North Side North Pole a tradition

By Lethbridge Herald on December 23, 2025.

Ed Roberts has been greeting visitors as Santa Claus of Lethbridge outdoors since the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020; when no indoor visits to Santa were allowed. Every year Roberts converts the front lawn of his home into SantaÕs Village, using hundreds of lights, mini-structures, decorations (both high-end animatronic as well as static), toys, stuffies and extension cords and a tent to cover SantaÕs grand chair and court area. --

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Lethbridge has several annual Christmas houses that go well above-and-beyond in evoking the Christmas spirit. They’ve become cherished institutions for which visiting them has become family tradition. One of them is Ed Roberts’ “Northside North Pole” located on 28 Street, next to Jock Palmer Park.

Roberts’ annual Christmas labor of love is made up of hundreds of lights, mini-structures, decorations (both high-end animatronic as well as static), toys, stuffies and extension cords and a tent to cover Santa’s grand chair and court. 

Roberts’ version of Santa’s Village at the North Pole was born out of necessity during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2019-2020, when people weren’t allowed to go anywhere to visit anyone indoors, what more to go visit Santa during the holidays.

Santa Claus of Lethbridge started conducting outdoor visits during the winter of 2020. Roberts says Bikers Building Bridges were doing a Drive-By Christmas event at the time and invited him to attend. It was a struggle for all because only indoor Zoom visits were allowed and they weren’t cheap. Then they got an idea.

“Why couldn’t children meet with Santa Claus outside?” says Roberts. “And after checking with authorities (who couldn’t see an issue with it), 2020 was our inaugural year. You could come visit with Santa and take a picture.”

The Bikers took complimentary photos. Donations were accepted but not mandatory; and 100 percent were donated to the Lethbridge Family Angle Tree. Approximately $3,500 worth of toys have been donated since then. Roberts says that many hands have added to the annual magic and donation goals over the years.

Fast forward to 2025, where the outside temperature was -15 C on the evening of the 2025 Winter Solstice (the official first day of winter). A large California Dream Limo party bus pulls up to Santa’s Village at the end of the cul-de-sac at 24th Street North and around 20 adults and children (and their own Santa) debark.

They quickly take group photos with their Santa, partake of some hot chocolate and cookies and then re-board their bus to continue their Christmas lights tour. 

Ten minutes later resident Santa Ed emerges from his house just as another bus, booked by the Erdos family, parks nearby with over 20 people made up of local families. Scott Boyd was there with his wife Cianna and young children Jax and Blake on their first Christmas lights tour and visit to Santa Ed.

“It is very much a Christmas tradition to go on the tour for them and they make sure to stop here each year,” says Boyd. “Seeing Santa was easily the highlight of the night! Blake, our youngest said ‘ho ho ho’ for the first time right after…she’ll be two in February!” 

The effort isn’t without its share of occupational hazards and other challenges. Last week the tent over Santa’s Court partially collapsed from snow and had to be quickly repaired. 

Then there’s the annual upkeep of existing equipment, replacing irreparable items and of course depreciating and retiring equipment as part of the continuing evolution of Santa’s Village. For Roberts it’s all part of the seasonal cost of doing business (CODB) and all worth it at the end of every season. 

Indeed, there’s something to be admired about homeowners who go above-and-beyond over-the-top with their annual decorating (and out of pocket too) for the benefit and enjoyment of the community. 

Roberts’s Northside North Pole ranks up there with Whoville, Annandale, Caldwell and Groves Christmas houses as annual community must-visits whether by foot, personal vehicles or rented limousine tours (where someone else does the driving and you can just enjoy the lights)..

For California Dream Limo in Lethbridge December is a busy month in terms of Christmas lights tours which usually start on December 1st every year.

“We’re booked for Christmas light tours pretty much every day through the New Year,” says owner and operator Beverly Mack. “We do Christmas light tours in anything from small sedans, standard limos, stretch-limos/SUVS to our large party buses.”

Santa Ed will be on-hand for meet-and-greets at the Northside North Pole today, after which he’ll take a well-earned sabbatical until the next holiday season.