Notable News, Events & Efforts in Clark County
DECEMBER 2021
Must See
Holiday Houses
T
he holiday season is here, and a handful of local families have gone all out to celebrate and decorate for the most wonderful time of the year. Meet two of these families and find out what motivates them to spend so much time, money and effort to spread Christmas cheer.
West Side Vancouver: Holidays on Franklin Jim Mains and his wife, Cecilia, have lived on Franklin Street in Vancouver since 2010. But Mains’s interest in holiday home decorating goes way back to stringing up Christmas lights with his family of origin and childhood neighbors when he was as young as 8. “When I was younger, I would help an older friend in our neighborhood decorate her home. She would go all out. She really inspired me and gave me the decorating bug,” he says. Over the ensuing decades, Mains’s holiday decorating has gradually grown to what is now a huge display with its own name: Holidays on Franklin. The Mains family decorates for all the major holidays but Halloween and Christmas are the biggest events, drawing hundreds of families to view thousands of lights and props. The Christmas work begins the day after Halloween, with Mains’s 20-year-old twin goddaughters, Grace and Lucy, helping and his small children, ages 5 and 2, enjoying the entire process. Decking out for the holidays is so much a part of the Mains family’s life that a few years ago they purchased the lot next to their home just they could expand their holiday displays. And expand it has: neighbors have joined in on the fun, and this year the display features over 120,000 Christmas lights over eight properties, along with a Christmas Wish Food Drive. “We love seeing people’s reaction to the decorations,” Mains says. “So many families and especially children walk by watching us put the display up. It’s fun to walk outside and stand in the ground and hear people’s reactions to the lights. Our kids love it . . . They get so excited in August when they see all the boxes coming out in preparation [for the Halloween and Christmas seasons]. I hope we will continue to do this for many years to come. Our children love to participate with us and I hope they will want to carry on the tradition.” You can view
Holidays on Franklin through January 6 at 4616 NW Franklin Street in Vancouver, next to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.
East Side Vancouver: Countryside Park Brad Buchanan’s enthusiasm for Christmas decorating came directly from growing up in Yakima with his own father, who won multiple awards for their family’s holiday decorations. When Buchanan purchased his home on 7th Street, across from Countryside Park in Vancouver in 1991, he immediately started growing his holiday display, with the help of a good friend. Unfortunately, vandalism and theft eventually left him discouraged, and for a time he scaled down and even sold many of his decorations. But his son helped turn things around. “It wasn’t until my younger son Brant started helping that the display started growing again,” Buchanan says. “His passion for decorating started growing and he began buying his own decorations after Christmas when they went on sale. Each year he would buy a little more and even find decorations in the off-season. His growing interest in decorating also re-sparked my passion. It was and still is a great bonding experience putting up the display and building decorations together.” Today, Buchanan is the one helping his grown sons, who now spearhead the display that takes 3-4 weeks to put everything up, not to mention hours of testing and bulb replacement, which Buchanan says he and his sons start in early October. Together they estimate they have spent more than $10,000 on Christmas decorations. The cost has been well worth it. “We have so many regulars that come by year after year, some for over 20 years, and admire what we do . . . It truly warms our hearts to get the appreciation we have and know that we can provide happiness during Christmas time through our display.” Though they don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day, the Buchanan family has even unwittingly played Cupid. One year, a couple dropped off flowers with photos and a letter that read, “Because of You . . . We Found Love.” “It explained that our Christmas display started a connection between the two that led them to get married and combine into a family of 9,” Buchanan recalls. “It was a ‘Thank You’ for putting up the display, because it helped them find love. This story is unbelievable and we are so thankful they shared it with us.” The Buchanan family’s Christmas display is live through January 2, and new this year will be a donation box to raise funds for Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Portland.
Far left: Holidays on Franklin Courtesy Jim Mains
Left: Countryside Christmas Courtesy Brad Buchanan
Page 9: Elaine Pitassi, Katie Carson and Kimberly Koch of Camas business Truly Scrumptious, photographed by Lara Blair (pictured in inset) as part of The Pivot Project. Courtesy Lara Blair
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Vancouver Family Magazine • www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com • December 2021
