Our first Christmas in Winnipeg

Back in 1929, English poet Rose Fyleman had written a poem while visiting my new hometown:  "In Winnipeg at Christmas."  Anyone who grew up listening to children's singer, Fred Penner, might be familiar with it.   Thanks to a few blogs I now follow, I am.  It didn't really ring true this year, though: 

In Winnipeg at Christmas there’s lots and lots of snow,

Very clean, and crisp and hard

And glittering like a Christmas card

Everywhere you go;


We had 2 cm of old snow, I believe.  For real Winnipegers, used to a White Christmas and lots of outdoor tobogganing or other snow and ice activities during the break, it's been very disappointing.  As an indicator of climate change, we're not too keen on its lack, either.  But practically, its been nice to have an easy entry into winter this year, especially as we don't yet have snow tires.  


So we kicked off our Christmas on Saturday night, not attempting to attend a candlelight service. Potentially, its too stressful with the kids, but our alternate plan turned out to be mildly stressful. We walked to a Vietnamese restaurant nearby for dinner, fortunately before the crowds hit.  Iz managed to loudly gag and choke on a whole shrimp (and later on noodles!) just moments before Ai fell straight backwards in his chair!  A was content writing her letter to Santa in anticipation of his visit.  Overall, they had a good time, we enjoyed a treat out and returned to enjoy "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" before bed.

The morning kicked in a little too early, with Iz waking in anticipation at 5:30! Not a morning person, even on special ones like Christmas, I made them wait a while before they could open their stockings.  S kept them happy with waffles :).  

The girls were thrilled that Santa had gotten them what they'd hoped, sort of. A had asked for a snow leopard and he managed to find a white tiger. All Iz wanted was 'Baby Beluga' - not the easiest thing to find mid-continent the week of Christmas! The plastic one he found wasn't quite the stuffed animal she'd anticipated, but it still worked. We've been confiscating it daily since, as it makes a really good 'whacker,' which Ai hasn't appreciated. As for Ai, I'd been letting him know prior to Santa's visit that even he has budget restraints. He graciously handled the absence of 'Rocky,' a Thomas the Train crane, happily settling for a puppet, Max (from Where the Wild Things Are).

Unfortunately S woke up with a cold Christmas morning, so it was only A and I who attended a Christmas service. The rest of the day was spent leisurely, opening a few more presents here and there, saving some to open throughout the week. They were so happy playing with each new present in turn that it saved us from the typical Christmas present carnage, with wrapping everywhere and little idea of who got what!  We enjoyed various video chats with family and friends from home throughout the day, eating Sockeye salmon as our tribute to a BC Christmas.  Our big traditional dinner was on Boxing Day with folks distantly known by S before we came to Winnipeg.  Pretty great that they live houses away from us on the same street!  The kids love visiting with them, as they have cats, a dog and two daughters (aged 12 and 9) who enjoy sharing their toys and showing them around.  It makes for a nice break for us as we don't have to shepherd them too much.  In fact, I couldn't really get a picture of A and Ai that evening as they were too busy playing and didn't want to be disturbed.  It was Iz who was always around, trying to snack on more food!

. . . So, if someday at Christmas you don't know where to go,

Just pack your bags I beg,

And start at once for Winnipeg;

You'll like it there I know.

Overall, Rose Fyleman got it right - it's a pretty decent place to spend Christmas after all.  We felt loved and cared for, we've enjoyed a week with a few visits to new friends and are enjoying being in our new home!  We hope that wherever you spent yours, you had a nice one, as well.