SECRET SANTAS
Stoney Creek home adorned with estimated $50,000 in decorations
Stoney Creek couple turn their home into a celebration of Christmas,
Cheryl Stark loves Christmas. A lot. You’d never know it if you pulled into the driveway of the home she shares with her husband, Cory, just below the escarpment in Stoney Creek.
There are just a few lights on the tree out front. No wreathes. A small Santa sign is pointing toward her front door. But, once you cross that threshold, there’s no mistaking it’s Christmas.
The fully decorated 12-foot Christmas tree in the main foyer is the first thing you notice. But Cheryl is always looking to build on the display. “If I could find a 16-footer, I’d buy it,” she says. Further inspection reveals countless stuffed snowmen, a two-foot-tall bear that sings “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” and a sevenfoot Santa complete with the requisite elven helper.
It’s the lights, however, that really set the stage. Hundreds of them. They are along the banister, the steps and continue up to the second floor. And that’s just the foyer.
More Christmas-themed figures sparkle on the second floor. There’s a tree up there, too. In fact the house has four of them.
The Christmas theme continues into a living room festooned with more lights, another tree, garland and a fireplace with five stockings neatly hung above it — one for each of the Starks’ grandchildren. A portrait of St. Nick watches over them. In fact, the Starks replace all the framed art in the house with Christmas-themed pieces for the display. Six rooms have been decorated.
But, the pièce de résistance is the dining room that overlooks the living room. The table and chairs have been cleared out and there is a miniature community of Lemax collectible figurines and houses that, naturally, all light up.
Stark and her husband scour the continent in search of houses to add to their collection each year. They started with10 houses in 2003. They are up to 140. Cheryl expects to add another dozen next year.
It’s Cory’s job to wire and set up the miniature village, a pro- cess that takes countless hours. Every night after work, he spends five to six hours on the display to get it ready for the Dec. 1 reveal.
The couple has even gone so far as to create custom landscape features, such as lakes, hills and pathways for the houses. Styrofoam gets carved and painted to create stairways leading up to some of the houses.
“It’s worth it in the end,” says Cory of the arduous task. “I love to see people’s faces when they come to see it,” he adds.
The Starks have been doing this every year since 2003. Cheryl estimates they have spent close to $50,000 on the display in that time. And, they are not ones to keep the spectacle all to themselves. They welcome visitors (by appointment only) who find out about the display — generally by word of mouth. All the Starks ask in return for a tour is a food donation that is given to a local food bank or charity. They have been doing the charity angle since around 2009 as a way of giving back during the season. “Christmas is about giving,” says Cheryl.
With Christmas just days away, there is still time to see this unique display. The Starks keep the whole thing going until Jan. 15. Cheryl only asks that you contact her ahead of time to book an appointment so she can be sure to be there to turn the lights on. She can be reached on her cellphone at 905-662-5866.
“If you don’t like Christmas when you come here, when you leave, you should,” she says.