Life and Adventures in Kringlewood
Kringelwood Photos by Vanessa Purdy
There is Christmas, and then there is Kringlewood. Located in Toronto’s Moore Park neighbourhood, Inglewood Drive’s annual tradition - where almost every house erects a giant inflatable Santa - encapsulates the spirit of Christmas in the truest sense: a celebration of community . . . and capitalism.
Starting in 2013, local resident Amy Westin—presumably bored out of her mind—went and bought a 50-foot inflatable Santa. Suddenly, seven years later, we’re all subjected to this atrocious, yet dependable and somehow, in spite of itself, delightful display. It's a visually assaulting testament to just how unpredictable the consequences of talking to your neighbours can be.
Something I was kind of surprised by was that these Santas go for about $200. Which, if you can find a way to make it your main (or in the case of the most of these residents, only) decoration, is kind of a steal. I spent 80 bucks on ornaments from Dollarama a couple of years back just to get the tree looking “not shitty”, and I will be using those ornaments until the day I die.
If you think buying a store out of stock of an objectively horrible Christmas decoration, and then putting in virtually no other effort with your decorations is what the season is all about, then Kringlewood is the street for you. I was delighted by the few oddities along the way, but for the most part, this felt like a weird fever dream. Did I love it? Yes. Did it come off as an expression of wealth without any creativity? Absolutely.
Meet the Kringlewood Santas:
