Merry Christmas, little fella – Stittsville’s Turcotte holiday display returns

(The November 30th preview visit to the Turcotte family’s Home Alone display did not disappoint. It all starts on the evening of December 1st and runs through the month. We saved the big reveal for your visit to Cypress Gardens. Photos: Stittsville Central)

Home Alone was released 31 years ago and still remains one of the most funniest, but heartwarming, movies of its time. It brings into our homes that adorable small-town holiday merriment that we’re looking for at this time of year. The iconic quotes are relatable and still used to this day. The Turcotte family – Shawn, Chantelle, Hudson and Kennedy – want their front yard to bring that same feeling of cheer to all those visiting their Home Alone display.

Since last year’s stomach-splitting Christmas Vacation display, Shawn told Stittsville Central that “people were constantly asking what are you doing next year?” “Our kids, Hudson and Kennedy, know Home Alone inside out, so it was an easy decision that Home Alone it would be – besides Kennedy was adamant and that finalized the deal!”

The snow was following lightly adding to the sense of Christmas in the air during our preview visit to the Turcotte’s Home Alone display. If you have watched Home Alone, you will agree that the display has certainly achieved the comedic level sought and more. Look closely!

But to the Turcotte family it is much more than the display, it is having fun, bringing the community together to lift spirits and being able to do some good by raising funds for youth mental health.

With the theme set, throughout the year Shawn and his wife Chantelle kept their eyes open picking up the necessary props to make their front-yard scene complete. The rough-running van came from Toronto, Statues Canada on Carp Road lent the 300 pound lawn jockey statue, Kaufman signs created all 13 of the cut-out figures and yard signs, and Shawn cleared out Canadian Tire of all of their old-fashioned glass lights.

Cavanagh Construction went all out to help with the display! When Shawn asked them to “do a little body work on the van and give it a paint job”, they returned it just as it appeared in the movie with the side signage, right down to the phone number, then added all the plumbing accessories and ladder to the roof. But that is not all, a few of the Cavanagh employees showed up a couple of weeks later with the ‘Little Nero’s Pizza’ car totally prepped for the display. A generous contribution from Cavanagh, knowing the community would be enjoying the Home Alone display.

This year, the Turcotte family have decided to bring awareness to and support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) youth mental health programs offered at the hospital. Being regular donors, Shawn and Chantelle took part in an on-line presentation by CHEO earlier this year where they learned more about the challenges that youth face with their mental health.

Shawn emphasized, “it really rang home to us. The increasing challenges faced by youth just melted our hearts. It was staggering to hear of the rise in eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and overdoses of our youth“. The youth with mental health issues under the care of CHEO find themselves spread across the Ottawa area as the space at the hospital is limited. Some being treated on an outpatient basis. The pandemic certainly has not helped the over-taxed psychiatry ward. CHEO is currently fundraising to build a new facility that can accommodate the youth, “one door for care,” says Shawn.

With that in mind, the family have set-up lawn signs with a QR code making it easy to directly donate to CHEO. You can also donate to the CHEO Foundation at this link.

Make sure you visit the humorous display on Cypress Gardens in Stittsville during the month of December, embrace all the work and thoughtfulness that went into the Home Alone re-creation by the Turcotte family, then donate to CHEO in support of their mental health programs.

“KEVINNNN!”

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