droves to support Belisle in his final performance. He said people who once came as kids are now bringing their own kids.
He’s also often recognized when he goes out and people often tell him how much they enjoy what he does. The true testament to how much it is appreciated, however, is what hasn’t happened.
“I’ve literally had no vandalism in 30 years.”
As he packs it all up, many parts of the display will be sold. His favourite pieces will go to his daughter’s houses in order to keep the family tradition alive.
As for Belisle, he’s got plans to spend more time at other people’s houses next Christmas.
“I’m supposed to be retired, so I want to be a little more relaxed,” he said. “I’m going to work on my hockey. I’m going to work on my golf.”
His house won’t be completely dark in 2024. He said he’ll add a few strands of lights, for old times’ sake.
The display runs through to the end of December.
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