For the past 15 years, Juliette Toppin-Worrell’s house on Callenders Main Road, Christ Church, has proven to be a show-stopper with its exciting display of decorations and lights at Yuletide.
And once the returning national has the health and strength, the attractions will continue for many more years.
In spite of investing thousands of dollars and paying an increase of $125 in her electricity bill during the period, Toppin-Worrell said she gained tremendous satisfaction from the joy her display brought children and adults.
“Where my husband and I lived in New York, there were many Italians and Germans who used to set up similar displays which I found enjoyable. Fifteen years ago my husband and I started returning home and we began putting up lights and displays on a small scale.
“It was only when we returned home ten years ago that we began setting up on this grand scale. The first night that we switched on, this car drove up and down the road until I asked the driver if he needed something. He said that the children in his car did not want to go home but he did not mind since he was enjoying the lights as well,” said Toppin-Worrell.
She indicated that the Nativity and church scenes spoke to her Christian faith; the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty connected with world images, while the windmill and lighthouse were strictly Bajan.
But she does have a few critics.
“There are also negative elements such as persons who would pass and comment on my wasting money on lights, decorations and electricity. However, I purchase my items immediately after the holidays when everything is on sale . . . .
“The positive comments from the children and adults outweigh any negative, and no dollar figure can be attached to that joy which the viewers experience and I in turn appreciate fully,” said Toppin-Worrell. (KB)