HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 32PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015.
Kroes Christmas one of tradition, fun and games
For Londesborough-area resident
Shelley Kroes, Christmas is both
traditional and modern with
technology aiding in the time-
honoured traditions of her family to
help things run a little smoother.
“My father, Jack, is very
traditional,” she said. “We have a
whole program to go through before
opening gifts on Christmas.”
Kroes, who works with The
Citizen’s sister publication The
Rural Voice,both of which are
produced by North Huron
Publishing, said that her family,
along with parents Jack and Mary,
have always had a big meal prior to
any other celebration on Christmas.
“We also sing Christmas carols
just after dinner,” Kroes said. “I used
to play piano, but I’m a little out of
practice, so that isn’t happening as
much anymore.”
While Kroes feels that her father is
very traditional, she qualified that by
saying that the specific traditions he
keeps alive are those of the family.
“We don’t necessarily have
Christmas on Christmas Day,” Kroes
said. “That’s one example of that.
We pick a day and then we have all
these great activities and traditions
to do, but it isn’t always Dec. 25.
The whole routine has stayed the
same for years.”
Another example of that
traditionalism that Jack safeguards is
how the Kroes clan employs its own
time-honoured tradition of family
game night to figure out who gets to
open their gifts first.
“We play board games and
whoever wins gets to open their gift,
then the next game’s winner gets to
open their gift, and so on,” Kroes
said. “We play games like, ‘The
Bean’ game which features a whole
spectrum of beans and is a fun game,
‘Wizard’, which is a card game kind
of like Euchre and Quiddler which is
kind of like Scrabble.”
Kroes said that the motivation for
her and her siblings used to be to win
to open their presents, but also to try
and make sure that the games chosen
are ones you’re better at, clearing the
path to opening your presents first.
Now, however, the family has started
a game within the gift giving by
starting a secret Santa style gift-
giving program, so each person only
has one gift.
“It used to be that some people had
more gifts, so opening them one at a
time took awhile,” she said. “Now
we just each get one and all my
siblings get some extra for mom and
dad.”
While the secret Santa system isn’t
new, the Kroes family has recently
turned to technology for some
assistance.
Kroes explained that the family
uses the online program DrawNames
(www.drawnames.com) to help keep
their Secret Santa program not only
From our Home
to yours we
wish everyone
a wonderful
Christmas and
a healthy &
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New Year!
Happy
Holidays
from John, Merilyn, Jennifer,
Michael and Staff
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www.mcdonaldhomehardware.com
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www.mcdonaldhomehardware.com
Box 134, Teeswater, ON N0G 2S0
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We just wanted to say “Merry Christmas”,
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We appreciate your kind patronage.
from Ron, Betty, Paul and Dianne
Sending Warm Holiday Wishes Your Way
Merry
Christmas
Have a safe and happy holiday
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Christmas of yore
Advertising for The Rural Voice,the sister publication of The Citizen, is handled by Shelley
Kroes from the Londesborough area. Her Christmas tale, that she agreed to share for this
year’s Christmas edition of The Citizen, is one of board games and great meals. From left are
siblings Lorraine, Shelley and Brad Kroes in an old family Christmas photo. (Photo submitted)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 34