Every year, holiday enthusiasts claim they take decorating more seriously than others – but few could outshine Jon Harringa, an Alberta man who (we can only imagine) has quite the power bill.
Located in Stony Plain about a half out outside of Edmonton, those who can appreciate the time it takes to put up a single strand of lights have to check out the true-to-film Griswold house – inspired by the holiday classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
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Set to light the night every evening until New Year’s Eve, this stunning display has a wholesome backstory and is making the world a better place one LED at a time.
“It started as a friendly competition with the neighbours and then a bunch of my friends started to me Clark because we had more decorations than the average person,” Harringa told Curiocity.
“It went from there and now we’ve got the motorhome and the station wagon with the Christmas tree on top and the mannequins.”
Several years, 9 days of set up, and an estimated 50,000 lights later, Alberta’s ‘Griswold house’ has garnered serious attention and even has begun accepting donations for the Parkland Foodbank.
“When we did it initially it was just for the neighbourhood. We had a lot of neighbourhood traffic and traffic from Stony Plain and Spruce Grove, but someone made the comment that I should be taking donations, so we got together with one of the neighbours and chose the food bank.”
Speaking of the neighbours, he said that they love the display!
In fact, the house across the street has quite a presentation of its own.
“He’s got his to music and there’s a light show. He’s more into the techy side of things, while mine is just bright and in your face all the time,” he explained, adding that others have started to get in on the fun as well.
“For the most part, we see other people doing more and more so we think that they like it.”
Interested in checking it out for yourself? The house is free to visit and is on now – but don’t hesitate!
Like so many prior, the holidays will come and go in the blink of an eye and you won’t want to miss it.
The Griswold House – Stony Plain, Alberta
Where: 64 Briarwood Point in Stony Plain
