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Known as “The Ho Ho Ho House,” this home on Garry Street has been decorated in elaborate fashion since the early 1980s.
Photo by Hannah Scott
Decades-old holiday display unveiled again
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 4:00 PST, Mon December 20, 2021
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For nearly 40 years, the Woodman family has been bringing holiday cheer to Garry Street.
“My family started doing the display in the early 1980s,” says Jen Woodman of their home, known as “The Ho Ho Ho House.” “My grandfather was a skilled woodworker, and he and my dad started building it together with a love for Christmas.”
The elaborate decorations began with a snowman family, reindeer and a “HOHOHO” sign on the roof of a bungalow. The house was re-built in the 1990s, but the new roof was too steep for the reindeer, so they moved to the ground.
“Now, my brother is the lead on putting up the display with my dad, and thankfully friends also go by and help,” says Woodman. “The display takes over a month to put up for one or two people. Thankfully with helping hands this can get done on weekends, a few random days off from work during the weeks leading up, and then a big push at the end.”
Following some weather-related delays, this year’s display was unveiled in early December. Along with the lights and decorations, for the last few years there has also been a donation box for Wigs for Kids B.C.
“We chose Wigs For Kids because my mom and I are actively involved in it,” says Woodman. “It was started in Steveston by a group of ladies that we know, and 100 per cent of everything that is (given)—including volunteers' time—is donated.”
Although the display is hard work to set up each year, and sometimes leads to electrical shocks, Woodman says it’s an amazing feeling to be able to spread holiday cheer to locals, especially during the pandemic.
When asked what motivates her family to keep decorating year after year, Woodman says it’s the joy it brings to people, the smiles, and the thank-yous.
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