Rusty Griswold Light Display

08/15/2026

The first year of the Rusty Griswold light display in 2015. Who knew what it would morph into as time went on. Every great idea begins with a spark...

08/12/2026

🎄 Apparently Rusty isn’t quite finished with me yet… 😄

Next Wednesday, August 19, I’ll be joining Julienne Torres-Hinds for a fireside chat at ImpactUp Halton Region to talk about the story behind the Rusty Griswold Christmas Light Display.

For more than a decade, what started as one guy putting up far too many Christmas lights became something we never could have imagined — a Burlington holiday tradition, a fundraiser for some incredible causes, and a community of people who came back year after year to be part of it.

And that last part is important, because you were a huge part of the story.

There would be no Rusty Griswold story to tell without the thousands of families who visited, shared our posts, gave donations to the causes we supported, stood in the cold waiting to see Santa, honked and waved as they drove by, and encouraged us to make it just a little more ridiculous every year. ❤️

The theme of ImpactUp is “Possible” — what can happen when people take an idea and simply keep building on it. That feels like a pretty perfect reason to dust off some Rusty stories.

I’ll be sharing how it all started, how it grew into something much bigger than our family ever planned, the community and fundraising impact it created, and some of the lessons I learned along the way.

📅 Wednesday, August 19
🕔 5:00–7:30 p.m.
📍 The Hub, inside Burlington Centre

If you were part of the Rusty journey — or just want to hear some of the stories from behind the lights — I’d love to see some familiar faces there.

Rusty may be retired, but apparently I still have some explaining to do. 🎅😂

Register at:

Join our local gathering of nonprofit leaders + changemakers connected to a global movement. ✨ Hosted by We Are For Good + Givebutter The limits you've been…

05/02/2026

A couple of months ago, I posted:

“What if… Rusty took the show to a larger stage 🤔”

I want to close the loop on that.

The “larger stage” I was referring to wasn’t expanding the display at my home. It was the opportunity to bring Rusty to the City of Burlington via The Lion’s Club light display at Spencer Smith Park, and contribute on a bigger scale for the community.

I had been in discussions since late 2025, and was expecting a meeting back in April to explore how I could help make that happen. Unfortunately, I never heard back, and at this point, I’ve decided to stop pursuing it.

Combined with a knee injury I suffered taking down last year’s display, and advice to stay off the roof, it’s become clear to me that age waits for nobody, and it’s time to step away.

After 10 years, I’ve officially made the decision to close the Rusty Griswold Light Display.

What started as something small turned into something truly special. Together, we raised nearly $10,000 for charities and created memories and family traditions that will last forever. Some of my favourite memories will be explaining and teaching younger kids how to build the props, program sequences themselves, and simply watching little guys and girls sing and dance along with the show.

I also want to say a heartfelt thank you to the neighbours on Devlin Drive. You put up with the traffic, the parking challenges, and even tour buses rolling through the street—and you did it with patience and support.

To my immediate neighbours—thank you for embracing it and becoming part of the show. To my “Ditto” neighbour, and my other next door neighbour who joined in, you helped make this something bigger than just one house. And to my neighbour across the street who added creative touches over the years like reflective surfaces to amplify the lights—those details didn’t go unnoticed.

This display may have had my name on it, but it was truly a neighbourhood effort.

Thank you to everyone who supported, visited, and made this what it became. ❤️

– Mike “Rusty Griswold” Madole