Christmas in Canada
Heart-warming Legends, Tales, and Traditions
AUTHOR: Megan Durnford, Rich Mole, Joyce Glasner and Cheryl MacDonald
FORMAT: 5.75 x 8.75 hc / 480 pages
ISBN-10:1-55153-759-1
ISBN-13: 9781551537597
Christmas is a time for celebrating with friends and family and for sharing
stories, memories, and good cheer. This compilation brings to life the very
best holiday stories from across British Columbia. From the early days of exploration
to the modern day, and from heartwarming inspirational tales to dangerous escapades,
this is a collection to treasure for many years to come.
Prologue
Canada is a land made for Christmas.
Most areas in this country have snow in
December, turning the drab, early-winter
landscape into a dazzling whiteness worthy of a Christmas
card. Most Canadians live within easy distance of vast stretches
of open land, close to the pines, cedar, and spruce that
epitomize the holiday season. And, despite urban sprawl and
modernization, we have managed to preserve enough historic
architecture to effortlessly re-create Christmas scenes that
seem to have been lifted right out of the pages of Dickens.
At first glance, many of our Christmas traditions appear
to have come from the same source, Victorian England. Cedar
garlands strung along railings, holly arranged on mantelpieces,
mistletoe dangling from doorways, caroling, and festive
toasts – all are part of that legacy. Even the Christmas tree,
which originated in Germany, comes to us in part because of
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s holiday celebration.
But Christmas was celebrated in Canada long before
Victorian times. Well before roast turkey and goose graced
festive tables, early settlers dined on local fare – fish caught
in rushing streams, deer from the vast forests, beaver tail
or moose nose. Tourtière, the savoury French-Canadian pie
now made with pork or beef, was originally filled with the
meat of passenger pigeons.
From the earliest time of European settlement,
Canadians have adapted Old World Christmas traditions
to New World conditions. The result has been a uniquely
Canadian blend. For instance, when French priest Jean de
Brébeuf wrote the first Canadian Christmas carol for the
Huron of his Ontario mission in 1643, he combined a French
folk tune, Christian traditions, and Native hunters in a lyrical
ballad. Jesous Ahatonhia , familiar from coast to coast as the “Huron Carol”, remains one of the most haunting and most
Canadian sounds of the season.
Despite such shared traditions, it is difficult to define
Christmas in Canada. Outside of Newfoundland, few
Canadians engage in mumming, where men and women
cross-dress, cover their faces, and visit their neighbours
to enjoy food and drink. Many Canadians have never tasted
kolach , the traditional bread served during Ukrainian
Christmas festivities. If you are a Newfoundlander or a
Ukrainian-Canadian, mummers and kolach are an integral part of seasonal celebrations. If you are not, both may seem interesting and exotic, but hardly necessary for a memorable Christmas.
One thing that is common across the country is the
range of emotions the season evokes. When we celebrate the
holiday, we are often caught in a kind of mental time warp.
On the one hand, there is Christmas Present, the here-and now
occasion. On the other, there is Christmas Past, all the
other Christmases we remember. Existing side by side in our
hearts and minds, Christmas Past and Christmas Present
colour our perceptions of the holiday, stirring up a gamut of
emotions, ranging from overwhelming sadness to joy.
Generally thought of as one of the happiest days of the
year, Christmas can be one of the most bittersweet. More
than any other day, Christmas is when we want to reach
out, to say or show how much we love the people who are
important to us. When we cannot, we long for the faces and
places we love. Immigrants to Canada, from the earliest settlers
to recent arrivals, have felt this as they celebrate far from
homelands and families they may never see again. So have
other Canadians with loved ones far away. Perhaps the most
bittersweet Christmases, though, were those experienced
during wartime, when, in addition to the loneliness of separation,
there was the gnawing anxiety that the empty chair at
the table might never be filled again.
But Christmas is primarily a time of joy and thanksgiving.
There is the exuberant excitement of children who cannot wait to see what Santa Claus has brought them, the quiet
contentment of elders surrounded by beloved generations of
family. There is the joy of reunion, especially after a long separation.
And, ideally, there is also much gratitude, as people
reflect on the richness that surrounds them: the loveliness
of the land, the artistry of Christmas ornaments, the unique,
irreplaceable beauty of cherished family and friends.
Charity toward others is one of the hallmarks of the season
as well. Christmas is the season of light, not just the flickering
of candlelight or the glow of electric decorations, but
the spiritual light within each one of us. At this special time
of year, that light shines a little more brightly, warming those
around us through gestures of compassion, whether they are
one person’s spontaneous act of kindness or the carefully
organized work of volunteer groups. Sometimes, those charitable
acts send out ripples that continue to be felt decades
after. For example, every year, the city of Halifax sends a
Christmas tree to the people of Boston, Massachusetts, in
gratitude for the assistance the American city provided after
the Halifax Explosion of 1917.
Christmas in Canada includes stories of charity, inspiration,
separation, reunion, and celebration. It looks at
diverse regional events, harrowing holiday adventures, and
heartwarming tales of inspiration. Each tale is as different
and distinctive as a hand-carved Christmas ornament, conveying
the details of how specific people celebrated specific
Christmases in specific times and places.
Examine each story, savouring the individuality, the
special characteristics that set it apart, that particular time
and place. Then step back a little, just as you would after
decorating your family Christmas tree. Look at the stories
all together, how they sparkle and complement one another,
how they show the spirit of Christmas transcending time and
place. You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of what
Christmas means to all Canadians.
About the Authors
Megan Durnford is a freelance writer based in Montreal. Her articles have been published in magazines and newspapers across the country. For more than a decade, Megan has also worked on multimedia projects about scientific and historical topics.
Joyce Glasner lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Her articles on gardening, travel, and the arts have appeared
in a variety of publications. Her first book, The Halifax Explosion:
Surviving the Blast that Shook a Nation was published by Altitude
in 2003.
Cheryl MacDonald has been writing on historical
topics for nearly 30 years. Her work has appeared in numerous
magazines, including The Beaver and Maclean's, and she has
written a number of books, mostly relating various aspects
of southern Ontario history.
Cheryl holds history degrees from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University
and is currently pursuing graduate studies. A grandmother of
two, she lives on a large rural property close to Lake Erie
and about 90 minutes west of Niagara Falls.
BC-born author Rich
Mole has enjoyed an eclectic
communications career, as a former broadcaster, a freelance
journalist, and, for 20 years, the president of a successful
Vancouver Island advertising agency. A lifelong fascination
with history has fuelled his desire to write about the times
and people of Canada's past. Rich now makes his home in Calgary,
Alberta.
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