Michael and Monica Miller’s dining room table groans under the weight of all of the flags, trinkets and treats they plan to give out on Canada Day.
They already have a popcorn maker but this year Monica has been practising making cotton candy for the hundreds of children they are expecting to stop by to visit.
You can’t miss their property on Lansdowne Road — just look out for the inflatable Canada goose and beaver on the front lawn.
For the past 20 years — ever since Monica received her Canadian citizenship — the couple have celebrated Canada’s birthday by inviting the neighbourhood to join in the occasion.
“We live in a crazy world. We put on events like this to put a smile on someone’s face. If it makes them forget their troubles for a second — then it is worth it for us,” said Monica, 61, who spent the first 20 years of her life in Mexico City. “It’s silly, but it is fun and gives us a lot of joy.”
Canada Day isn’t the only day of the year that they brighten up the neighbourhood. They observe New Year’s Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Pride and Back to School.
While most displays stay up for up to a week, Halloween and Christmas are month-long affairs with more elaborate decorations.
After 20 years, the Millers’ house has become an annual destination for scores of children and their families, evidenced by a box full of letters, cards and thank-you notes that children have written and drawn to show their appreciation.
Monica has some medical challenges and there was one day that was particularly difficult for her.
“I don’t know why I do this,” she said to Michael, 65, in frustration.
He went to the study, pulled out the box, opened it and said: “This is why you do this.”
For the Millers their neighbourhood has become an extended family.
“We were welcomed with so much love and we feel we are part of it, so decorating and putting on events is our way to give back to the community,” said Monica.
One of the items on display at their house was an interpretation of the Canada flag by an Indigenous artist. The modified flag retains the overall design of the maple leaf, but depicts swimming salmon on the two side panels and an orca inside a maple leaf.
The flag was conceived by the late Curtis Wilson of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation near Campbell River, who called it “standing together in support of each other.”
Paul Servos, the owner of The Flag Shop, said that the flag is popular, accounting for about half of the Canadian flags he normally sells to the public.
He said that “in theory” Canadian flags should not be modified, but in his opinion, this one is done in a respectful manner.
“He [Curtis Wilson] told me that the goal of the flag was to have both cultures come together,” said Servos, 66.
Wilson, who served on both the Campbell River city council and the band council, died from a heart attack in 2019 at age 39, leaving behind a wife and two children. A royalty paid for each flag sold still goes to his family.
“I believe the flag is popular because it is reflective of what’s happening in society and people are purchasing them to show their support,” said Servos.
