100K Christmas lights decorate North Kildonan home for a cause

Every Christmas season, Michael Geiger-Wolf's home at 18 Mildred St. is one of the brightest in the city.

About 100,000 coloured lights decorate his house, from the lawn to the roof. Geiger-Wolf has holiday movies projected onto his garage, a Santa Claus hologram that waves to kids, and he broadcasts Christmas music on shortwave radio.

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"We now have 27 Christmas-themed songs … and we play them on speakers, not too loud, but also broadcast it on 93.9 short range FM so you can listen to it on your car radio," he said.

The whole scene requires more than two kilometres of extension cord and 13 control boxes, Geiger-Wolf said.

The impressive North Kildonan display isn't just about spreading good cheer, it's also a fundraiser for a cause close to his heart.

Five years ago, Geiger-Wolf learned his cancer had returned. He is now in remission but, he said, doctors do expect it to return.

"Once you have the diagnosis, you're always living with cancer. Every time you get a pain in the area where you had it before it's like uh-oh," he said.

Since his diagnosis, he's collected money to give back to the Canadian Cancer Society. Visitors can put money in a donation box on his driveway or go online and donate through the charity's website.

The Christmas display has collected about $35,000 for the charity over five years, said Geiger-Wolf.

This year the goal is to collect an additional $7,500. More than $300 has been raised so far.