The kingdom of vintage decor

Passionate about Christmas decorations, Châteauguay resident Stephen Black spends a few weeks in November arranging his lawn decorations. But trendy inflatable structures or light projectors are just not an option. His favourites are plastic characters that were popular in the 1990s. His daughter recently counted them; there are 148 decorations at 62, Sunset East in Châteauguay. Close to the front door there is a North Pole section with Santas, a sleigh, reindeer and Mrs. Claus. Further over on the lawn there is a stable with everyone you’d expect: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings, a donkey and a cow. Closer to the street, the penguins are having a ball! “Each year the penguins have a theme. This year it’s COVID!” explained Allison Black, Mr. Black’s spouse. The penguins are being rebellious and partying without social distancing. But they are being monitored by the policeman snowmen wearing sheriff hats, a nod to the Châteauguay police officers who dressed that way during union negotiations a few years back. On a hunt for treasures Stephen Black says it himself; it really is a passion. “It’s almost an illness,” he joked. “We started back in the 1990s when the kids were young, buying lights and characters. We found the characters in flea markets. Each year it gets bigger and each year you want more!” Another challenge for 2020 is to find that particular type of decoration, which is becoming more and more rare. Among those that the Châteauguay resident has his sights on are Santa’s reindeer pulling the sleigh. He has three, but wants eight- just like on the real Santa’s sleigh! “One of my limitations is truly the size of my yard. If it was bigger, I would definitely have more,” Mr. Black confided. “If I had more storage, I could continue to expand.” It takes a lot of space to store all of this material in the spring. “We put some in the shed, under the balcony, and a good friend lends us their barn in Howick,” he mentioned. Weeks worth of work To create this magical decor, Mr. Black spends on average fifteen days in November securely attaching decorations and installing the electrical wiring. This year Mother Nature offered him a break with unusually mild weather at the beginning of November. “It’s a change from the years when the ground freezes early,” the Châteauguay resident pointed out. In the past, he has even taken vacation days in November to be sure that everything was set up before December arrived. “There are hunters who take time off in November, this is my trip down south,” he said smiling, as he pointed at his decorations. While he admits sometimes being discouraged by the magnitude of the task, in the fall as in the spring when he has to take everything down, Mr. Black says he has no choice but to keep at it—now he has a granddaughter to amaze! (Translation Amanda Bennett)