HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-12-19, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013. PAGE 17. MacGregor Christmas brightened by Lions exchange
When you’re celebrating
Christmas, few things can shake
things up as much as heading to a
foreign land and discovering
different traditions. For the
MacGregor clan, undertaking such a
trip proved to be one of the most
memorable holidays on record.
Kittie and Don MacGregor, both
Lions members, and their daughters
Katie and Liz (Christie), have
usually had some fairly static
Christmas traditions.
“We celebrate Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day with the girls and
have family Christmases on Boxing
Day and sometime during
December,” Kittie explained,
elaborating further by saying the
MacGregor family Christmas is on
Boxing Day and hosts 15 to 20
people and for Kittie’s family, the
Reans, Christmas is held earlier in
the month with 20 or more family
members.
“We still do Christmas stockings,
just like my mother did,” Kittie said.
“The stockings are just fun and
enjoyable and one of the benefits of
having everyone home, all under one
roof.”
Don explained there have been
attempts to change some of the
holiday traditions, but the
celebrations work better if you stick
with regular plans.
“If you set it that way and look at
having family, some can come, those
who don’t, can’t, but everyone
knows and everyone has a good
time,” she said.
The MacGregors are heavily
involved in the Lions Youth
Exchange program, hostingexchange students every year. Kittieexplained a big part of theirChristmas tradition is being in touch
with the children that have stayed
with them over the past year.
“We call friends all the time at
Christmas,” she said. “We call all the
recent students like last year we
called Mexico and France, we also
have some people we just call every
year.”
Kittie mentioned that Zoe, one of
the family’s first exchange students,
talks to them every Christmas and
that she and others were also visited
several years ago when the
MacGregors visited Europe to see
their daughter Liz, who was
attending school there.
“We’ve only missed two
Christmases at home,” Don
explained. “One year visiting Liz in
England and one storm in 1980
when the weather was so bad we
couldn’t get out of our laneway.”
Don said that, aside from that
1980 Christmas, the family had
weathered some fairly rough storms
to celebrate Christmas.
While in Europe, the MacGregors
visited several of their previous
charges in Glasgow, NorthernIreland and the United Kingdom.Don said it was an amazingexperience, meeting the parents of
people who have stayed with them.
“You don’t realize how much of an
effect a mother or father can have,
letting their teens travel to people
and places they have no idea about,”
he said. “It’s quite a feeling. They
are just amazed. The kids share their
stories of Rural Canada and it’s kind
of neat, but then we’re there, on their
doorstep and they get the
experience.”
The year they were abroad, they
spent New Year’s Eve in Cornwall
and it was an eye-opening
experience according to Kittie.
“It was interesting seeing what
other cultures do, for example, they
dress up for New Years in England,”
she said. “The formaility of meals in
homes was amazing too, they had
formal settings and looked at us like
we were crazy when we told them
we keep the food on the table.”
Kittie explained the practice there
was to keep food in a heated part of
the oven and serve from there. She
also said phone calls just weren’t
Christmas abroad
The MacGregors, shown in this 1987 photo, have made a lot of connections through the Lions
Youth Exchange Program which saw them welcome many students from foreign shores into
their home. Those connections made for an interesting Christmas celebration several years
ago when Kittie and Don visited Europe, and many of their former charges, during the holiday
season. Kittie and Don, shown here with their daughters Liz, left, and Katie, are both
Londesborough Lions Club members. Don has been a member for years while Kittie joined
this year as the first female member of the club. (Photo submitted)
519-523-4825
Dennis Hamm
Painting
No job too small.
Wishing
everyone in
Blyth &
Surrounding Area
A Merry Christmas
Deck
The
Halls!
Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year!
While the holiday spirit
is building, we’d like to
jump in with our best
wishes and gratitude.
From Dwight, Pam,
Eric & Matt
Blyth
Construction
82992 Allboro Line, Blyth, ON ~ 519-523-4766
John, Rick, Jeff
& Staff
ELLIOTT INSURANCE
MEMBER OF ORR INSURANCE HURON INC.
Best wishes to all our friends,
neighbours and customers.
Thank you for your support this
past year.
Looking forward to serving you
in the new year!
Retail StoreCustom Orders & ClassesTelephone: 519-523-4355E-mail: dtriach@ezlink.cawww.davarastudio.ca
Two blocks north of the Blyth Festival
Blyth, ON. N0M 1H0
Dave and Tamara Riach
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 18