For the past 20 years, Brad Buchanan’s epic Christmas lights display has been the talk of his Vancouver neighborhood. He’s been featured on TV and in newspaper articles. People leave Christmas cards, cookies and thank you notes.
But this year, he received a first – a pink and white orchid left on his doorstep and letter that read, “Because of you, we found love!”
The letter and photos the Buchanan family received, thanking them for their home Christmas lights display in Vancouver.
The gift was left by Wade Stewart and Alessandra Oliveira, a Vancouver couple who don’t know Buchanan, but met over a shared appreciation of his Christmas lights.
“To the owners of the house with amazing decorations,” the letter began. “I know you do this for the enjoyment of many people. We wanted you to know that because of you, you have completely changed our lives. My forever love and I are so grateful for your efforts, for the joy you shared.”
Buchanan’s epic Christmas display at 15309 N.E. 7th St. in Vancouver features some 100,000 lights, two nativity scenes and 175 illuminated blow mold figures.
“We love the appreciation that the whole community has shown us with candy and cookies and cards, but nothing to this extent,” Buchanan said. “This just melted my heart.”
Brad Buchanan, left, and his son Brant outside the home Christmas display that they put up together in Vancouver.
How can Christmas lights bring a couple together? It started with a Facebook photo in December 2019.
“I work as a DoorDash driver, so I was driving around the neighborhood delivering food and I saw this beautiful house and took photos,” Oliveira said.
What also grabbed her attention were the decorations from Buchanan’s neighbors. They had put up a single lit sign with an arrow that read, “Ditto.” It cracked Oliveira up, and she posted a photo of it on social media.
The Buchanan family's Christmas display at 15309 N.E. 7th St. in Vancouver.
Oliveira and Stewart were Facebook friends after they’d both joined a group for single parents in the Portland area. But they had never interacted until Stewart commented on Oliveira’s Christmas lights photo. He wanted the address so he could see it with his kids.
She sent him a direct message with the location, and their conversation soon grew.
“We started talking and then come to find out she was a Patriots fan and I’m a Seahawks fan, so the smack talk started,” Stewart said. “And the jokes started flying.”
“And the rest is history,” Oliveira said.
In the pre-COVID times, their dates involved ’90s dance nights at the Crystal Ballroom. After the pandemic reached the Northwest, the couple grew closer and moved in together.
“One thing that has amazed me about Alessandra is that she has a very positive outlook on life,” Stewart said. “We did a ton of camping, a ton of outdoor things, and it also gave us the time to really grow deep in conversations.”
Between the two of them, they have seven children, ranging in age from 13 to 3, who are now all living together.
“When they all finally met, they were like, OK, we’re buds. Everyone got along instantly,” Stewart said.
Alessandra Oliveira and her children (the Patriots fans) and Wade Stewart and his children (the Seahawks fans) will be a house divided only during football.
Stewart proposed in November, and the couple will have a small wedding ceremony at home with family this evening, New Year’s Eve.
“In the midst of all the craziness and changes, there’s good in all things, and I got the best in life here,” Stewart said. “I found my future.”
-- Samantha Swindler, @editorswindler, sswindler@oregonian.com
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