Last week, the Christmas season more or less descended on me, after attending two Christmas Bureau fundraisers. It’s pretty difficult to push the season into December when you are bombarded with Christmas music, Christmas trees, butter tarts and short bread. It’s just easier to give up and dig in.
Both these events reminded me why this town is so special and how easily our growing community can become a small town when it wants to. Both events were organized by local people and used local talent. The food was prepared by local restaurants and the majority of the many auction items came from local merchants.
Kim Brandt and Marilyn Harper, two Fort Langley business owners, put together a jazz Christmas concert at St. George’s Church in Fort Langley on Saturday night. The hall was rocking for three hours while people danced and laughed and ate and bid on the auction items.
The musicians were a combination of Fort folks and some out-of-town talent. I have driven into the big city and paid big money and haven’t been entertained as well. It was a great night, with some money raised because a couple of local people decided to give back to the community.
On Sunday, Marilyn Morgan and Jean Schaffer pulled off the second annual Mayor’s Wives Tea. Marilyn is the daughter of Mayor Jack Froese, and she stepped up for her mom, who has had some medical challenges. The two ladies put together a committee and filled a room with close to 500 people. Again, local performers entertained and local merchants went the extra mile to make sure the fundraiser was a success.
I couldn’t help but think of the old-time small town Christmas concerts I had attended in the past. Usually a school teacher or a Sunday School teacher would be the organizer, and started practising a month in advance. Local choirs and musicians were gathered together and maybe a local men’s chorus performed after a children’s choir. Both groups were accompanied on the piano by a lady who always played the piano.
The food was prepared by mothers. The sandwiches were thick with ham or roast beef, not dainty triangles. The desserts were three-layer decorated cakes with thick colourful icing or lemon pies piled high with meringue or apple pies crisscrossed with sugar-coated strips of crust.
The only prizes were bags of candy for the kids and maybe a single door prize. If you were lucky, you would go home the winner with a handmade quilt. The dancing went late and the kids fell asleep on the chairs or nestled in the pile of coats. Nobody was ever too far from home.
It is encouraging to see a younger generation stepping up to plan and produce these wonderful events and to see young people playing instruments and singing old carols with new voices. It was nice to see it was all home-grown.
Pick out one or two Christmas concerts coming up, and try to go to at least one school Christmas concert. The planning put into the production is paid off by the applause of the audiences.
How do you repay all the local merchants who always give when asked? Do your Christmas shopping at home and don’t take your money out of the country. That’s how neighbours help neighbours in a small town. At least that’s what McGregor says.
