The Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015.
Sawchuks celebrate (likely) final Christmas in house
Things are set to change at the
Sawchuk household, as, one way or
another, this is likely their final
Christmas in their Blyth Road home.
Julie Sawchuk, her husband Theo
and their children Ella and Oliver
have been celebrating the holidays in
their century home – referred to by
them as Tiny Farm – for years, but
with Julie losing the use of her legs
in a cycling collision earlier this
year, some changes are most
definitely on the horizon.
Since it’s not feasible to renovate
the heritage home to accommodate a
wheelchair, the Sawchuks are facing
the inevitability of moving to a new
location, or building a new home on
their existing Blyth Road property.
Either way, it’s likely that Christmas
2015 will be the last one for the
Sawchuks in their current home, a
fact that brings about mixed feelings
in the family.
Theo, a sucker for history and
heritage, says he’ll certainly miss the
house, but that there’s no practical
way that the family can continue to
make do in the home with Julie’s
condition.
The family has a number of
traditions around the holidays,
however, that will no doubt live on at
a new home, no matter where they’re
celebrating Christmas next year.
In speaking with the Sawchuk
children, Ella and Oliver, their
foremost memories of Christmas are
visits from both sets of grandparents,
who every year make the trip to the
Sawchuk home, just east of Blyth.
Theo’s parents make the trip from
the New Hamburg area, while Julie’s
parents travel to Huron County from
Belwood, which is just northeast of
Fergus.
The kids say that until last year,
they tended to sleep in, with Julie
and Theo eager to wake up and get
the Christmas ball rolling while their
children continued to snooze.
Last year things changed, however,
and they beat their parents to
the punch, waking first.
The family then heads downstairs
and opens their stockings, filled by
Santa Claus, followed by some
home-cooked breakfast.
Things are very much traditional
from there, Julie says, with
grandparents arriving and presents
being opened.
From there, extended family
members go their separate ways
and the four Sawchuks spend the
rest of the day together, usually
with an attempt to get active
on a beautiful Huron County
winter day on the agenda.
Last year, they hiked a portion of
the Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail
and in past years they have gone
cross-country skiing – always
attempting to get active and spend
time outdoors, together on
Christmas Day.
This year, that tradition may alter
after Julie’s accident, joking that she
and Theo could buy a snowmobile so
the tradition can continue.
A snowmobile, however, would
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Perhaps the end of an era
With Julie Sawchuk’s accessibility needs, it’s likely that 2015 will mark the final Christmas in
the Sawchuk family’s current Blyth Road home. Whether that means a new home built on the
property, or moving to a new location, the decision is still up in the air. All ready for the holidays
are, from left: Theo, Julie, Oliver and Ella Sawchuk . (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 29