“I hope my Dad can see the lights from heaven,” Rose Verkaik said.
She lost her father in 2013 at 93 years old and she wanted to quit Christmas right then.
“I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Verkaik recalled. “And my family said to me ‘Mom, why don’t we do this display for grandpa so he can see it from heaven'. And each year it gets a little bigger and bigger and bigger and I hope he can see it from heaven.”
The front yard is covered and so is the roof and even the gazebo is covered in red and white lights, because those were her dad’s favourite colours.
And for dad, Stefan Toth, those lights on the gazebo stay on all year long.
“He was 80 years old when he built that gazebo for me,” Verkaik said.
He was an architect and a carpenter by trade.
“He worked until he was 91 years old doing carpentry for people, building and driving me crazy,” Verkaik said. “I sure wish he was here to drive me crazy now, believe me!”
Verkaik said she is determined to keep this tradition of lighting up her yard for as long as she can.
The family is always adding new things to the display that takes more than a month to set up.
This year there is a sparkly new polar bear because dad loved polar bears.
The bear is sitting on the roof top right beside the 40 foot long display featuring Santa on his sleigh behind all the reindeer.
Verkaik is inviting everyone to drive by 6070 Buckhorn Lake Rd. and check out her amazing Christmas light display.
“I just want everyone to come out and enjoy these lights and when you drive past please think of my dad,” Verkaik said.
