Couple's 'ditto' light display works smarter, not harder, to keep up with the Griswolds
Saskatchewan couple have themselves a witty little Christmas in reaction to neighbour's epic decorations
When the holiday season hits you can try to compete with your neighbour on Christmas decorations — or you can play along with them.
That's what two people in one Saskatchewan city decided to do when their neighbour put up a Christmas display with more than 10,000 lights.
Warman couple Chris Boechler and Mandie Scrivens decided to work smarter, not harder, in their response.
So instead of trying to match the display, they pared down their own lights, simply spelling out the word "ditto" in lights with an arrow pointing at the neighbouring home.
It was a way of saying "we can't keep up with them, but we want to join in on the fun," said Boechler, of neighbour Auryn Kucheran's bold decorations.
"It's a winter wonderland. He works so hard on it and just brightens up everyone's mood around the block."
Kucheran's elaborate display even includes a projector showing movies — people can request their favourites on a Facebook page Kucheran created dedicated to the display.
Boechler and Scrivens were a bit worried about what their neighbour would think about their "ditto" decoration at first, but everything turned out OK.
"He loved it, which was good," said Boechler. "Everyone seems to like it and get a good laugh out of it, and it's the whole reason we did it."
Scrivens said they wanted the sign to be perfect, so they put in an effort to ensure their display would complement Kucheran's decorations.
The plywood base is painted black with 600 lights spelling out the word ditto. To increase the impact, it's the only Christmas decoration they put up.
"When we decided to build this sign we kept everything else in the basement, and just let it shine by itself," Boechler said.
Boechler said Kucheran usually starts putting his lights up in the fall, and they get bigger and brighter every year — "His house is better, in our opinion."
"He's our local Clark Griswold," Boechler said, referring to the famed National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation character.
In an email, Kucheran said he's been running his display for a few years, but it grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He's already planning his decorations for next year.
"Everyone needed a reason to smile, especially at Christmas. That's why I do it, and why I will continue to do it."
WATCH | Neighbour's humour shines through with clever Christmas light display:
With files from Don Somers
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