Saltwater Santas Tony Sullivan and Bob Presland raised over $28K last year from visitors to their Christmas light display on Sugar Creek Way. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

Retired postal workers Tony Sullivan and Bob Presland have been known each other for more than 35 years. They first met at a Canada Post hockey tournament in Sullivan’s native Newfoundland over 30 years ago. Presland was the league organizer of the tournament, which was held in a different city every year and involved over 100 teams from across the country.

The pair’s friendship flourished after Sullivan played in the tournament in Ottawa in 1988 and was so impressed with the city that he decided to move here.

Sullivan and his wife Jocelyne originally bought a house on Avignon Court in Convent Glen North which they would decorate every Christmas. In 2002, they moved to Sugar Creek Way which is right around the corner from Taffy Lane, known far and wide for the number and scope of the Christmas light displays on the street.

The Sullivans got caught up in the spirit and added to their own outdoor decorations every year. By 2020, they had the type of Christmas display that rivaled those on Taffy Lane.

That same year their five-year-old granddaughter Olivia wanted to get in on the action by handing out small candy canes to anyone who stopped, some of whom wanted to give her money in return.

Those exchanges gave Sullivan an idea. He reached out to Presland, who had experience in a fundraising capacity, and the pair formed the Saltwater Santas, in honour of their shared Newfoundland heritage. Together they managed to collect over $18,000 in donations during the 10-day period leading up to Christmas 2022. The money was divided between the Orleans-Cumberland food bank, the Ottawa Mission, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, CHEO and the Gatineau food bank where Jocelyne’s mother is from.

In 2023, they collected over $18,000 despite poor weather. Then last year, thanks mainly to the a fairly warm and snow free December, they raised over $28.000 with donations running from a loonie to a couple of $100 bills.

“I just can’t get over how generous people are. It’s overwhelming,” says Sullivan when asked about the generosity of area residents. “And that’s not counting what was donated to the food bank with the QR code we have posted next to the driveway.”

Sullivan and Presland plan to start collecting donations this Saturday, and they’ll be on hand right up to Christmas Eve, with Presland directing traffic and Sullivan
collecting the cash only donations. Everyone who drops will get a small chocolate and every child will get a candy cane.

Sullivan is especially excited about the latest addition to his display – a large Christmas house he’s made out of recycled wood with a miniature village inside and a model train set running through it. There is also a decorated archway where visitors can have their picture taken.

Sullivan and Presland are hoping to get closer to the $100,000 mark.

“You never know. If we have another good year, we might get close,” says Sullivan
You can visit the Saltwater Santas display at 6430 Sugar Creek Way..