Lincoln light show dedicated to 4-year-old MaCali Cormier
When Dany and Catherine Falle heard of the death of four-year-old MaCali Cormier of Yarmouth, N.S., they were moved to remember her with their light show in Lincoln this year.
The couple put on a light show in front of their house every holiday season, with lights synchronized to music.
This year, the show starts with a voice dedicating the show to MaCali Cormier, a young girl who died after falling underneath a float at the Yarmouth Santa Claus Parade.
The front of the house is lit up purple, Cormier's favourite colour and the sequence starts with her favourite Christmas song, "Jingle Bells."
"It's just the little that we can do," Dany Falle said. "I know it won't replace her, but she's not forgotten."
The Falles have received dozens of messages from people in Yarmouth thanking them for their tribute, including Cormier's family.
"Something like that just breaks your heart," said Catherine Falle. "That was supposed to be a Christmas memory, something you'd be talking about when she's older."
The couple are still collecting money for Make-a-Wish, too, something they've done every year since 2011. But this year they say it's the last year for the fundraising.
"It's not because we don't like raising money, but because we haven't gone anywhere since 2011 because we are tied to the donation box every night," Dany Falle said.
The couple have raised $80,000 for the foundation over the years. Dany said he hopes to reach $20,000 this year, to bring the total to $100,000 total.
While the Falles won't be collecting for Make-a-Wish next year, Dany said he's open to the idea of other charities benefiting from his light show, which he says will still carry on.
He suggested organizations such as the food bank could send volunteers to collect donations outside the display each night. The lights are on a timer and run on their own after Falle programs them.
He has always loved tinkering with electronics and taught himself everything he needed to create his over-the-top light show.
He started doing the display in 2007 to commemorate his father, who died that year.
"My dad always loved Christmas and he always made sure that we had the best. We never had a lot of money but he always made sure we had food, heat, electricity."
