Vandalism of a beloved Christmas display tradition in Canmore upsets community

Canmore, Alta., residents came together to help a local family restore its popular Christmas display just 24 hours after it was vandalized on Boxing Day.

Dave Ouellette has been putting the popular Christmas display up for more than a decade, ever since his 15-year-old daughter Rhyanna was born. As Ouellette explains, the display located just off Bow Trail took on a life of its own when the town embraced it as a must-see each holiday season.

“It got bigger and bigger. It just kind of became an obsession and now it is actually part of the town,” he says of the display he estimates he has spent $100,000 on over the years.

The display features a rideable train, life-sized Darth Vader and Chewbacca statues and more inflatables than can be counted.

Oullette has spent hours and hours on the display over the years, changing it each year just out of his love for Christmas and the appreciation for the display from the community. That’s why he went on an emotional rollercoaster when he discovered that the popular display was vandalized sometime on Boxing Day.

“At first I was confused. Actually, every emotion went through my mind,” he says. “Confusion… then of course, anger, resentment — like, who would do this and why,” he says, adding 15 inflatables were impacted.

“I came to change the lightbulb on Rudolph, and I noticed that some of the inflatables have been deflated and then I noticed that they had been actually slashed, ripped and the gingerbread house was turned upside down.”

For his daughter, the display has become an integral part of her life, so she was upset to learn about the damage.

“It’s a tradition so it’s just what I’ve known,” she says. “It’s very like disrespectful, especially with the amount that they destroyed. It’s just not cool.”

But the Oullette family felt a sense of pride and appreciation when the community stepped up to help get the display back to its previous Christmas glory, with only two inflatables unsalvageable. Some residents helped repair some of the decorations while others offered words of support and appreciation.

“I’m very humbled by this experience. I didn’t realize that I had that much support in the town,” Oullette adds.

The Canmore community showed just how much the display means to them with their showing of support for the iconic tradition that will continue to capture the eye of everyone who walks by it.

In a video obtained by Global News, it shows a person treating the decorations like a punching bag, with the act of vandalism caught on camera.

Since the act of vandalism, one person has turned themselves in to police.