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Local home dazzles at Christmas

December 21, 2016   ·   0 Comments

One Orangeville resident may have to live with the moniker of Mr. Christmas for the rest of his life after once again turning his home into one of the brightest, most breathtaking seasonal displays in the province.

Kevin Malow has always loved Christmas and in recent years he’s taken that love to the next level by dressing his 2 Park Lane home up to the nines with the widest array of home Christmas decorations you’re likely to find anywhere in Dufferin County. With 40,000 lights scattered across his property and a generous selection of Christmas-themed props lined up along his front yard and rooftop, Mr. Malow is seemingly doing all he possibly can to spread the Christmas spirit in Orangeville.

“I’m not really sure what it is, Christmas has just always been my thing,” Mr. Malow told the Citizen. “There’s something about Christmas that warms your heart and brings people together.”

The inspiration behind the incredible display stands around four feet tall and wears the sort of infectious smile everyone should adopt at this time of the year. Young Marissa Malow takes after her father in adopting a healthy enthusiasm for Christmas.

“I love the lights and all the different displays and characters on our lawn, it’s great going outside and seeing them every night,” 10-year-old Marissa said. “Our house is just like the North Pole!”

Since moving to his current home here five years ago, Mr. Malow has steadily grown his Christmas collection to the point that he now struggles to find room to fit everything along his property line. This year sees more lights added to the display, while a North Pole decorative blow-up, Santa sleigh, reindeer and snowmen figurines take their place on the front line. All in all, Mr. Malow estimates that he’s invested well over $5,000 making his Christmas display what it is today.

But it’s not just money that goes into it, it’s time, too. Mr. Malow said he typically starts getting his decorations together and outside on Nov. 1 and doesn’t stop until they all have to come down again.

“It’s almost a full-time job,” Mr. Malow joked. “I spend a few hours out there every night when I’m starting to put it together. It takes a heck of a lot of time, but it’s worth it as soon as you see all the people driving by and the smiles the decorations bring.”

After winning three contests for his display last year, including the Orangeville Communities in Bloom second annual Christmas Lights contest, Mr. Malow is in the running for even more this time around, with a potential provincial prize up for grabs. Not that that particularly matters to Mr. Malow, who says that although it’s nice to see his display taking home various awards, that’s not his motivation for putting his masterpiece together.

“I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it for the community and the smiles and the wows. It really does warm your heart seeing kids walk by and be completely taken aback,” Mr. Malow said. “I can’t see myself ever stopping putting my displays together.”

This year, the Malow family, which includes wife Gelene, decided to add another dimension to their display by placing a bin at the end of their driveway and encouraging visitors to donate food items that would eventually find their way to the Orangeville Food Bank. So far the family has raised two bins full of food.

“The Christmas spirit in Orangeville really is a wonderful thing,” Mr. Malow concluded.

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