If you take a right on Sugar Bush Drive, then a left on Cranberry Court, you’ll find yourself at what could arguably be the Christmas capital of the city.
From the outside, Terry and Sandy Deforge-MacKean have a lovely house that sparkles with holiday lights — it is beautiful, but not quite breathtaking. That opinion changes the second you step through the front door.
“I walk in the house, and I’m still amazed,” Terry said.
In the living room alone, there are at least six stunning Christmas trees. The one closest to the fireplace stretches 12 feet tall, and is immaculately decorated from top to bottom. In the front window is a smaller tree, decked out in tiny porcelain heels and handbags, and right next to it is a chocolate truffle tree covered in hand-blown bulbs from Sandy’s Nova Scotia homeland. In between, you’ll find a twirling red tree, as well as a glistening white one, and two smaller twinkling numbers bordering the couch. This is all visible without even stepping off the welcome mat.
Sandy and Terry Deforge-MacKean (holding pooch, Panda) don’t just like Christmas — they love it. Photo by Jenny Jelen.
The tree tally for the entire house now sits at 31 — an increase of five trees from last year. Every single room in the house has at least one piece of festive forestry in it.
“At some point we have to stop,” Terry said with a laugh.
For now, the couple has far too much fun with their collection.
“We enjoy Christmas, but more than (for ourselves), we like to see other people enjoy it,” Terry said. “We have some friends that say Christmas isn’t Christmas until they come to our house.”
Both Terry and Sandy put a lot of effort into making their home the shining festive specimen it is. Work begins on Thanksgiving weekend, and continues over the weekends that follow. Terry estimates about 150 hours go into setting up the display.
“We love every minute of it,” Sandy said.
It’s the deconstruction process, that lasts about 60 hours, that Terry and Sandy don’t like quite so much.
“If it was up to Sandy, (the trees) would stay up all year round,” Terry said, smiling. 
On top of the forest, the Deforge-MacKeans also have an elaborate Christmas village and an expansive collection of Santas, snowmen and angels. Every time guests come to visit, there are 125 battery-operated figurines that need to be turned on by hand — luckily all the trees are set on timers.
Out of the hundreds of pieces in the house, the two agreed that the first tree they bought together, when they first met, is their most favourite.
“It was our first tree together,” Terry said, making it the most special. There are a number of “close seconds” though, like the heirloom bulbs that were once owned by Terry’s grandmother, which he guesses are now well over 100 years old, as well as the decorations that come from Sandy’s hometown.
As their collection grows, Terry and Sandy are considering opening their home to guests; Next year, they would like to raise funds for a local children’s charity by inviting people to wander through their abode. Until then, enjoy a virtual tour of their home checking out the video.
