Holiday displays bring seasonal cheer to Quesnel

It’s easy to notice Betty Jackson’s home on Red Bluff Road. It’s the one with the massive display of Christmas lights and inflatables.

“It started with my dad, actually,” she said. “Every year, he would add an extra string. Being German, there’s never enough decorations. He used to add a couple of extra strings every year. I started when I moved out on my own.”

Jackson said her display has more than 10,000 lights and 20 inflatable displays. Her display was finally “finished” on Sunday, Dec. 6.

“It’s never really done, done because I’m always adding,” Jackson said. “I gotta keep busy, and this is the season for it. I love the Christmas season.”

While buying all the displays new would cost a lot, Jackson said she’s able to create the display by finding sales, buying used and taking advantage of post-Christmas sales.

“I scope out want ads selling stuff, garage sales, Lions [Club] sales, Re-Use-It, anything I can find online,” she said. “It just kept building every year … Basically, it was all Dad’s fault. He’s no longer with us, so I do a lot of it in honour of him. The neighbours love it. The response has been unbelievable since I posted pictures saying it’s done.”

Putting together a display can mean a lot of maintenance, for sometimes confusing reasons. Just one day after finalizing her display, Jackson was out making repairs, stitching up inflatables damaged by winds. Even the most common of winter weather can bring problems.

“I’ve been out there in the middle of the night in my nightgown and snow boots, knocking all the snow off the decorations so we don’t lose them,” Jackson said. “Light snow, not a problem, we shake ‘em off, they’re fine. When we get a heavy snow, they start bending over, and we fear that snow gets into the motor and we can lose the blow-ups.”

Christmas displays have taken centre stage for some, as the holiday season is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: How to tell family their Christmas gathering is too risky and you’re not going

“As we drove around middle to late November, I saw people starting to put up decorations, just to put a little bit of light into this town, show a little joy and let everybody know we’re still OK,” Jackson said. “It’s not over. My lights will be up until Easter.”

See or have a great holiday display in Quesnel? We’d love to see and share them! Submit your photos to our Facebook page.

READ MORE: Recycling broken or burnt string lights can reduce holiday landfill waste

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com