Christmas Traditions in Canada

For Chinese translation, click here. 中文翻译，点击这里

Christmas in Western Canada would not really be Christmas without snow and cold weather. Winter normally starts about the end of October. This year it was a little later. The lakes start to freeze over, and we may get some weather as cold as -30C or enjoy some great days of sunshine and hoar frost (the white ice crystals that sometimes cling to tree branches).

Inside homes, the Christmas tree goes up, catalogues arrive in the mail, and grandchildren start making their wish lists. Outside, people decorate their homes with lights, and all kinds of Christmas events are planned.

School classes present Christmas programs for parents and family, choir groups prepare for public performances, university students study for end-of-term exams, stores do a booming business as everyone runs up excessive charges on their credit cards, people prepare Christmas cards (often with a family newsletter enclosed) or send out e-cards over the Internet, and parties are planned with co-workers from work and other groups of friends in the community.

Churches are also very busy at this time of year. Historically, Christmas is really the celebration of the birth of Jesus (also known as “the Christ”). Churches will have special programs prepared for and by children, by musicians, and often on Christmas Eve (the evening before Christmas day) there will be a candlelight service. Normally, churches will also have a Christmas Dinner where everyone comes together to enjoy a turkey dinner with lots of sweet breads, cookies, and cake.

In our particular community, I am part of an organization that plans a special Christmas Dinner for International Students who attend our local university. After the meal, we do some singing of traditional Christmas songs and carols, children play out the scenes of the first Christmas, and maybe a professor will talk to students and guests about the meaning of Christmas.

And all of this just leads up to Christmas Day itself… which tends to be a family day, or two, or three. In fact, with New Years Day just a week later, Christmas activities tend to merge into a week long holiday for many people. It really is a very special time of year.

First published: 2009/12/31
Latest update: 2020/01/06