Estevan Mercury 20221214 Christmas Greetings

C h r i s t m as Christmas G r e e t i n g s Greetings

The Estevan Mercury is proud to present our annual Christmas greetings special.

The staff at the Mercury looks forward to Christmas each year, and we are always eager to deliver this special keepsake publication to you, our readers. We have described this publication as our Christmas card – a bright, colourful and beautiful Christmas card at that.

We put a lot of thought and time into making this paper happen, so we hope you enjoy it.

This is our way of showing our appreciation to you for the support you have shown us during the past 12 months. The Mercury is Estevan’s oldest business, as it dates back to 1903, and we couldn’t last without our readers’ support.

Perhaps you wait for our paper each week. Or maybe you view the local stories online as they

happen at www.sasktoday.ca. Or maybe you enjoy both the print and digital offerings. Regardless, thank you for the support and for all your feedback.

In this year’s Christmas greetings publication, you’ll find messages from local businesses and organizations who share our gratitude for all of the support during the past 12 months.

And in keeping with a tradition here at the Mercury, you’ll find Christmas memories from people in the region. We’re excited to bring to you the reflections of students in Grade 5 English and the Grade 5/6 French Immersion class at Sacred Heart School/ École Sacré Coeur.

And, as a bonus, you’ll find some memories from women who are part of the Prairie Belles, a local group that meets to socialize and have fun.

We always enjoy sharing the re-

flections of young and the young at heart.

We hope you’re looking forward to Christmas this year. It’s going to be as close to normal as it’s been since 2019. People will be able to gather and socialize and have fun. If we head out, we don’t have to worry about masks, restrictions or vaccine passports.

Christmas is going to be what you make of it. Hopefully you’ll be able to create some new positive memories that you can look back on fondly and cherish.

We hope that you’ll enjoy our Christmas card for this year. If you have family and friends visiting from out of town, we encourage you to share this with them as well.

The staff of the Estevan Mercury would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2023.

Merry

The students at Sacred Heart School/ École Sacré Coeur who participated in the Estevan Mercury’s Christmas memories promotion had a great time this year.

The Mercury sought out answers from the Grade 5 English and the Grade 5/6 French immersion classes.

“It was actually really special,” said Grade 5 English teacher Megan Vanstone. “We talk a little bit about Christmas in our classroom with kids as often as we can, but it provided, for me as a teacher, a whole new perspective on my students and what Christmas means to them and their families.”

Each year, students talk about how everyone celebrates Christmas differently,

Kade

My favourite memories of Christmas are when my family drives to Minot and gets on a plane to go to Phoenix. We go almost every year over the winter break and stay for about two weeks.

There are so many fun things to do there like huge parks and eating out at restaurants. My grandma has a house there and it’s beside a nice park that we go to often. We enjoy the warm weather and swim in the pool that is right near her house.

Sianna

My favorite Christmas traditions begin with Christmas Eve.

In the morning we go to church. Our family on my mom’s side meets together for supper or lunch. We put Christmas gifts from our family under the Christmas tree and open them.

When my family goes home, we have milk and cookies. Then we put our pyjamas on and go to bed. Around 6 a.m., I usually wake up and peek to see if Santa came. I wait until 6:15 to wake up my mom and dad and tell them Santa came.

but to hear some of the important elements was really ‘heartwarming’, she said.

“I remember reading a few of them, and I was kind of tearing up, hearing about family they haven’t seen for a long time or favourite gifts, or their memories of decorating the Christmas tree, and how descriptive the kids were able to be with the details,” said Vanstone.

The things that stood out to them were things that she wouldn’t have expected, so it was fun to read and write them together.

Vanstone said she always tries to emphasize the idea of giving back when talking to kids, and they have field trips coming up so they can give back to local organizations and look at the real meaning of Christmas.

Levi

“The kids really like to learn about the traditions behind it, too, so we like to look at Christmas around the world and how that looks different, and different celebrations in different countries are really interesting to them.”

They were a little nervous at first, but then the idea of having their stories in the Mercury was really exciting to them. They wanted to meet the deadline and have it sound good, so they spent a lot of time proofreading.

“It was one of those things that was easy for them to write. It didn’t require a lot of brainstorming and it didn’t require a lot of pre-writing.”

Vanstone is pleased the kids can be showcased in a way that hasn’t happened for them previously.

My favourite Christmas memories are of decorating our Christmas tree.

First of all, we had to get the ornaments and the tree. Then we had to fluff the tree and set it up. Then we get to decorate it. After we decorate it with ornaments, we add the lights, the ribbons and put them on the tree too.

Then we set up all of our other decorations. We put up a snowman jar on the entertainment stand and put Marshall from Paw Patrol on my dog’s kennel. Then we put a glass Santa on the entertainment stand cupboard, a snowman sock on the entertainment stand and a pinecone line on the entertainment stand. And we have a snowman with my face on it on a cupboard in the kitchen.

Rylee

My favourite Christmas memory was when my cousin brought her fiddle for Christmas when I was nine. She played her fiddle for our family and it was good, but not that good. It hurt my ears a little.

Our whole family wakes up, opens stockings, and then we open gifts. We eat breakfast and put on our ugly Christmas sweaters and socks, and we go to my grandma and grandpa’s on dad’s side. We open gifts and then we eat supper and go sledding. We head home and play with our new Christmas gifts. We have some kind of drink and a treat and watch Christmas movies together.

I was so excited when she played Jingle Bells. It needed a bit of work but it was alright. My little sisters were laughing with my little cousin. I like the fiddle.

It was my dream when I was younger to play the fiddle but I chose piano instead. I know how to play Jingle Bells now and I showed my cousin how to play too. I don’t think she is bringing her fiddle this year.

Merry Christmas

May the season’s message of peace on earth and goodwill toward all mankind, reach every corner of the world. Thank you for your generous support and friendship. We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season.

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we give thanks for the many blessings and good fortune he has bestowed upon us. May the spirit of the season fill your heart and home with love. We wish you a wonderful Christmas and a year filled with peace, prosperity, good health and good fortune.

Serving SE Sask. Your experienced, local asphalt company.

Hayden

My favourite Christmas memories are with my siblings. My sister wakes up really early on Christmas and kept asking my mom, my brother and me to get up so we could open presents. It was so early that we said not yet and she was very mad. She really wanted to open gifts.

When everyone finally did wake up, she was like The Flash, running down the stairs and was the first one down there at the tree. There were so many presents and she asked mom if she could open them. Mom said yes and we were all excited to see what everyone got one another.

My sister, brother and I played with our toys all morning long, we loved them so much. My brother got an remotecontrolled truck. It worked in snow, water and mud.

It’s still his favourite toy.

Abi

My favourite Christmas memory will for sure be this Christmas because I just got a new puppy and a kitten. I wonder what their reaction will be to the decorations?

I also get to celebrate two Christmases because I have a family Christmas with my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. My second Christmas is just with my brother and parents.

On Christmas morning, my brother and I wake up a 3 a.m. and wait to wake up my parents around 7 a.m.

I’m excited for everyone to meet my new puppy. His name is Bowser. I bet he will be super shy. My cat is not shy because they have seen lots of people before. My family isn’t ready for Christmas yet but I am. I hope the next few weeks go fast.

It was Christmas 2021 and on Christmas morning my mom, dad little brother I went upstairs from the spare bedroom and we saw so many presents under the tree. Big ones and small ones. Our dad had to take a shower that took a very long time. When he finally got out, our parents took out their phones and started recording. We opened everything.

One very small present was a Charizard Vmax. It’s a $20 card and does 300 damage and it has 310 HP. Then in a really big box was the best gift ever, a PS 5. My dad set it up for us. It has a built-in microphone. We couldn’t play yet because we had to go to my auntie and uncle’s for Christmas, but it was nice because my whole family was there to celebrate a great Christmas morning.

Kolby

My favourite memories of Christmas are when I go to my papa’s house. We have Christmas dinner and open presents with my whole family. One year my aunt gave me a trip to Regina for WWE, and it was the best present ever.

Afterwards we play games, drive the golf cart to papa’s shop and play hide and go seek and mini sticks. My cousins and I have a sleepover and we stay up late watching movies and playing games.

The next day we wake up and keep playing games and mini sticks, and even play hockey on our rink in the yard. It’s so much fun. Spending time with family is the best part of Christmas.

HunterMy favourite Christmas memory is when we were taking our family photo on Christmas Eve and we couldn’t get our pets to sit still.

We tried to put a treat on the camera, but that did not work. My dog just jumped onto the camera to get his treat. My cat, on the other hand, is only nine months old. We just adopted her on October 14, so we do not know how she will co-operate this year, but so far she just wants to play with the ornaments on the tree.

One year we just gave up with the best photo we could get, which still looked crazy, but I think that it describes my family. After our photo, we got the milk and cookies for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer. My dog tipped the milk over and drank it all and ate some of the cookies.

We were kind of just over it that night. It was a mess. We got another cookie and a different glass of milk.

“Don’t forget the carrots for the reindeer!” my sister said. In the note from Santa the next morning he said, “I saw all the trouble you had last night so here is a gift from my elves.” He left a bunch of candy canes on our tree!

Let us echo the message of the season by expressing our sincere thanks to you, our loyal patrons. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

BILLESBERGER LAW FIRM BARRISTER AND SOLICITOR JOHN J. BILLESBERGER B.A., LL.B.

(l-r):

Twyla Hanson, Associate Daniel Betnar, CFP , RRC, Bsc

Jodine Holmgren, Associate Chris Hammett, CFP , RRC Andrea Wilson, Assistant Jarrett Daoust, RRC, BComm, QAFP

Braxton

The best part of Christmas is the Christmas traditions. In our family, we start on Christmas Eve and drive to my grandparents’ house, where we open presents. We get to go play at my cousins’ house and we always have lots of fun. We get to have a sleepover at my grandparents’ house and open more presents the next day. My favourite gift ever was a TV for my room. I was so excited to open that one. My dad helped me hang it in my room afterwards.

Bennett

Hello, my name is Bennett. I am in Grade 5. I am going to tell you my favourite Christmas tradition. On Christmas Eve, my whole family gets together at my grandparents’ house and we have a huge family dinner. One thing I enjoy most about the get together is, after all the dinner is done and cleaned up, we all watch a Christmas movie together as a family.

My favourite Christmas movie to watch is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We all enjoy this very much and I love being with my family. I hope everyone has a great Christmas with their families and gets to make many memories of your own.

Nate

My favorite Christmas memory is when my grandma and grandpa bought me and my sister a trampoline for Christmas. I didn’t know what it was at first because it was a giant box in Christmas wrapping. It was really hard to open but we had fun. It was the best gift ever.

I also love seeing all my cousins for Christmas. We bring my PS4 so we can play NHL. That was another one of my favourite Christmas gifts. The next year I got another controller so my dad and I can play games together.

Rowan

Every Christmas my family has a Christmas party on Christmas Eve.

Last year was a little different. My cousins Ellie, Alex and Braxton came over. They are the sweetest. They are so playful and caring to everyone. Ellie is the most hyper of them all, and Braxton is the tired one. Last year was the first time we got to meet them and they were so fun. They never fight and they play nicely with each other. We watched a movie and I, of course, was the one watching them. That’s okay though, because they are little bundles of joy.

Tucker

My favorite Christmas memory is having my whole family over at our house. Me and all of my cousins played in the basement. We played Playstation, watched movies and drank as much pop as we wanted all night. It was so much fun! In the morning we drank eggnog, had toast, and played football. I got eight touchdowns and my brother tackled me twelve times. I got so many gifts like a hockey stick and a new dog. I got to see all my cousins, my grandma and my three aunties and uncles. I love this Christmas.

Lorraine

My favorite Christmas memory is when I was in the Philippines.

My family celebrated with me and we had so much fun. We even had fireworks. It was a long time ago, but I remember there being lots of food and it was so delicious. I played with my cousins and all of my friends. It was my dad’s birthday too so we celebrated with cake. We Facetimed with him because he was already in Canada.

We took lots of pictures and I still have them hanging in my room. I have lots of cousins in the Philippines and I got to see all of them that Christmas day. When we moved to Canada, we had Christmas in Toronto. That was a great Christmas because I got to celebrate with my family here. I don’t get to celebrate often with my family that is still in the Philippines.

Miguel

One of my favourite Christmas stories was when I lived in the Philippines. We spent time with my family and we celebrated Christmas with my cousins Alex and PJ and my aunty Sheila.

We opened presents and I remember my favourite gift was a Lego City set. After opening gifts, we ate a huge family meal together. Our traditional meal is a roasted pig and for dessert we ate a cake called Sapin-Sapin, which is a soft and chewy cake.

After supper my mother and I walked to the church and sat through the service. On our way back to my cousin’s house, we stopped for ice cream and I had chocolate ice cream. It’s my favourite flavour.

We ended the night with watching fireworks and had a sleepover with my family at my cousins’ house.

Merry Christmas

Happy

We

Hailey

One Christmas we went to my grandparents’ house/farm. On Christmas eve, we had a family dinner, which was fun.

So, then we ate and then my cousin went home. Then an hour later we had to go to bed but I was too excited to go to bed, so I made a plan with my sister and brother when my parents went downstairs, obviously, or else they would be like “go to bed”.

So, I made a plan to stay up all night and catch Santa so we stayed up all night, or did we? We stayed up, and then I had to go downstairs to go to the bathroom. Then my sister and brother said they were scared to be alone upstairs.

Anyways, I went downstairs and what did we see? Cookie crumbs. Then I just said “I have to go to the bathroom, so I went. Then when we got upstairs, I said “Guys we missed Santa”. Too bad. I wanted to catch him and that was all at like 2 in the morning.

So, after that we went to bed. The next morning it was Christmas. I woke up and woke my siblings up and I said “Wake up, it’s Christmas”, and then I ran downstairs but my parents were already awake, so I went up to them and said “Can we open presents, please”, and they said “No, not till after lunch”. Then I got mad and went upstairs, and I went back downstairs. I ate breakfast. Then it was after lunch, I went to my parents and said “presents” and they said “Yes, Hailey, I know”, and I ran to the Christmas tree and started giving everyone their presents, because they had their names on them. Bye.

Sophia H.

My favourite memory is when it was my baby cousin’s first Christmas. My cousin’s name is Avery and she is now one-yearold.

When I woke up I immediately got up and opened my presents at my house. After I opened my presents, I quickly ran out the door to go to my grandma and grandpa’s, where my cousin, aunt and my uncle were staying.

When I got there, my cousin was already ready and we started opening our presents. When my baby cousin was opening presents, she tried unwrapping but she did not really get it, but she tried. That day she was so happy and she was playing with her toys for the rest of the day. This is one of my favourite Christmas memories.

GabeMy favourite Christmas memory is when I got what I have wanted for a long time. I got an iPad from my mom and dad. I told them thank you and I almost cried, I was so excited.

That’s all I wanted for Christmas. I played on it until the battery died. While I played on my new iPad, my brother played his new game too. I ended up getting a phone a year later and forgot all about my iPad. When I remembered and found it, it was so dusty that I needed to clean the screen. I cleaned it up and charged it so I could play on it again.

Ella

I love Christmas because I love seeing my family. I have a lot of Christmas memories, but my favourite is setting up the Christmas tree. I love setting up the Christmas tree with my family by the middle window in the living room. We have lots of twinkling lights and ornaments.

One of our ornaments says Santa Cam and my parents use it to make sure we are not bad during the holiday season. We also have ornaments that have pictures of my siblings and me from that year and we even have cube ornaments that have pictures of us as babies.

My favourite ornament is a plastic see-through ballerina. She is my favorite because I am also a ballerina. She is wearing a tutu and posing gracefully.

Every time we set the tree up there are lots of little plastic green pieces from the tree that we need to clean up. We always play Christmas music while we decorate and spend time as a family. Christmas is the best.

Chelsea

Every Christmas Eve, my family goes to bed early, after lunch, because we will be up all night until 4 a.m. or so.

Then we wake up around 9-10 p..m. and have a big feast. We play games and karaoke all night. Karaoke is a famous hobby in the Philippines. If you are sleeping, you could still hear people singing all day long.

After that, usually on New Year’s, we invite some friends and give each other gifts for the people we haven’t given a gift to. We give people expensive gifts like a bike, new vacuum, etc. This is my favourite Christmas memory.

DamonMy favourite Christmas memory ever is the time that I had all my family over at my house. I was around six years old at the time. Most of my mom’s side of the family and most of my dad’s side that live near us were there. There were a lot of people.

There were four uncles, one grandma, two grandpas, three aunties, four cousins and then my mom, dad and siblings. I remember having a lightsaber fight with one of my uncles. I was using Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber while my uncle used a small plastic hockey stick.

We fought and fought until we eventually went upstairs to take a break. Of course, we fought some more right beside my little brother’s small cardboard house sitting in the middle of the hall. My uncle let me pretend to stab him so I could feel good that I won our battle. Then he got back up and we continued fighting but this time, my little brother joined in with another, small, plastic hockey stick for his weapon.

I also remember having a huge Christmas dinner. From what I remember there was mashed potatoes, turkey, peas and more. I thought that the mashed potatoes were the best. There were so many people that when we all sat down for dinner, we had to have a small four-seat kids’ table that me and my brother sat at with my dad.

My favourite Christmas memory is the first Christmas when we had our dog. The first present we opened had wrapping paper on it and Duke went crazy.

From then on, every gift we opened was wrapped with paper. We had to put Duke outside for the rest of the time we opened our wrapped presents. Duke also ate my new socks I got for Christmas. I was so sad because they had penguins on them.

Gabrielle M.

My favourite Christmas memory was when I was six years old, I woke up on Christmas morning and I opened my gift from Santa and it was just a cardboard box which was sad for a six-yearold girl hoping to get a Frozen Barbie doll house. So, then my Mom opened the box and it was in pieces because the parents are supposed to build it, but I thought it was broken and I was crying and crying in my room for about one hour. Then I got really hungry and walked my dramatic after-cry walk down the stairs, and the first thing I saw was my Frozen Barbie doll house. I was so happy that the dramatic after-cry walk went away and the happy walk came in. I was just in love with it and that was my favourite Christmas.

Alexis T.

My favourite Christmas memory is from a few years ago. We were surprised when we went on a trip to Mexico. It was really fun because we got to go in the ocean and sit on the beach. I also got my hair braided. I got to eat a lot of different foods too. This is my favourite Christmas memory.

Everleigh

My favourite Christmas memory is when I was seven and I got tickets to see Jojo Siwa in concert. This is my favourite Christmas memory because I loved Jojo Siwa. It was the best concert because I loved Jojo Siwa. The best part about the concert was when I got to go meet Jojo Siwa. She was so pretty and nice, and my cousin also came.

Melissa

Every Christmas Eve, we would wake up and open some of our presents. It’s a German tradition to celebrate Christmas Eve more than Christmas.

We invite friends and family over and we have fun. We order food and give each other presents. The kids usually get the most gifts. Once everyone leaves, we stay up very late and watch Christmas movies. Christmas is one of my favourite holidays.

Tyler

My favourite Christmas memory is when my grandma was over at my house and we had hung up a stocking for her and gave her presents. She was so happy and then after lunch everyone came to our house and we handed out Christmas presents to each other.

Everyone was happy.

Grieving During the Holidays

The holiday season is filled with joy, gatherings, and celebrations.

But a Christmas after the loss of a loved one is different.

Holidays without your loved one can be hard. Really hard.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve through the holidays. Do what you are comfortable with and do what you can.

Give yourself the time and grace you need this holiday season.

Gabrielle D.

Sophia D.

My Christmas memory is the year my grandma passed away.

Even though it was Christmas, it wasn’t the happiest and then this happened. All the kids in between me and my cousin’s family. It was our last gift all together but they were wrapped separately. We opened the presents and they were shirts.

The only kid that could was my brother. He asked my mom “Really”? And my mother said ‘Yes, and read out loud”. So, my brother did and it said “I can’t wait to go to Disney World”! I was so excited. The next day we packed and drove to Bismarck, N.D.

My favorite Christmas memory is when me and my family went to Edmonton to see my aunt and uncle. My grandma came for a little bit but she got sick so she left.

My mom, aunt and I got sick. But this was going to be the first time I was going to meet my grandpa’s side of the family.

I was seven and they dropped off presents so I was happy. On Christmas morning, I fell asleep before we opened the presents but I woke up at the perfect time because my brother just finished eating breakfast, and the rule in my house is we can open presents when everybody is done with breakfast. That year my present from my parents was that we were going to Disneyland. I loved that Christmas.

Charlie

I was told that my mom had to go somewhere, I can’t remember. So, my dad and my mom got in the car. I noticed there was a dog toy. I immediately said we’re getting a dog and one of my dad’s close friends had a dog named Bailey, so they said no, it’s for Bailey. Then I said no, and they said yes, it was for Bailey and I said “okay”.

So, we got to Pet Valu and at the time I was only six so I didn’t really know what it was, so I fell asleep. I woke up and we were at someone’s house and there was a whole bunch of dogs in the backyard.

I didn’t think much of it but my mom said get out, come meet your new dog. I was so excited. So we met him and he jump all over me, so now we have our dog named Duke.

Amazing Maze

Anna

The members of the Prairie Belles who participated in the Estevan Mercury’s Christmas memories promotion enjoyed reflecting on these special moments.

Four women shared their treasured times with the readers of the paper this year. Jan Dunbar, who is the queen of the Belles, said the one she shared was unique, and she wasn’t the only to recount something that was meaningful.

The Prairie Belles were created when two chapters of the Red Hat Society, the Prairie Dames and the Southern Belles, came together. They still

Prairie Belles enjoy sharing memories

wear their elaborate red hats and purple outfits.

“The group has been together for 18 years,” said Dunbar, who noted some of the original members remain from 2004.

The Belles meet once a month for a social at a restaurant, a member’s home or a senior’s complex, but restaurants are their favourite location. They like to alternate the meeting location throughout the community rather than stick to one place.

“We try to make sure every business gets a little fun,” said Dunbar.

They have also performed at the United Way Estevan Telethon, first as the Red Hat Society and now as the Prairie Belles. They have been to senior citizens’ complexes, including the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, St. Joseph’s Hospital Long-Term Care, Creighton Lodge and Hill View Manor, to sing for residents.

“It really helps to go and see them, and they enjoy having us all dressed up in our red and purple, and just having a good time.”

New members are always welcome to join, she said.

One of my earliest childhood memories was finding out that my mom was born on Christmas day.

I searched the stores each Christmas and even delighted her a few times with some special Christmas Day birthday cards, decorated with a cheery red poinsettia or even an angel wearing a flowing white robe.

I had observed over the years that some folks who were born on December 25th did not like to celebrate the day of their birth on Christmas Day.

They felt that the annual Christmas Day festivities always overwhelmed much of the focus that they wanted on themselves for each of their birthdays.

My mom did not share this perspective at all. She often said that she was born on the very best day of the entire year.

She very much treasured sharing her date of birth with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

My mom lived a rich life in that she was very much invested in her many relationships with people.

She very easily got to know folks and made many rewarding and long-lasting friendships.

She was blessed to have experienced 96 birthdays, before she passed away in the spring of 2018.

I have a very enjoyable memory of one of my mom`s unique Christmas birthdays. That year we treated her in a such a royal fashion by surprising her with not only her birthday cake, we also served her traditional steamed Christmas pudding with caramel sauce and her treasured layered trifle dessert, a special treat from my childhood. We only indulged in this very decadent excess for this one birthday.

I can still remember the delighted expression on her face and her words of appreciation for my efforts to “go over the top” to pamper her so extravagantly on that birthday.

This is one of my many great memories of Christmas that I do hold close in my heart.

We celebrated Christmas Eve in 2016 with our daughter and her family, starting with a wonderful supper and spending the night, so as to be able to open presents with our granddaughters in the morning.

During the night we had a huge snowstorm and the city was at a standstill. It was absolutely beautiful. What was even better was the fact that we couldn’t get home, so we spent our day watching Christmas movies and enjoying each other’s company.

Later in the day, we walked downtown to see what was open for Boxing Day sales, trudging through the deep snow and marvelling at the beauty and silence.

It was a day thoroughly enjoyed by all of us and a memory we will always treasure. A very memorable Christmas.

Bonnie Pukas

Lois Reetz

Prairie Belles memories

One of my favourite Christmas memories was waking up at my daughter’s place in Napanee, Ontario, with her expressing that she was in labour.

We quickly opened up presents with my 5 1/2-year-old grandson. Then we started getting things prepared for a home birth. Things were going very slow, so I put the turkey in the oven and kept myself busy getting Christmas dinner prepared.

The midwife came and things were going pretty slow. Finally, my son-in-law came in the kitchen and said we are heading to the hospital in Kingston. So out came the turkey and it was put in the cold garage till later.

I had come all the way from Saskatchewan to be present at her birth. She was not born till the early hours of the 27th. It was a very long but natural birth. Welcome to our fifth grandchild, Aleah.

Luckily I had not cooked the turkey very long, and it was put back in the oven and we ate turkey at a later date.

Christmas has always been a fun time of year that always had my three children snooping and figuring out what they were getting for Christmas, which they usually had determined by Christmas day.

One year, when the oldest was about 11, I decided enough was enough, they weren’t going to figure it out that year.

I numbered their presents randomly instead of naming them and put them under the tree with instructions, as usual, not to be touched until Christmas.

As you guessed, nobody was able to guess what was in their presents, as they could not tell which gift belonged to who. Momma won!

And the children had fun opening surprise gifts Christmas morning.

This became a tradition at our house and Christmas morning became more surprising until they were older.

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas.

Jan Dunbar

Lydia Wanner

Estevan Alliance Church 140 King Street estevanalliancechurch.com

All

Estevan Alliance Church welcomes you!