Vandals trashed his Christmas wonderland. Years later, he’s brought it back

The Grinches can’t keep you down forever …

George Courville gazed inside his garage and saw the ghosts of Christmases past.

It wasn’t pretty.

The remnants of the holiday decorations that for decades drew hundreds to his home at Christmastime in the 1700 block of Monte Vista Street in Pasadena were now covered in cobwebs and dust.

They had become damaged, aging relics of a time when Courville ‐- talk to him a while and you’ll start calling him Santa George — crafted an ever-growing front yard Winter Wonderland every year, like clockwork, complete with animatronics and intricate lighting.

Until that dark December day 15 years ago, when Grinches ruined it.

It was all right there in a Pasadena Star-News story.

“What’s going through their minds? Do they think they’re just punishing me? They’re punishing everybody,” he told the Star-News at the time.

Vandals had smashed Christmas lights, knocked over manger scenes and even beheaded plastic choir boys.

It was, as Santa George put it, “senseless destruction.”

A true nightmare before Christmas.

With his decorations destroyed, the ensuing years would not be any kinder than the Grinches.

Courville suffered health issues. Knee problems would not help. He not only had to repair himself, but there was the array of now battered ornaments – from the choir boy setup to the little ice-skating rink that brought a smile to the faces of generations of passersby.

For more than a decade, Courville’s giant yuletide diorama — the one he’d cultivated at his family’s home since he himself was a kid – would go dark.

Until now.

After a 10-year absence, Santa George — a little grayer, a tad physically slower —  has brought back his scene.

The Christmas spirit once again radiates in his front yard, where slowly but surely word is getting out that it’s back.

In a stunning scene in the crisp night, a skating little Snoopy seems blissful. A Ferris wheel spins. Charlie Brown and friends celebrate. Nutcracker figurines stand guard. A merry-go-round does its thing. All in constant motion.

The choir boys are back, reverent in the night light. Little doll children seem ready to happily put on their skates. A nativity scene glows. Garland sparkles. Candy canes seem to dance. A big Star of David overlooks the scene from the roof. Garland hangs sparkling from a big tree. There’s a North Pole. A touch of Disney sprinkled here and there.

It took some time to rebuild for Courville’s second act. The stuff in the garage was a challenge.

“I’m looking at everything in there… the dust… I said it’s time to either pull it out and call the city and say ‘I’ve got a large haul’ or put it back together.”

The latter option became a two-month project. New lights. New wiring. Repairs on those old and battered ornaments.

“It’s more joy than accomplishment,” said Courville, assessing his self-built scene.

He said he’s happy new generations would get to see it.

On a recent Friday night, a trickle of drivers seemed to be catching on, stopping for a glimpse.

Courville said he has dedicated the scene to the late George Balian, whose Balian House in Altadena for generations became a holiday destination for visitors wanting to see its 10,000-light Christmas display.

Courville said he was always inspired by that scene at the home of the founders of Balian Ice Cream.

But Courville also said that in a year that was so politically fractious, he was inspired to make Act 2 of his scene something people could smile at.

“I thought the area needed a little joy again,” he said.

He proudly shares a note from “a Christmas neighbor”: “We just wanted to thank you for bringing back your incredible Christmas display for everyone to enjoy … .” The writer went on to share how they would visit as children. And now, “I’m so excited to share that same tradition with my daughter and niece and nephews.”

And so now, Courville muses on the future and the past of his scenery. He’s thinking about a Santa’s Workshop.

The past? Courville was reflective. When the Grinches struck, “it was just heartbreaking, to say the least, man,” he said. “I live for Christmas, as my mother did. I tried to carry that on. It was extremely heartbreaking.”

He lived so much for the holiday that he never really took a holiday vacation in all those years before the vandalism. He’d spend his two weeks “off” building the scene and a week of sick leave taking it down, he said.

Now, as the lights go on each night, the good memories flow: A mom who was a “nut” for Christmas; his dad, George Sr., who Courville credits with giving him his own engineering chops to be able to build such an electrified extravaganza; the Balian House at Christmas; Playing Santa for the neighborhood; Eddie Van Halen, whose family famously lived nearby, would come see Courville’s guitar collection, he said.

“I hope he can see it from where he’s at, if he can put his guitar down,” he said of the new holiday display, and his late, rock legend neighbor in their younger days.

That’s right. The Grinches can’t keep you down forever.

If you want to check out the scene, Courville said viewing hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.