Vancouver family known for elaborate holiday decorations says goodbye after house sold

An East Vancouver home that sits at the corner of East 12th Avenue and Semlin Drive has become known for its elaborate holiday decorations — but the house has been sold, and the renters behind the ghoulish Halloween props and festive Christmas lights are saying goodbye.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — An East Vancouver home that sits at the corner of East 12th Avenue and Semlin Drive has become known for its elaborate holiday decorations.

But the house has been sold, and the renters behind the ghoulish Halloween props and festive Christmas lights are saying goodbye.

“Almost 40 years ago, a single mom and her 2 kids rented a house in East Vancouver on the corner of East 12th Avenue and Semlin. She met a wonderful single dad with 2 kids of his own, they got married and became the Ballard/Pedersen family,” reads a sign posted outside the small light-coloured house, alongside a large, green blowup figure holding a peace sign and thumbs up.

The sign tells the tale of how “a few windsocks for Halloween grew to be one of the largest Halloween and Christmas displays in Vancouver.” But it wasn’t just the two occasions the Ballard/Pedersen family celebrated with over-the-top decorations: over the years, passersby could see hearts, turkeys, Pride flags, Leprechauns, and more adorn the home to mark the various holidays and celebrations of the year.

The Ballard/Pedersen home decorated for Christmas in Dec. 2020. (Tamara Slobogean, NEWS 1130 Photo)

“The countless hours of setting up and taking down, the cost, including the increase in hydro and replacing stolen or vandalized decorations (the latter causing more than a couple sleepless nights over the years) have never deterred the displays from going up every year,” reads the letter.

Putting a smile on neighbours’ faces wasn’t the only good the family had done over the years, it seems. The sign says the family has fostered kids, taken in relatives and friends who needed a place to stay, and shared their loving home to whoever needed it.

But now, after 40 years, the family is moving on. They say the home has been sold and the new owners are not going to continue their tenancy.

“…the end has come for the house in East Van that decorates for everything. It’s been an amazing 4 decades!” reads the sign on the corner lot.

While it’s bittersweet for the family to say farewell to the community, they say it’s taking this opportunity to thank the public and to encourage positivity.

“Stay festive and remember to celebrate everything!”

In a Facebook post, Erik Pedersen says his family has “no hard feelings towards our landlord, nor the new owners. I made this to give everyone our backstory and so they knew that we didn’t just stop decorating.”

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