INNISFAIL - For Billy Arnold it's all about showing his love for Christmas and giving it back to the community.
The 60-year-old Innisfailian, a sandblaster at Bilton Welding and Manufacturing, has been buying up as many Christmas lights as possible from the local Salvation Army since the warm weather days of October. He has been at the agency so often folks now know him as The Light Man.
"I try to beat the cold weather, so I start early because I had to get lots of lights," said Arnold. "I was there quite a bit this year and they call me The Light Man because I was there every day looking for lights."
When it was time to hang them all up at the beginning of December Arnold had collected up to 5,000 Christmas lights.
His mission is quite simple. Arnold wanted to create something special for the holiday season, something Innisfailians could enjoy and marvel at while walking past and behind his home at Unit C - 4615 - 45 Ave. And the result was indeed special. The exterior of Arnold's home became an evening holiday season wonderland, glowing brilliantly to create Christmas magic for anyone who passes by, especially through the back alley,
"A random man with his daughter came to the house and gave us a $10 Tim Hortons gift card," said Arnold's wife Stacey. "He said we deserved it because of what we did with the lights.
"It's really like a hidden gem because it glows in the back alley," she added.
Arnold has been living at his current home for six years, and while he did put up a more modest display for the first four years, mainly on the home's balcony, he decided last year to progress with his creation, to really start building it up. This year, however, Arnold took his mission to an even higher level.
"I originally wanted to get all white lights, hang them on the roof of the house so it would appear like it was snowing, but the weather was getting cold so I decided to have all colour," said Arnold, whose outside efforts were monitored carefully by his pug dog Lucy.
"She (Lucy) was out there watching me put them all up," said Arnold.
And after all the hard work to create some good old-fashioned holiday season cheer, the happy couple with the cute pooch are finally able to relax and take comfort their efforts are being appreciated by anyone who walks by.
"It really gives me a good feeling inside and I like to look at Christmas lights," said Arnold. "It is that time of the year when it's nice to walk outside your house and admire the beauty of Christmas lights."
