The Stony Plain neighbourhood of Graybriar is getting into the Christmas spirit — with a little friendly competition.
In 2013, Jon Harringa put up a few lights on his house in the town west of Edmonton. This year — he’s got 34,000.
“It turned into a friendly competition.”
Harringa said he went to the store right away to buy some more lights. Now, people from around the Edmonton area drive in to get a glimpse of his home.
“I think it uplifts the community — especially this year,” he said.
This year, his home features a recreation of a much-loved scene from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
“It’s a classic, right?” Harringa said. “Who doesn’t love that movie?”
Harringa puts up all the lights himself, but he did ask his father-in-law for some help with a yard display featuring a motorhome and cut-out of Clark Griswold, the lead character played by Chevy Chase in the 1989 holiday film.
“It took me 15 straight days to do it this year. 10 plus hours a day,” he said.
Their street — Briarwood Point — is now lit up with lights and Christmas décor, as Harringa’s neighbours get in on the fun.
“Jon has definitely turned up the heat a little bit,” neighbour Aubrey Coleman said. “You have to commend him for what he’s done.
“It gives you the drive to add a little bit to your own display.”
The neighbours who started the Christmas competition recently moved to British Columbia, but Harringa said he’s already found his next competitor.
“Dave, our neighbour across the street from us now, he put a lot more lights up this year,” he said. “I guess the friendly competition could continue with him.”
Dave Tuttle is up for the challenge. This year, he went and bought a bunch of inflatables and began decorating before Halloween.
Many of the residents likened the spot to Edmonton’s Candy Cane Lane and in true competitive spirit: “some may say it’s better,” Harringa said with a laugh.
Harringa said his power bill has been steadily rising every year and he’s spent thousands of dollars on the display.
That said, he doesn’t plan on slowing down: “It feels good. It’s gratifying. It gives people enjoyment.”
“It’s been non-stop vehicles here for the past few days. What a great way for people to forget about the whole pandemic,” Tuttle said.
Harringa said if you like his 2020 display — just wait until the next one.
“I’ve always got plans for the upcoming year. You can’t do it all at once, because then what do you do next?”
If you’d like to check out the display, you can find the house on Briarwood Point in Stony Plain, which is about a 25-minute drive from west Edmonton.
Harringa is collecting cash and non-perishable donations for the food bank.