Carol Cassell has spent 10 years mapping lights around the city of Winnipeg, helping others find ones near them. 

"Mapping Winnipeg came from a desire to help others. There is a strong focus on family activities, being a parent myself, I know how for some families getting out, exploring, and looking at decorations, contributes to better mental health," Cassell shared on her website. 

"I had been making maps of homes decorated for Christmas in my own neighborhood, Transcona for several years, and decided that 2020 was the year to make each of those maps citywide. It was a lot of work, but I loved it. I loved spreading joy! It kept me busy, it gave me a purpose outside of being a mother, and It really filled my cup knowing that people all around Winnipeg were using the maps and enjoying them. The positive feedback was overwhelming, and I decided to keep creating more maps of Winnipeg based on what I thought would be helpful to the people of Winnipeg," she continued to say. 

Seeing how positively the community responded to it, really kept her going. Something that she now gets to include her five-year-old daughter in. 

"This year, my five-year-old daughter is finally old enough to get into mapping with me. So we will go out and she will tell me to go left, right or straight. We have gone out mapping for sometimes two hours at a time in Transcona."

Getting to spend some quality time and share what she loves with her daughter is not something that she takes for granted. 

Residents can also submit their houses to be posted on the map. "Most people get in touch with me through my email or Facebook Messenger, send me their address and a picture and I add it."

To submit your house, you can reach out to Carol through her website here, Facebook Messenger, or by emailing at mappingwinnipeg@gmail.com.