Families on Inglewood Drive in Moore Park gathered Friday evening (December 19, 2014) to celebrate the season and admire their handiwork in the form of 45 giant Santa Claus statues towering above them on lawns down both sides of the street. The 12-foot fan-inflated electric polyethylene symbols of the season are marking their second year as Inglewood’s Parade of Santas. It began in 2013 when resident Amy Westin went looking for a Christmas statement for the front of the home she shares with her husband Tom and their three children, Violet, Sienna and Mattias. She struck on one of the enormous and (maybe in a nice way) “grotesque” Santa Claus statues at Canadian Tire. Up it went to much family excitement. Oh yeah, and a lot of work too. These things are ungainly as all get-out and easily blown over. They really need to be tethered on four sides and anchored as well. How did the idea of a whole street-full of Santas spread? It wasn’t a case of keeping up with the Westins, exactly, that caused the craze to capture people all along Inglewood Drive. Neighbour Yousry Bissada asked Amy if she and Tom would mind if he got one too. He liked it, you see. Go for it, said the Westins. A neighborhood gathering much like last night’s offered an opportunity for residents to focus on the Santa mammoths as a group. By the end of the evening, several people were determined to have one of their own. Word spread and as the orders were registered at CTC, a funny thing happened. The company ran out of Santas. Head office got word and soon a large re-supply arrived. CTC recognized a good promotion and (as the video below recounts) arrived on the street with 23 more complimentary Santas. The South Bayview Bulldog covets Moore Park as its own turf and our story brought the Toronto Star and others to record the Santa parade. Oak-lined Inglewood Drive soon rivaled the north pole in the national media as a second home for St. Nick. In these fun photos by Bulldog co-publisher Sue Byford we see Friday night scenes from top to bottom: The Westin family l-r Violet, Sienna, Amy, Tom and Mattias, street scenes at the party looking east
