Christmas traditions

Until Sunday night, I had never heard the words of a “Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Written in 1843; the tale has become a classic.
Our family used to have various Christmas traditions leading up to Christmas.; the putting up of the outdoor lights, the raising of the Christmas tree, gathering in the kitchen as a family to make Christmas cookies and cakes, the playing of Christmas music in the house on the weeks leading to Christmas.
Our family always seemed to find time to do those special things as a group at Christmas. With the boys now gone, some of the traditions have fallen away. We would have movie nights and play the movie of “Miracle on 42nd street”, watched Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a wonderful life” and several other traditional Christmas movies.
As a family, we watched the Alistair Sim classic on television several times. In black and white, it is a somber, sober look at the failings of Scrooge. I am not sure that our sons really enjoyed the classic. Yet the end is bright and hopeful. The movie continues to be trotted out Christmas after Christmas as a special. It fills the traditions of Christmas movies.
Through the course of television, many variations of them have been played. Homer Simpson through channel surfing met the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Alex Keaton played by Micheal J. Fox in “Family Ties” met the ghost of Christmas past, his youngest sister, and then the ghost of Christmas future played by his younger sister who shows him how the family except for him has fallen on hard times and he wakes and then rushes out to buy presents.
I had never stopped to read the carol as was presented by Dickens. Yet, Sunday evening I sat spell bound on the hard pews of the Knox United Church while five readers presented a shortened version. Focusing on every word, the story seemed much more real than the movie or the any of the television imitations.
The dimmed lights of the church created a wonderful setting. The Knox Choir sang prior to each chapter of the story. Beginning the evening and at intermission, the Rainy Lake Ringers provided a selection of traditional Christmas Carols.
Listening to each reader, I was moved by the care and inflections of their voices in telling the story. Each brought something unique to the telling and through the variations of their voices; one was granted the vision of seeing the various ghosts and settings.
Hurrying through the days leading to Christmas, it felt really relaxing to sit there and listen as Val Martindale, Mark Kowalchuck, Ruth Caldwell, Brian Hagarty and Terry MacLeod from CBC Winnipeg read the five chapters of the story.
It was a wonderful evening of entertainment. The Voyageur Lion’s Club and the CBC are commended for bringing the reading to Fort Frances for a second year. Let’s hope it becomes a permanent tradition in our community.

–Jim Cumming,
Publisher