'They say it brings joy to the neighbourhood': Winnipeg home lights up Charleswood
It is a scene right from the script of the movie “Christmas Vacation” starring Chevy Chase, and for one Charleswood resident, it could give Chase's character a run for his money.
Ted Hasiuk has been lighting up his home for over two decades, and each year it gets a little more elaborate.
“Part of it is for the attention; plus it does help to brighten up the winter nights,” said Hasiuk.
As it has grown, the display has expanded from the house to include other non-traditional locations.
“My not so trusty, very rusty Dodge Caravan,” said Hasiuk.
The lit van will sit idle until the spring before it transitions from a yard decoration to a mode of transportation.
Hasiuk admitted some of his best ideas are stolen from friends and colleagues, others, he said, people let him borrow.
This year, new additions year includes 1,600 new lights on a fence and a tree. There is also an arbour Hasiuk has not yet set up, just in the front of the house.
“People stop when they see me decorating and they say it brings joy to the neighbourhood. They say you don’t know how many people actually like it so out of the blue, strangers,” said Hasiuk.
“It’s kind of neat and makes it all worthwhile.”
The time spent is considerable. Hasiuk estimates there are somewhere between 23,000 to 24,000 lights and about 100 hours of his time.
“Light bulbs burn out, squirrels chew the strings, all that sort of stuff.”
It is not all fun and games. Hasiuk said he does feel pressure to get things up and it isn’t until the finish line is in sight that he starts to, “see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Hasiuk began stringing lights back at the end of September. Two months later, he has a couple of hours left.
The 71-year-old said sometimes, it was hard to gain momentum with blown fuses and inconvenient snowfalls. The key, Hasiuk said, is to be methodical and get a light tester.
The house is located on Fairmont Road south of Grant Avenue.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Police will not be charged in death of Indigenous man in B.C., mother says
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021, according to the man's mother.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.