The tidy home on Brewster Drive in Coquitlam is proof that you just never know what's lurking in people's garages.
From the outside, it's abundantly clear that Julie Brassington and Joe Dang love Christmas; every level of the home, every shrub and tree in the yard are covered with lights.
There are reindeer, Santas, North Pole mailboxes, a festive Mickey Mouse and a Christmas countdown clock.
But it's inside the garage where the couple has taken Christmas to a new level, fuelled by Brassington's devotion to miniature Christmas village collectibles and aided by Dang's handyman talents.
"Most people only have a fireplace display of this stuff," Dang said, "but she's nuts."
Brassington's collecting started before the couple met; when they married 10 years ago, her friends cautiously asked Dang whether they knew "how crazy she is about Christmas" but back then, she only had a small display on her desk.
Soon, the vignette expanded to the dining room table, and Brassington kept on buying.
Dang found himself clearing out the garage every fall to make way for the Christmas display (he later insulated it as well, and lays down carpet each year to increase the comfort factor). A retired teacher, he carefully catalogues each purchase in a binder so nothing is duplicated and to keep accurate records for insurance.
Dang eventually built a tiered display frame at waist height (all the empty village boxes are stowed underneath) and another frame hangs from the ceiling — that's where the North Pole village features busy elves hammering away in various workshops, followed by the cascading Christmas communities.
There are dozens of houses, hotels and shops, tiny Christmas trees, families bustling, a mountain vignette with mini people sliding down a hill on sleds, snowboarders, a pond hockey game, a moving gondola and even a kid making a snow angel. There's the waterfront village, a Mickey and Minnie Mouse vignette (the couple are self-confessed Disney "freaks"), Yankee Stadium (a nod to Dang's favourite team) and even a Chinatown.
Most of the miniatures have moving parts and lights, so the overall effect is an onslaught of a delightfully twinkling, chirping Christmas machine.
The displays, which take about two weeks to set up at the start of November, are different every year and their collection is so vast that only part of it can go up each year on a rotating basis.
"There's a method to the madness," Brassington says with a smile, not least of which is spreading their infectious Christmas cheer.
Friends and family get in on the fun as well, choosing their favourite houses that are then labelled with their names out front. Their grandchildren, aged eight, 10 and 12, are tasked with finding hidden elements in each display.
Until recently, Brassington and Dang welcomed several kindergarten and Grade 1 classes for tours; there are fewer now due to liability concerns. Kids get to marvel at the elaborate display before heading to the kitchen for cookies and storytime with Mrs. Claus and, downstairs, the grand finale.
In the basement Dang built a false fireplace and chimney in front of the sliding patio door; when the kids go downstairs they see Santa's boots dangling at the top and, with a booming "ho ho ho" he drops to the floor, ready to hand out small gifts to the little ones.
The couple also enjoys hosting parties in the lead-up to Christmas and few guests turn down the chance to dress up in any number of their holiday costumes, including Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves in all different sizes.
"We're just kids at heart," Brassington said.
And what kid doesn't love the magic of Christmas?
• The Christmas Village display at 2638 Brewster Dr., Coquitlam is open to the public on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., starting Dec. 8. There is no admission fee but, if they wish, visitors are welcome to provide a donation for a friend of Brassington and Dang who recently had a liver transplant and has been unable to work for several years.
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