The holiday season is here, and Ayotte’s Christmas Village is buzzing with a flurry of festive happenings.
The miniature town, which draws inspiration from the likes of Norman Rockwell, Charles Dickens and Walt Disney, is an annual labour of love for Gabriel Ayotte.
“It takes me about 60 hours to set up, so I have to plan ahead,” Ayotte told CTV News Friday. “Once you start building, then you get into it. But it’s that first 10 hours of just unpacking and sorting and organizing.”
Ayotte said his wife founded the village about 30 years ago with a modest 8 to 10 houses.
“We would put that in front of the fireplace, and she took care of it for, I guess, 15 years or so,” he said. “And then I got involved and added more pieces.”
One piece led to another, and another, and another.
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“And then one year I said, ‘Well, let’s make it a little bit bigger,” he said with a laugh. “When I got to the plywood sheet, she said that was too much. So, then I just took it over.”
“It became a passion, and I’ve always joked it’s almost like an addiction because every fall I start thinking, ‘I’ve got to get ready for the village,’” he said.
Now, the village spans across the basement of Ayotte’s River Park South home. He said there are about 450 townsfolk, many of whom take part in activities like hockey, Christmas tree shopping, or fishing.
There’s also a running train, 21 snowmen, roughly 450 trees, hundreds of twinkling lights, and 63 buildings, including an entertainment district, two Canadian Tire locations, and the candlemaker’s house from the village’s original setup.
“The city council tried to get approval to get a bigger village, but it was kiboshed,” he laughed. “So, this is as big as it will get.”
He’s even started enlisting the youngest members of his family, like his three-year-old grandson, to help.
“He spent an hour and a half unwrapping all the little figurines and separating the snowmen,” he explained. “And as I get older and he gets older, then he’s the one who’s going to climb on the table and do the back road.”
Ayotte said he still adds new pieces to the village each year, with many coming from other countries. During a trip to Europe, he brought home a Guinness man from Dublin, a bratwurst stand from Munich, and a replica of the Neuschwanstein Castle from the Bavarian Alps.
“What I’m focusing on is if something catches my eye or it means something to us,” Ayotte said. “So, the little things like that, it just makes it fun.”
Now, Ayotte’s welcoming other people to share in the experience with a third annual open house this weekend. He’s inviting neighbours over on Saturday and Sunday afternoon to take a tour of the Christmas Village, and he’s using the opportunity to raise money for the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“I tell stories as people come in,” Ayotte explained. “I tell them stories of what’s going on, especially the little kids, to look for certain things.”
He said space is limited, but interested parties can email him at gabe.ayotte@gmail.com for more information.
Ayotte said he has no plans to slow down—or downsize—and will keep the Christmas Village and its spirit alive for years to come.
“I just recently retired in October, so I’ll have more time to plan,” he said. “I’m already thinking of what I’m going to do for next year.”
