Check out one of Waterloo Region’s most impressive Christmas light displays

Drive into the village of Conestogo at nighttime and you'll see thousands of twinkling lights beaming from Weberlyn Crescent. John Ziegler is the modern-day Clark Griswold who has transformed his property into a cavalcade of Christmas lights for the holiday season.

There are a few Christmas light displays on Weberlyn Crescent, but none as impressive as the light show at the Ziegler residence. The photos and videos don't do it justice. From the archway that leads to the front door, to the vintage mechanical caroler display, to the towering Christmas tree in the backyard, it's a spectacle that should be witnessed in-person. 

It began as a modest display at the family’s previous home in Elmira, but since the Zieglers moved to Conestogo in 1996, the display has grown by leaps and bounds. Ziegler started to ramp things up within the last 10 years, collecting impressive elements year after year.

“We’ve had people from Toronto and ring the doorbell and say they’ve heard about it from somebody else and they had to come up and see it,” Ziegler said. “The word of mouth, it’s getting around. It’s funny where people all come from.”

Ziegler estimates he has somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30,000 to 35,000 lights in total across his various displays in his front, side, and backyard. He begins setting up just after Labour Day because it’s a three-month process to get his property ready for the holidays.

He draws some inspiration from the television show “The Great Christmas Light Fight”, where competitors face off to win the best Christmas light display. While these homes venture into the million-plus light display, Ziegler’s picked up plenty of ideas for his Christmas collection through the show.

The million-dollar question most people ask Ziegler: “How big is your hydro bill?” Since the bulk of his displays utilize energy-efficient LED lights, the electricity costs aren’t as egregious as one might expect. He said it costs $300 a month above his typical hydro bill to run his Christmas lights.

Not only do visitors travel from as far away as Toronto, but families will often walk around the block or pull over onto Weberlyn Crescent and marvel in awe at the magnitude of the Christmas light display.

Ziegler continues to make his display bigger and better each year, with his kids encouraging him to continue with the yearly tradition. He said the most rewarding part of putting it all together is watching the joy it brings to the people who visit his street.

“All the neighbourhood kids, they love it,” Ziegler said. “Everybody we know or people who come around, their kids just love it. And that’s what it’s all about.”