Peter Abercrombie is one of the few original residents living on Taffy Lane who have been decorating their homes for the past 45 years. FRED SHERWIN/PHOTO

Orléans has always had a reputation for having some of the best, most brightly decorated houses in Ottawa, largely due to the residents of one street in particular – Taffy Lane.

The small street in Orléans Wood has become a mecca for fans of holiday lights and Christmas decorations for more than 30 years now and at one time was featured in Maclean’s magazine.

Peter Abercrombie is one of four original residents still living on the street. When he first moved into the house on Dec. 22, 1977, he decorated a small six-foot spruce in the front yard with a couple of strings of blue incandescent lights.

Over the years, he kept on adding to the lights and decorations, and before too long, it became one of the most photographed residences in all of Ottawa. The home is easily identifiable by the eight-foot wooden cutout of Frosty the Snowman carrying a candy cane in the front yard.

In an effort to keep improving the holiday display, Abercrombie has added 2,800 more lights this year bringing the total to somewhere between 16,000 and 17,000. He also added a set of three-foot high soldiers which he inherited from Gilles Léger on Belcourt Blvd. Léger, whose home was a must-see stop on any tour of Christmas light displays in Orléans, has decided to stop decorating his house due to health reasons.

Even with Léger’s absence, there are still plenty of homes to see in and around Orléans starting with 268 Pintail Cres. in Chatelaine Village where the father and son team of Brian and Patrick Albert have combined more than 40 inflatable figures with over 20,000 lights synchronized to Christmas music.

From Pintail take Lawnsberry back to Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. Drive west to Orléans Blvd. Take a left-hand turn on to Orléans Blvd. and then proceed to the next set of lights where you will turn left again on to Sugar Creek Way.

Don’t be surprised if you run into a small traffic jam, because this is where you can access Taffy Lane. The best way to enjoy the light displays on the street is to leave your car in the Orléans United Church parking lot and proceed to Taffy Lane on foot. It should take you anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes to stroll down the street and return to your vehicle.

When you finish walking down Taffy Lane, you will return to your car by walking along Sugar Creek Way where you will find the home of Tony Sullivan who is using his fantastic holiday display to raise thousands of dollars for local charities with the help of his fellow Saltwater Santas.

When you eventually get back into your car, take Orleáns Blvd. south to Lumberman Way on the other side of the Hwy. 174 overpass. Turn left on to Lumberman Way and then right on to Grey Nuns Drive. Follow Grey Nuns to Fieldstone Crescent where you will see two brightly lit residences – one at 1678 Grey Nuns Drive and the other just on the corner at 1692 Fieldstone.

From there, find your way back to St. Joseph Blvd. and turn left. Drive two blocks eastbound and turn left again onto Dussere Street across from the St. Hubert.

Dussere runs into Cholette Crescent where you will find the Giroux residence at 1143 Cholette Crescent on the left. There is another nicely decorated house beside it at 1135 Cholette Crescent.

From there, take Dussere back to St. Joseph Blvd. and continue east to Prestone Drive. Turn right on Prestone and follow it up the hill. Continue south past Tompkins Avenue and the take your first left after Tompkins on to Deavy Way where you will find another impressive display.

Continue along Deavy Way and turn right at Tompkins Avenue. Take Tompkins across Tenth Line Road, then turn left at the next set of lights on to Princess Louise Drive where you will see a number of nicely decorated houses including the home at 475 Princess Louise Dr.

Continue down Princess Louise to Montcrest Drive. Turn left on Montcrest and then right on to Cheverny Crescent, where you can see another wonderfully decorated house at the corner of Cheverny and Brissac Way.

Other houses that are worth checking out if you have the time are at 6086 Rivercrest Dr. in Chapel Hill, 1646 Trim Road between Watters and Portobello, and 412 Larkhaven Cres. in Queenswood Heights. Finally, if you have the time drive to Navan, there are some nicely decorated houses on Trim Road and on Navan Road, just west of Trim.