'My grandma would be so proud': Celebrating 50 years of Candy Cane Lane
The sound of bells jingling and hooves clipping the road fills the crisp air as two horses pull a wagon full of people eager to see dazzling displays of lights.
This is the group's first time on the sleigh ride but they are no strangers to the festivities: they are the founding family of Edmonton's Candy Cane Lane.
"It's a funny thing to ride down here now because having lived on Candy Cane Lane, our tradition was [to walk down the street] after Christmas dinner when you're bloated and filled with turkey," said Peggy Garritty.
Garritty is the daughter of Ron and Esther Matcham, the couple who started the yearly celebration of lights and decorations on 148th Street in west Edmonton.
Garritty and nine other family members gathered Sunday for a reunion on Candy Cane Lane. It had been a couple of years since any of them had been back to visit during the holidays.
"Being back here absolutely makes me miss my parents," Garritty said.
"I'm just filled with memories of what their life was like and what it was like for us when we were growing up."
Watch: The Matcham family reunites to tour Candy Cane Lane.
Candy Cane Lane started in 1968 after the Matcham family moved to Edmonton from Saskatoon. They got the idea from a street in Saskatoon and thought it was a nice way to celebrate their new community.
"The way it spread was other neighbours coming to ask for the original candy cane and snowman pattern," said Garritty.
'It was magical'
As they rode down Candy Cane Lane Sunday, the family members reminisced about their memories growing up on the festive street.
The preparations for the holidays always started early in the Matcham household. Ron handled the outside of the house and Esther took on the task of decorating the inside.
One of the decorations that stands out in Garritty's memory is a silver tree that stood in the front window for everyone to see. There was a light that shone into the side of the tree so it changed colours — from blue to green to red to yellow.
"It was mesmerizing, that magical tree," said Garritty.
"My mom was always adding to it. It was just a spirit that we were all involved in."
Christine de Wit says her grandma Esther was the centre of Christmas. Every year she couldn't wait to spend time at her grandparents' home to help them prepare their house for the visitors to Candy Cane Lane.
"Christmas wasn't Christmas until I came to help grandma get ready," said de Wit.
"We would put on the Christmas records and we would sing as we were decorating. And baking galore — she would bake for months ahead of time."
De Wit also remembers her grandfather standing at the bedroom window for hours. He watched the buses go by and yelled at his grandchildren to come see the people basking in the glow of the holiday lights.
"It was magical, it really was."
The spirit of Candy Cane Lane
Over the years the celebration has grown from a few houses to more than 10 blocks spanning the Crestwood and Parkview neighbourhoods.
That's not all that has changed since Candy Cane Lane started in 1968.
"When we first moved here we could decorate the trees right to the top. Now they have to get special lifters to come in and reach the top of the trees," Garritty said.
"It's grown in all kinds of ways and the spirit of it has stayed the same."
The family is particularly proud of how Candy Cane Lane has contributed to the Edmonton Food Bank. People who visit to see the lights and displays donate thousands of kilograms of food each year.
Now that the tradition is in its 50th year, Candy Cane Lane has been officially recognized by the city, complete with street signs.
"My grandma would be so proud," said de Wit.
Watch: A conversation with Esther and Ron Matcham from the archives.
As the wagon rounded the final corner of the sleigh ride Sunday, the family broke into one final song: We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
"You watch all these people and all these little kids and everybody's cheerful," said Pat Richardson, the eldest daughter of the Matcham family.
"I think that if Mom and Dad could sit back and look at [this], that would be worth everything to them."
Candy Cane Lane runs until Dec. 31 on 148th Street between 100th Avenue and 92nd Avenue in Edmonton.
