Thank You, Kamloops: Six Years of Light, Love, and Community

Thank You, Kamloops: Six Years of Light, Love, and Community

As we enter the sixth year of the Kamloops Winter Holiday Lights Map, my heart is full of gratitude for this remarkable community. What began in 2020 as a small pandemic project has grown into something far more meaningful—a celebration of creativity, generosity, and the enduring spirit of Kamloopsians who transform our city into a winter wonderland each year.

Mama Loves to Drive

If you know my Mama, you know she loves being in the car. Every chance to go for a drive is a good one—errands, appointments, or simply heading out with no particular destination in mind. She lights up the moment we’re on the road, watching the world pass by through the window.

In winter, when the days grow short and darkness settles early, finding reasons to venture out can be harder. But thanks to all of you who decorate your homes, our evening drives have become something truly special. Each street we turn down might reveal a new wonder—a house wrapped in colourful lights, inflatable characters waving from a lawn, synchronized displays dancing to music.

Mama doesn’t need to remember where we’ve been or what we’ve seen. She experiences each display fresh, with genuine delight. “Oh, look at that one!” I say, pointing at a glowing reindeer or a towering Christmas tree. And just like that, a regular winter drive becomes an adventure.

To every homeowner who decorates: you give us a reason to get out, explore, and find joy in the cold, dark evenings. You make winter driving something to look forward to. Thank you for that gift.

A Community That Shows Up

When I posted this year’s call for updates, the response was overwhelming. Comments poured in from Westsyde, Aberdeen, Batchelor Heights, Barnhartvale, Sahali, North Shore, Dallas, Brock, Dufferin, Rayleigh, and beyond. Neighbours tagged neighbours. Families shared their favourite routes. People took time away from their busy holiday preparations to help complete our map. Special thank you to Juniper Ridge community with the most additions and caring messages on their Facebook group

This is what community looks like.

Some shared news of beloved displays that won’t be lit this year—and that’s okay. Life changes. Families move. Circumstances shift. The map honours what was while celebrating what is. And for every display that goes dark, another neighbour steps up to add their own light to the world.

The Perennial Favourites and New Discoveries

Our community favourites continue to shine:

• Ida Lane in Westsyde remains a must-see destination
• 823 Rue Chez Nous lives up to its reputation as a perennial favourite
• Overlander Drive continues to delight families year after year

And thanks to your contributions, new addresses have been added—homes that newcomers to the map will soon discover and return to year after year. Each one becomes a new stop on our evening routes with Mama.

Light in the Darkness

For me, and for our Ukrainian community, these lights carry special meaning. In Ukraine, families endure another winter of russian attacks on energy infrastructure. Children do homework by candlelight. Hospitals run on generators. The simple act of turning on a light—something we take for granted—becomes an act of resilience.

Here in Kamloops, every decorated home is a beacon of hope. Every string of lights says: there is still beauty in this world, still generosity, still reason to celebrate. When we drive through these glittering streets, we carry that hope with us.

To all who stand with Ukraine: thank you for understanding why light matters.

Coming This Summer: A Front Garden Map?

Here’s a thought that’s been growing in my mind: what if we created a Kamloops Front Garden Map for summer?

Mama loves to drive all year round, and Kamloops is full of talented gardeners who pour their hearts into beautiful front yards—flower beds bursting with colour, creative landscaping, vegetable gardens spilling onto boulevards, and those picture-perfect displays that make you slow down just to admire them.

If the Holiday Lights and Halloween Display maps have taught me anything, it’s that Kamloopsians love to celebrate each other’s creativity. So why not extend that celebration to the growing season?

Do you know a neighbour with an incredible front garden? Maybe it’s a riot of perennials, a carefully manicured rose collection, or a wildflower meadow that brings the bees and butterflies. If you’d like to give us a head start on this new project, send me your suggestions! By the time summer arrives, we could have the beginnings of a beautiful map ready to explore.

Drop your garden nominations to okondrashov@tru.ca—let’s see if we can make summer drives just as magical as winter ones.

The Map Is Ours—Together

The Winter Holiday Lights Map belongs to all of us. It’s only as complete as the information we share. Every comment, every update, every tagged neighbour makes it better.

Explore the map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=16am6TVN-H5eUkZqLYCyATOIfHXzudCop&usp=sharing

Thank You, Kamloops

To every person who climbs a ladder in the cold, untangles endless strings of lights, programs a display to music, or simply puts a candle in the window—thank you.

You may never know who drives past your home on a quiet winter evening. You may never see the smiles through the car windows—the children pointing excitedly, the couples holding hands, the seniors remembering holidays past, or Sasha saying to Mama “Oh, look at that one!” for the hundredth time with the same wonder as the first.

But know this: you create magic. You turn ordinary drives into adventures. You give us reasons to bundle up, head out into the cold, and discover beauty around every corner.

From Mama and me to all of you: Happy Holidays, Kamloops. May your season be bright, your hearts be full, and your neighbourhoods shine with the warmth of community.

Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov is a Tenured Associate Professor in Social Work at Thompson Rivers University and creator of the Kamloops Winter Holiday Lights Map since 2020.

P.S. — Favourite Houses by Neighbourhood

Planning your holiday lights drive? Here are the community favourites that are confirmed for 2025.  

Westsyde

• 823 Rue Chez Nous ⭐ (perennial favourite!)
• 950 Ida Lane
• 901 Ida Lane
• 3719 Overlander Drive
• 3573 Overlander Drive
• 2553 Sandpiper Drive

Dallas

• 2515 Dallas Drive (Cassie’s Charity Drive—supporting Kamloops Hospice!)
• 6204 Dallas Drive

Aberdeen

• 825 Fleming Drive  (Holiday Light Show)

Batchelor Heights / Westmount

• 845 Woodhaven Drive
• 1731 North River Drive

Downtown

• 607 Pine Street ⭐ (a many-years favourite)

Dufferin

• 1560 Hillside Drive

Brock

• 2668 Briarwood Ave

Barnhartvale

• 5425 Morris Place
• 1281 Clearview Drive

Rayleigh

• 360 Strawberry Lane

North Shore

• 289 Oak Rd

Juniper Ridge

2451 Omineca Drive

2717 Skeena Drive

2679 Qu’Appelle Boulevard