Man behind Burlington, Ont., Christmas display dies

An Ontario man known for decking his house in brilliant Christmas lights for more than three decades died this week after falling from his roof while tending to the annual display, his family said as members of the community mourned his death.

The family of Douglas Musson of Burlington, Ont., said the 82-year-old had been trying to fix a leak Monday when the ladder he was on fell. He died in hospital, the family said.

“He was up on a ladder trying to find out why water was dripping on the pathway which might drip on visitors to the display, when the ladder fell,” the family said in a statement on its website. “He died in hospital.”

Musson began decorating his home with lights in Calgary before moving to Burlington in 1976, the family said. He had been adding more lights and figures to his display each year, and eventually the home on Spruce Avenue became known as Burlington’s “Griswold house,” after the brightly lit home in the film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

The Musson family expressed grief at the sudden loss just before Christmas.

“Our family is devastated. I debated even turning on the lights but decided he would want them on and he worked hard on making all of the displays,” said the statement from one of his children, adding it could be the last year for the annual display. Dad was the breadwinner of the family with a small business providing the only income to this family and we will be financially devastated.”