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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-12-23, Page 25at the MacKay Centre Family, love, and the promise of a world renewed. There are many commonalities Christmas brings with it; sharing stories around a fire, stringing popcorn on the tree, wrapping gifts and singing carols. What Christmas is about and what it has become are not always the same thing. The Signal -Star caught up with some of our community's more experienced mem- bers at the Senior's Christmas Luncheon at the McKay Centre to talk about the spirit of Christmas past. Our story begins in England, where Jen- nifer Black recalls a real Christmas tree with real candles. "Our presents went into a pillow case hooked onto the .end of the bed," she said. "After the war there was still rationing... not very much money." Black said her pillowcase would a small gift like a book and a tangerine - a "gift from heaven" in a country where citrus was a rarity following WWII. She said her first Christmas in Canada was one of abundance. The amount of food available in Canada as opposed to war-torn Britain was "overwhelming." "It was not so much about getting gifts," said Doug Mclsaac. "I remember when I was small, I was excited -about our family coming over. Aunts, uncles; cousins; I'd get to see them all at once." Mclsaac and his family would always decorate their tree on Christmas Eve, and leave it up until January 6 - old Christmas Day. "Let's get back to what Christmas was all about," he said. A tradition never missed, he said he watches the movie Miracle on 34th Street each year. "I have never missed that on Christmas," he said. A Santa enthusiast, Mclsaac was `instru- mental' in getting the hall full of seniors practicing Jingle Bells for the moment Santa walked in the door at the Dec. 15 lunch. Back in the south of England, a young Valerie Thompson didn't see much snow. "One Christmas we had snow," she said. "We were so excited." Every boxing day, she and her family would take in a pantomime at a local the- atre, usually a comedic take on popular fairy tales like Cinderella. "The dame of the story was always played by a man," she said. "The kids just loved it." Her first Christmas in Canada was bitter- sweet, she said, as it was only her immedi- ate family on this side of the Atlantic. "We were lucky, though it was just us as a unit," she said. "And I loved the snow. It was very Christmassy." You can still find a traditional Christmas pudding on Thompson's table, complete with flaming brandy. Christmas crackers, too, can always be found close by. Not far away in Holland, Joan Schoe- maker recalls opening gifts on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas' feast day. That is, if Black Peter didn't leave coal. "Now we have Christmas on the 25th," she said. "And we still get together as a family in Canada - if the weather holds out." Schoemaker said the nicest thing about Christmas is to be together as a family, re- gardless of the day it falls on. Holland -born Tina . VanDiepeen ex- plained that the biggest Christmas changes for her, when migrating to this side of the Atlantic, was the portrayal of Santa Claus; "Santa Claus, or Sinterklaas as we called him, came on a boat in late November, and he and Black Peter would get off the boat, him on his white horse in robes, and Pe- ter in Spanish clothing." She said. "Then we would exchange gifts on December the 5, that was another big change, the twenty days difference." Closer to home, Berneice MciLwain said that Christmas, growing up, had her living on a farm, and brought around all the family members. "We lived on a farm, and we would have a couple aunts and families come visit us," she said. "I remember going on the horse and sleigh to visit family. It was great, ev- erybody got together for Christmas day." Mcilwain said that family still visits, but the food is different. "We always had a goose at Christmas, but that's because turkeys weren't really plentiful," she said. "But it doesn't matter what you eat, it's who you eat it with." And, that message was a common one; everyone The Signal -Star interviewed agreed that whether you celebrate with Santa Claus, or Sinterklaas, enjoy singing c cols, or decking the halls; Christmas is all about who you spend it with. Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - Page 25 Photos by Denny Scott, Gerard Creces (From top to bottom) Valerie Thompson, Berneice MciLwain, Tina Van Diepeen and Roy Boisclair all sat down to share their memories of Christmas past, their thoughts on Christmas present, and their wishes for Christmas future during the Senior's Christmas Luncheon at McKay Centre on Tuesday, December 15.