Calgary woodworker's trees save his Christmas and light up the neighbourhood

Derek McGillis starting creating simple spruce Christmas tree decorations to pay the rent, after a rotator cuff surgery put him out of work.

He thought it would be a small endeavour, butcommunity support in the southwest Calgary neighbourhood of Woodbine has been overwhelming.

"As soon as I could lift my arm, I came out to the saw and started messing around with wood here," he said.

"I made a tree for my grandson... and then I asked the community, I said if I made a tree, would anyone be interested in purchasing it? Within an hour I got over 40 positives. I started building and it just kept spiraling it was my Christmas miracle."

Once the trees took off, they they saved us.- Derek McGillis

McGillis keeps the trees simple he says residents have startedposting photos on the community's Facebook group to share how they've decorated them.

"It's their canvas," he said.

Leona LaChance, who lives in Woodbine, stopped by Saturday to pick up a second order of trees, which her sons will be decorating to send to their grandparents out of province.

"His dedication, and all the neighbourhood, we're so proud. I've been going through the Facebook pages and seeing how they're decorating them. It's so unique to each family," she said.

McGillis said the community support has been a lifesaver this has been a hard year for his family, with the loss of income from hissurgery and before that, theloss of a loved one.Before the tree sales took off, McGillis said he was struggling, even needing to reach out to a local church for a food hamper at one point.

"Once the trees took off, they they saved us," he said. "The demand for it is just so phenomenal. I can't stop and I don't want to let anybody down. So I'm out here all day."

The tree building is down to a science now. He puts together about 20 trees in four hours but the constant requests keep him outside, working in the cold for long days.

He says it's all worth it, especially the chance to connect with each family buying the treesand hearing their stories.

"I hear of foster parents getting them for their children, there's one little boy who just tested positive for leukemia everybody who comes here has a different story," he said. "I'm not the only one who's having it rough. It's just, banding together is pretty much keeping everybody strong."

While he's built trees for others, McGillishas yet to put up a tree at his own home.

"I was born to give. Like my grandfather was a person who always gave everything he had. My mother was like that. And it's just the way that I was brought up, to not to ask, but to give."

'It was my Christmas miracle': Calgarian's homemade trees brighten up his neighbourhood

4 years ago

Duration 1:02

What started out a way to pay rent after surgery put him out of work, Derek McGillis has been crafting blank canvas Christmas trees for Woodbine residents to decorate and they are now popping up all over his community.