A home in rural Ontario adorned with tens of thousands of Christmas lights is bringing joy to an entire region, while also providing hundreds of children with a special mailbox to drop of their letters for Santa. On Concession 2 in Uxbridge, Ont., north of Toronto, gaggles of wide-eyed children arrive each day clutching a white envelope destined for the North Pole. “When they deliver their letters, you can just see the little smiles on their faces, some of them are so small their parents have to lift them up to help them place their letter to Santa in the mailbox,” says homeowner Melanie Provis. Seven years ago, Provis and her husband began setting up a few modest Christmas decorations outside of their family home. “We began with two lonely little reindeer,” jokes Provis. Now she estimates they have more than 30 different Christmas themed blowups on their front lawn and well over 30 thousand lights hanging from just about every square inch of their property. A couple of years after they began their Christmas lights display, they added a special red mailbox to the mix for children to drop off their letters to Santa. “At first, we received maybe 20 to 30 letters. Then word of mouth began to spread and this year more than 200 letters have been dropped off.” Provis ensures all the letters make their way to the North Pole where Santa promptly replies to each child with a letter handwritten in gold or silver sparkly ink, stickers and a certificate that confirms each child is indeed on the nice list. Each letter offers a glimpse into the hearts and minds of each of the children who visit – some of the kids share their wishes with Provis when they arrive at her property to deliver their list. “A lot of the kids ask for certain things, lots of toys, but some of the letters can be sad, some of the kids are sick and wishing for good health. I had one little boy ask for his mommy to come back after she had passed away,” shares Provis. Two years ago, during the holiday season, Provis’ own brother unexpectedly died. He’d always been a big supporter of his sisters’ efforts to bring joy to her neighbourhood during Christmas. “We have decorations dedicated to him. I hope (my brother) can see them from heaven,” she says as her eyes well up with tears. For Provis, her wish each Christmas is to share the magic of the season. A mother herself, with two daughters who’re now adults, Provis loves to think about all the little kids at home writing their own personal wish lists to drop off. “It fills your heart with joy, the way the world is now, if you can make somebody happy by a simple letter why not,” she adds. While their home is shining bright this time of year, it’s the Provis family’s selfless act that is truly brightening the lives of hundreds this holiday season.
