By Tommy Osborne

Christmas Spirit

Extravagant light display collects donations for community while also spreading holiday cheer

Dec 2, 2025 | 1:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Candy Cane Lane, and the surrounding area, has become well-known in Prince George for its extravagant Christmas light displays and being a community favourite location to get in the Christmas spirit. And one home located on the outskirts of Candy Cane Lane is using its incredible light display to raise donations for the Salvation Army

“This (community) is what it’s all about. People need the help at Christmas time, so every night we completely empty out the (donation) box and then we continue the next night,” said Brenda Cunningham, the home’s owner.

“Whether it’s a little or a lot, it’s the heart behind it that makes it magical,” added Terra Laflamme, the Salvation Army’s Community Engagement Coordinator.

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Cunningham explained it takes three weeks to set up a display this big, and the decorations themselves have been slowly getting collected over the last twenty years.

“One year I decided I’m going to put trees in, it can be like a forest. So then we put the deers in it, and then we put the archway in it so we could get people to walk through and take pictures. And since then, it’s just build and build and being like, ‘okay, I need this, and I need this, and I need this.’ That’s how it’s got to be this big,” Cunningham explained.

It’s a labour of love, and even though it does take a full 21 days to get everything set up, Cunningham says it’s well worth it for the community reaction, on top of having the opportunity to raise donations for the Salvation Army.

“We have people stop on the street and say, ‘thank you so much, we enjoy what you do.’ We get letters in the mailbox saying thank you for decorating,” Cunningham said.

“When you can combine fun with donating, it’s just like the best way, and we just really appreciate the support we get from the community, and somebody like Brenda who puts on this amazing display, it’s just a really cool thing to be a part of,” LaFlamme said.

As for the children that get to engage with the lights, it certainly has their seal of approval.

“It’s really colorful. It brings the joy to everybody. It’s very pretty, it kind of reminds me of a movie,” said Raelynn Soare, one visitor.

“It’s really nice. And I really like that little dog, it is really pretty, and it’s been one of my favorites out of all of them,” added fellow visitor Riley Soare.

The dog mentioned by Riley Soare, which has proven to be a community favourite.

Cunningham hopes you drop by the home to take some pictures and enjoy the lights, and if you do, any donations to the Salvation Army, or any letters to Santa, would be welcome in the mailbox.

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