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Neighbours get into the act as Ladner street lit up for Christmas

A Christmas tradition continues to grow for a Ladner couple and its neighbours.
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Meiric Preece and his wife Kathy have created one of the largest displays in the community with some 2,500 lights and ornaments at 5374-46th Ave.

A Christmas tradition continues to grow for a Ladner couple and its neighbours.

Meiric Preece and his wife Kathy, who have lived in Ladner for 34 years, have always done a fair bit of Christmas decorating, but for the last few years they’ve created one of the largest displays in the community with some 2,500 lights and ornaments at 5374-46th Ave.

The Preeces’ neighbours, Paulette and Rick Wyenberg and Lindsay and Brendan Maxwell, have also got into the festive spirit so now there are three homes in a row decked out in the same theme.

“A lot of the lights are mine and they have spilled over onto their homes, on the lawn and in the bushes,” said Meiric Preece. “I decorate the major trees as well. It’s all a lot of fun and I have some great neighbours who also appreciate the spirit of it all.”

Preece said the Maxwells plan to make their display even bigger next year.

“I’ve always enjoyed doing this. We get a lot of drive-bys and I, of course, have three granddaughters. They are five, seven and nine, so when I’m doing this I have them in mind,” he said. “It used to be all the neighbourhood kids, but we all are at the stage where it is the grandkids.”

Preece estimated that it took somewhere between 20 and 30 hours over several days to put this year’s display together.

It’s a family affair for Stephen Bailey at his home at 5350 Wallace Ave. in Tsawwassen.

Bailey said the display, which grows every year, is a product of his wife and daughter.

“It’s all handmade, plywood cut-outs, which they trace the patterns for and I cut out,” he said. “We also do a Halloween display as well.”

 

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There are plenty of cut-outs at 5350 Wallace Ave. in Tsawwassen. - Jim Kinnear/Delta Optimist



He said this year’s theme is Santa’s workshop with a lot of elves working all over the yard.

“There has to be more than 20 I think,” he said. “This year is mostly new, but there are a few carry-overs. My in-laws get involved and they put out the lights, ornaments and candy canes. We have a lot of fun with it. My wife and daughter started it to add a little joy to the neighbourhood during the Christmas season. We get a lot of people come by from the neighbourhood asking when we would be putting things up.”

Another notable home is in Ladner at 4619 Garry St. where Roy Botkin goes all out decorating a tractor with strings of colourful lights, Santa riding a motorcycle, other Christmas figures and loads of lights on the house and front yard.

 

lights
Another notable home is in Ladner at 4619 Garry St. where Roy Botkin goes all out decorating a tractor with strings of colourful lights, Santa riding a motorcycle, other Christmas figures and loads of lights on the house and front yard. - Jim Kinnear/Delta Optimist

 

“It’s all Roy and he puts a lot into it, so I just thought he deserved some recognition,” said wife Val. “He does this during Halloween too.”

Besides lighting up their front yard, which is across the street from Delta Secondary, the Botkins are also in charge of the carol ships that sailed into Ladner Harbour last weekend.

Here are some of the other displays of note in South Delta:

Tsawwassen

  • 5520-6th Ave
  • 5200 and 5300 blocks of Camaro Drive
  • 367-55A St.
  • 5963-16th Ave.
  • 938-53A St.
  • Rotary Club of Tsawwassen’s A Gift of Light at Diefenbaker Park
  • Festival of Lights at Tsawwassen Springs

 

Ladner

  • 4600 and 4700 blocks of 55A Street
  •  5573-44th Ave.
  • 5152-45th Ave.
  • 4686-62nd St.
  • 6269 Brodie St.
  • 5856-50th Ave.
  • 4858-57th St.
  • Ladner Rotary Club’s decorated trees at Memorial Park