What began in 1990 as just a few holiday lawn ornaments in an Esquimalt front yard has snowballed into an annual festive spectacle, which thrills and wows thousands of visitors.
“It just grew and grew and grew and grew and … grew,“ says Garfield Ostrander, the man behind the magic.
And he’s not exaggerating.
Tens of jolly Santas, multiple Grinches, snowmen, a jolly green dinosaur, a nativity scene, right through to an octopus in a (pear) tree are all waiting to be found among the Christmas carnival bonanza open every evening at 783 Hutchinson Rd.
But don’t ask Ostrander how many inflatables, lights and ornaments are meticulously stuffed into his backyard; he doesn’t have a clue.
“I've never kept track, it's impossible,” he says. “I don't even know if I could begin to count what I got.”
And definitely don’t ask him what it costs to keep his display inflated, merry and bright; he's coy on the subject.
“It’s four figures and the first one isn't a one,” he says, a response he repeats often every evening while hundreds wander through his yard in awe of his work.
“No more than a nice boat for fishing or a set of golf clubs,” he tells one visitor, offering them a ballpark.
“I've created a monster,” he adds.
“A fabulous monster,” replies the woman.
You can literally hear the electricity in the air – the sound of hundreds of fans and motors working overtime almost drowns out the gentle holiday music playing throughout the yard.
“I got about 25 to 30 dedicated circuits for the backyard here," he says. "And I had an electrician put a sub-panel in a shed.”
As for its worth, Ostrander estimates he has spent tens of thousands of dollars curating his collection.
And that doesn't account for the time he has given over the decades to maintain his display, which is an all-year-round project, or hobby as Ostrander likes to call it.
“It just never stops,” he says. “I’ll put all this away and clean it all up, and then by the time I get that done, I'll start poking around again.”
“It's a methodical process, a little bit at a time,” he adds.
It might sound like a full-time job, but Ostrander also somehow finds time to run his own painting business with his two sons, Garfield & Sons Painting.
In addition to the front and back yard displays, a room attached to the side of his house boasts an impressive miniature winter village, complete with a railway, the walls of the room lined with animated Santa dolls and vintage ornaments.
The room remains untouched all year round – he simply closes the door when the holiday season is over on New Year's Day.
“Once I close down the display, I won't see that room till next November, “ he says. “But I may peek in there once in a while, to make sure I haven't got a raccoon or something trapped in there.”
As he wanders around his yard handing out candy canes – he goes through cases each year – Ostrander is showered with praise.
"It's phenomenal," says Kassandra Rodger who has been visiting for the past four years with her children. "It's absolutely amazing."
Another Esquimalt resident stops by to tell Ostrander his grandchildren visit from Vancouver every year with the sole purpose of exploring his holiday wonderland.
Another visitor says she has been coming to the garden for 12 years. “It makes me feel like a child again,” she says.
His inspiration and love of the holidays come from his childhood in the ‘50s and ‘60s, growing up in Windsor, Ont., on the Detroit River, he explains.
He remembers his mom driving him over to Detroit to look at the Christmas lights and decorations.
“It was pretty festive back in those days, pretty elaborate,” said Ostrander. “I always figured if I ever settled down and got a place, I would do the same.”
Looking around his backyard, packed full of visitors, he says, “So I fulfilled that part of my dreams.”
In a world full of uncertainty, Ostrander hopes his display takes people back to the "wholesome good old days."
“It brings hope, happiness and gets people feeling good," he says. "It's great for everybody, not just me."
About the rumours circulating online that this is his last year, Ostrander rolls his eyes.
“I've never said that,” he says. “Maybe I’ve got another couple of years left, we’ll see.
“I tell people I'm kind of getting a little tired, but mostly I just feel young all the time anyways.”
Whenever Ostrander does decide to wrap things up, the thousands of visitors that flock to his home each year are sure to be disappointed.
But there might be one person relieved to see the Christmas carnival come to an end: his wife of 44 years.
“Sometimes she looks out the window and shakes her head,” says Ostrander.
