From the number of enquiries I’ve received asking what I thought of last week’s airing of the Christmas movie that was shot at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum this past July – Christmas at Maple Creek – I get the distinct impression Terry and I are the only ones in Glengarry who didn’t watch it. Even our daughter Ursula in Toronto tuned in. Unfortunately, it premiered on the CTV Drama channel, which we don’t have on our barebones satellite TV package. CTV Drama also has a streaming app, but you have to subscribe to this specialty channel to access it. And to be honest, we don’t watch enough broadcast television to make this worthwhile. So we’ll just have to wait until next summer’s special screening at the museum to find out which young suitor Diana chooses as her beau: the blacksmith or the gorgeous cover model. In the meantime, please don’t spoil the surprise for me.
It’s your choice
I’m not sure if there are any physical seats left for Friday night’s annual Christmas Eve gathering at Kenyon Presbyterian Church in Dunvegan. The celebration gets under way at 7:00 pm, with Rev. Jim Ferrier leading a service that will feature special musical performances and readings by the children of the congregation. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the church is only allowed to admit 60 worshippers, i.e., 30% of the building’s full capacity rating. To check on availability, call Heather McIntosh at 613-527-5579.
In the event you’re unable to snag a piece of actual wooden pew — or you feel safer staying at home — you’re also welcome to attend the service via the Internet. Kenyon Presbyterian Church’s Christmas Eve service will be available via live-streaming, beginning at 7 pm. You can view it by going to the church’s Facebook page and joining the Facebook event.
To round out Dunvegan’s Yuletide calendar, Kenyon Presbyterian has cancelled their worship service for Sunday, December 27th and teamed up with its sister church: St. Columba, Kirk Hill. Together, they’ll be holding a “First Sunday After Christmas” worship service at 11 am. Kenyon Church members, and anyone else in the community, are welcome to attend.
And last, but by no means least, Rev. Jim asked me to share this message: “from the Dunvegan-Kirk Hill Pastoral Charge to each and everyone, we wish God’s every blessing for the Christmas season and on into 2021.”
Digital candlelight
One other popular Christmas event that I know many Dunveganites look forward to each year is the “Carols by Candlelight” service at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Maxville. While Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible to hold the concert as an in-person gathering, volunteers from across the region put together a virtual version for the 2020 Christmas season.
You’ll find the 28-minute production on YouTube under the title “Maxville Carols by Candlelight.” It features members of the ‘Carols by Candlelight’ Community Choir; Paddy Kelly with the Nadeau/Pacauds and Gabriele Campbell; and Joyful Noize… together with readings by Johanne Wensink, Di Jaggassar and Trevor Stanton.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of this charming video interlude. As of December 19th, it has had 166 views. It’s not going to go viral or make anyone oodles of cash. However, it may well bring a little joy into your family’s holiday celebration this year. And, after viewing it, I hope you will consider their request for a small goodwill offering to assist with the cost of the video’s production and help with the work of the church. All the details are in the closing credits. I know it would be greatly appreciated.
‘Pocket Rocket’ René?
I leave you now with short tale of a Christmas long past. A Dunveganite ‘from away’ related it to me… albeit not as far away as many of us. René Trottier was born and raised on the west half of Lot 8 Kenyon Concession 6. He came to this corner of Glengarry to marry the love of his life, the late Sherrill Ferguson. Together, they built a strong business and passed along a love of Celtic music to their daughters. As a young lad, René attended Kenyon S.S. #5, a couple of lots to the east. The school closed in 1967, but the building still remains as a private residence.
In the Christmases of his youth, René told me things were a lot simpler. “We didn’t travel far,” René confided. “There were no big gatherings.” Now he isn’t certain how old he was when this memory was formed, but he remembers it vividly to this day. Like many young boys of his generation, he was a died-in-the-wool Montréal Canadiens fan. In the weeks and months leading up to Christmas, he let it be known in no uncertain terms that he hoped Santa would bring him a pair of skates.
As the big day approached, he could almost smell the leather boots and feel the silkiness of the new laces. When he awoke Christmas morn to find a pair of downhill skis under the tree with his name on them, needless to say he was mite disappointed. “Who knows,” René imagined, “if I’d got those skates, I might have ended up playing for the Habs.” Instead, a few years later when he got on the high school bus for the first time, two or three of his fellow students were playing music… right there at the back of the bus. This sparked a love of music that drove him to acquire his first fiddle for $50 folding money, a tidy sum back then. He still has it, and its original case. The rest, as they say, is history.
Season’s Greetings…
Which, in these strange times, it probably makes more sense to express as: Have a Safe Christmas and an Uneventful New Year. Warm wishes to all. Well, nearly all.
-30-