HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015. PAGE 21.
Christmas at the Deitner house can
be different every year, but all while
following a line of tradition that’s
been in place for over 15 years.
The tradition goes back to Tyler
Deitner, a volunteer Huron East
firefighter, befriending a German
immigrant classmate on the school
bus years ago. The two struck up a
friendship and the rest is history.
Tyler’s parents, Alicia and Kevin
from the Ethel area, received a call
from Hans and Eva Schwarz, the
child’s parents, asking if, due to
various circumstances, the young
boy could spend Christmas with the
Deitners that year.
He did and the families have made
a point to spend Christmas together
every year for the 16 years that
followed.
Since that first Christmas, the
families have alternated households,
with few exceptions, hosting each
other for Christmas. The tradition
has continued even with the
Schwarzes moving to Ripley to
farm.
Over the years, the Deitners have
hosted the Schwarzes for traditional
Canadian Christmas dinners that
have involved turkey and all the
trimmings, while the Schwarz
family has plated dinners with a
distinct European taste.
The Deitners can all recall savoury
German Christmas dinners with the
Schwarzes over the years featuring
German salad, spaetzle, schnitzel
and rouladen, among others, always
ensuring that no one left the home
short being of completely stuffed.
This year, the Deitners are set to
host their frequent guests.
Decorating around the house over
the holidays isn’t usually something
that gets started terribly early in the
season, Alicia says, but the
Christmas spirit gets instilled in
some family members usually
around the middle of December
when The Sound of Music airs on
television for the first time that year.
Alicia and her daughters Morgan,
former Brussels Fall Fair
Ambassador, and Tiffany, former
Huron Ploughing Match Princess
and current Brussels Fall Fair
Ambassador, always try to watch the
film together, although this year,
they missed it but have been able to
relive the experience through the
wonders of Netflix.
Both Kevin and Tyler say they
skip the tradition, leaving it to the
ladies.
For as long as the three children
can remember, the actual Christmas
season, however, kicks off with
Christmas Eve mass at St. Ambrose
Catholic Church in Brussels.
Morgan sings in the church’s choir
and the evening has been a special
one for as long as the family can
remember.
When the family would return
home from the Christmas mass, the
children would always be allowed to
open one gift before they went to
bed to await the big day.
Tiffany, the youngest, has always
been up first, usually somewhere
between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., even to
the point that some years Morgan
and Tyler would use that to their
advantage.
Knowing all about their parents’
own tradition of heading downstairs
before the children were allowed to
do so – Alicia says intentionally
drawing out the Christmas morning
Deitner Christmas means family, long-time friends
Everyone gather ’round
The Deitner family has alternated settings for its Christmas for the last 16 years, but the same
group of people is always around the tree, wherever it may be. The Deitners are, from left:
Kevin, Duke, Alicia (back), Tiffany, Morgan, Tyler and Jess (carrying the newest member of the
family – due to arrive just before Christmas). (Shawn Loughlin photo)
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Merry Christmas fromBy Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 33