A Chestermere family is spreading holiday cheer through their neighbourhood by transforming their home into the Grinch.
Since 2020, Amelia Cruickshank and her family have turned their 397 Windermere Drive home into a beloved Christmas character, starting with Santa and now the Grinch.
“We just wanted to have fun with it, spread love to our community, and get people in the spirit for Christmas,” Cruickshank said. “We’ve done our Santa house the last two years, and this is just something new.”
Creating the Christmas character every year has quickly turned into a family tradition, with each family member helping to cut the wood, paint, or install the wood pieces on the front of the house.
In mid-November, Cruickshank and her stepdad started cutting the wood, and her mom and brother helped paint, finishing by the beginning of December.
Since then, Cruickshank and her family have heard positive feedback from their neighbours about the display.
“It should stay up until January, then a lot of people can see it, and it can remind people that it’s Christmas, and it’s not all bad,” Cruickshank said.
Although transforming their home for the holiday season started as a way to keep the family entertained and spread holiday cheer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become a project the family looks forward to each year.
“It’s something that brings us all together, and it’s something to make us closer as a family,” Cruickshank said.
