Home Alone in Stittsville: Family recreates holiday masterpiece to raise money for CHEO
An Ottawa family is once again embracing an iconic Christmas movie for its holiday lights display.
The Turcotte family transformed their home at 18 Cypress Gardens in Stittsville into "Home Alone."
The 1990s movie starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy forgotten at home while his family goes on vacation. Kevin must fend for himself and defend his house again two robbers.
"It is just a good fun movie to watch, Macaulay Culkin did such a great job in that character. The kids love watching it, it puts a smile on your face," says Shawn Turcotte.
In 2020, the Turcotte front lawn was transformed into the Griswold’s house from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The family raised funds for the Stittsville Food Bank.
Turcotte says, "Everyone kept asking us, 'What are you doing next year?' All the kids kept pushing Home Alone. 'Please do Home Alone!' We thought about it, we watched the movie a few more times, and we realized we could pull it off!”
The display includes 3,500 lights that light up the house at night. There are approximately 15 cutouts of characters from the movie including Kevin and his mom, and numerous other props and items over the front lawn. There are also two vehicles parked on the lawn - the pizza delivery car and the wet bandits’ van.
"The van was difficult to find, it took me four or five months of searching online to find because I found a van that was very similar in make in model," said Turcotte.
The van had to be purchased from Toronto.
"My friends at Cavanaugh Construction did the body and paint job on it, so that was probably the most difficult (prop to find)," said Turcotte.
Turcotte will be dressed up as a bandit for the season. The family has had a lot of people offer to take on the role of Kevin’s mom, who is played by Canada’s Catherine O’Hara in the movie.
Turcotte says he is dreaming big this holiday season. "Maybe even Catherine O’Hara will show up and shout “Kevin!” at the top of her lungs!”
The Turcotte family has transformed their Stittsville home to replicate the classic Christmas movie “Home Alone.”
The display is raising funds for CHEO youth mental health services.
"It is something that is near and dear to our hearts… The numbers are staggering the number of kids, since the pandemic has started that need help with mental health, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity since we are doing a fundraiser for kids," said Turcotte.
There are signs on the front lawn with a QR code where people can scan to donate. A link to the CHEO Foundation can also be found at this link.
The house will be lit up until Jan. 1.
Turcotte says he is excited to see the community’s reaction.
"Especially some of our neighbours who love this movie, they get so excited once we turn the lights. It should be a lot of fun!"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.