We’re so obsessed with Christmas we hoarded 133 decorated trees in our home


This Canadian couple’s crib is lit.

Tom Kereluk and Vince Jackman say they pine for Christmas so much that they’ve placed an eye-popping 133 trees in their home — on every floor and in each room, including the garage.

“They range anywhere from little, small ones all the way up to the 12-foot trees that are in the house,” Jackman told CTV News in Calgary.

The pair — who live in Red Deer, a city in Alberta — trace the obsession back 15 years, when they reportedly opened their house to the public to show off 15 trimmed trees.

CTV reports Kereluk hesitated to reveal how much they’ve spent on ornaments, but claims many were gifted by friends or family members redoing their own decorations.

“They range anywhere from little, small ones all the way up to the 12-foot trees that are in the house,” Jackman told CTV News.
Jam Press/@cahumane

“We’re kind of hoarders at heart,” Kereluk declared. “I just can’t throw anything out, so I make trees that have stuff that I already have, or I see something in a thrift store. I just create something from things that people would have thrown out.”

Added Jackman: “I’ve had clients from my business clean out their house and donate all their old ornaments and everything like that, so we do have some vintage ornaments for trees this year.”

The couple’s festive forest doubles as a fundraiser for the Central Alberta Humane Society. They told the Red Deer Advocate that $7,000 has been raised so far this season between open houses and an evening of wine and cheesecakes.

See also  Dear Abby: I’m old and in a terrible marriage — can I kick him out?

Over the years, they’ve reportedly collected more than $30,000 for the animal shelter.

“Third-party fundraisers are the backbone to so many charities like ours. The community involvement and the community support means so much,” Executive Director Eve Sira told CTV.

“All the bills have gone up. Utilities have gone up. We run on a very lean staff, but it still costs us $1.4 million a year to run our facility.”

Donations for animal shelter
The tree-mendous display serves as a fundraiser for the Central Alberta Humane Society.
Jam Press/@cahumane

Five years ago, Kereluk and Jackman called the annual tour “Sofia Celebrates Christmas” in memoriam of their beloved pet Chihuahua.

“Every Christmas, if you couldn’t find her, she was always underneath some of the Christmas trees. Laying there just underneath the tree on the Christmas mats,” Jackman recalled of his prized pooch to RDNewsNow last year.

The holiday house is scheduled to reopen Dec. 30.

The basement features two Las Vegas-themed trees adorned with postcards and souvenirs.

“We’ve been to Las Vegas many times in the past, and we had all these room keys and little items that you get from Las Vegas,” Kereluk told CTV. “What I did was create a tree of it. I was tired of putting them all in a box and leaving it on a shelf.”

Kereluk and Jackman plan to keep their trees up until Ukrainian Christmas on Jan. 7. Then everything gets packed up until next October.

See also  ‘Genius’ plane hack allows passengers to avoid dreaded middle seat — without paying

“There were about four new designs this year, along with many favorites — and next year we are already planning new ones,” Jackman boasted to the Advocate.



Source link

Leave a Comment