Sixty-thousand Christmas lights.
One-hundred and thirty hours of setup time.
Thousands of visitors.
It all adds up to one light display that has attracted residents from across the Tri-Cities to a Port Coquitlam home every Christmas for over a decade.
And Leo Douillard, the Pinemont Avenue property owner in charge of the spectacle, said people will have one last chance to participate before he packs up his decorations for good at the end of the year.
"One-hundred and thirty hours is a long time and I am getting older," he said. "I notice that after I'm done I start to seize up."
Every year Douillard takes some time off work at the end of November. He pulls his ladder out of the garage, dusts off the Christmas decorations, checks the light bulbs and gets to work.
Fourteen days later his property looks more like the North Pole than the north PoCo suburban residence it resembles for the other 11 months of the year.
The display has become so popular that even Santa Claus is expected to visit, greeting children and neighbours for a photo opportunity during an event this weekend.
"It is great to see the look on the kids' faces," he said. "I have got regulars that have been coming here for a long time."
It started with a few strings of lights and some simple decorations. Over the years people have donated various pieces and the display has grown exponentially.
Today, it includes numerous lights, characters and Christmas arrangements as well as several interactive displays.
Douillard has also setup a donation box with all proceeds going to the B.C. Children's Hospital.
"I didn't have much when I was a kid," he said. "I just started with a couple of lights and every year I would add a couple more."
But while Douillard said this will be the last time he hangs up the light display, he is planting seeds of tradition with other members of his family.
After the holidays are over he plans to give away most of his ornaments to his friends and children with the hopes that they will carry on what he has started at their own homes.
"Whatever my wife wants we will keep," he said. "But it will never be like this again. I'm gonna give most of this stuff away to the family and we will see what they do with it.'"
This weekend Douillard will be hosting a neighbourhood Christmas party on his property (793 Pinemont Ave., Port Coquitlam), which will feature hot chocolate and a visit from Santa Claus. The event takes place between 7 and 10 p.m. on Dec. 17 and everyone is welcome.
Douillard keeps his Christmas light display lit between 5 and 11 p.m. until Jan. 1, 2012. For more information go to www.piczo.com/xmasguyshouse.
