n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C14
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024
C hristmas W riting C ontest WINNERS
JUNIOR POETRY AND STORIES
Happy Howlidays
What I love about Christmas
by Gracie Stephenson STEINBACH, MB
I love when the magic elf comes out. I love to see what surprises she gets us. I love when we open an early gift on Christmas Eve. I love when me and my sisters and little brother go outside to play, and we come inside and have hot chocolate. I love when we decorate the Christmas tree. I love when we celebrate Christmas together. I love listening to Christmas music. Christmas is my favourite time of year! I love Christmas!
JUNIOR POETRY AND STORIES
The Christmas Owl
“H oo Hoo.” by Joyce Kakegamic GRUNTHAL, MB
What’s that noise? Oh, it’s the Christmas owl with a mistletoe in his beak.
SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON Ruhi Patel acts out one of the songs as a pound puppy during the Elmdale School Christmas concert.
“Hoo Hoo,” he said. He flaps to the fireplace and places the mistletoe above the fire-
place. It is snowing outside and he’s warm inside. We fall asleep but he is still awake. Then he looks out the window to see a little sleigh with eight little reindeer. Then he heard a noise on the roof and saw Santa Claus come down the chimney. “Ho ho ho,” said Santa. He saw the owl and before he could do anything Santa put a little present in front of him and said, “Merry Christmas” and when he was done, he went to the chimney and rose up it. The next morning the children rushed downstairs to see presents under the tree. The owl wen back to sleep dreaming of Santa Claus.
ADULT STORIES
Christmas in the City 1968
by Janice Hornick LORETTE, MB
I grew up in West Transcona in a small house that was built in 1912. Our Christmases were quiet as we had no extended family in the area except our un- cle Claude who didn’t visit often but came for Christmas Day supper. The family included Dad, Mom, my sister Florence; she was older by three and a half years, and myself. We put up a 6 ft. tall artificial Christmas tree about two weeks before Christmas. I remem- ber the musty smell coming from the attic as Dad brought the tree’s box down through the hatch in the ceiling. This was the smell of the start of the Christmas season to me. A great part of Christmas was when my mom made sure we took the city bus downtown in the evening to see the Christmas lights strung across Main St. and the huge natural tree dec- orated and lit up at City Hall. Once we were downtown we visited Eaton’s and The Bay department stores. There was an elaborate display of animat- ed puppets in fairy tale vignettes at Eaton’s. It was very magical. The display was moved to the Children’s Museum when Eaton’s closed in 1999.
No trip to the department store at Christmas was complete without a visit to Santa Claus. The best North Pole recreation was one with giant lollipops and candies. I was six years old that year and had doubts about the San- ta Claus’s authenticity, so I leaned my cheek against his beard to see if it was real. Everyone waiting let out a big awwww thinking I was cuddling Santa. The truth wasn’t as endearing. My Dad worked for CN rail Transcona Yards and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. A modest life but we never felt like we were lack- ing. We always received a few gifts that we had put in our letter to Santa Claus that we had picked out of the Sears or Eaton’s catalogue and there was plenty of food. My sister and I had no idea how blessed we were. At that time a box of Japanese mandarin or- anges was a once a year treat. In Transcona at that time, Santa was pulled all through the residential streets with his sleigh on a trailer by a pickup truck; a very ru- dimentary set up. Yet it was so exciting to us. There were a few disappointments and tears over broken glass tree ornaments but all in all I enjoyed my Christmases in the city very much.
ADULT POETRY
O Let This Season
by J. L. Bond STEINBACH, MB
O let this season be more
than bows, bobbles and boxes, more than cheese, chocolate and church.
Indeed, we proclaim the Child anointed. Stories, laughter and songs float, rise like festive balloons. The Good News declared, shared. O let this season be carried into the new year’s darkness. Let the presents within each of us be unwrapped; the delight of light enter. May tables host our cups and conversations, our face-to-face smiles of simply gathering. O let this season be spread throughout the coming months; may the Good News continue and continue.
HOLIDAY SEASON HOURS
Merry Christmas
AT THE CITY OF STEINBACH
CHRISTMAS EVE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24 AQUATIC CENTRE CLOSED CITY HALL OPEN UNTIL NOON
OPERATIONS & LANDFILL OPEN UNTIL 2PM
FULL HOLIDAY SCHEDULES FOR THE AQUATIC CENTRE AND T.G. SMITH ARENA AT WWW.STEINBACH.CA
NEW YEAR'S EVE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31 ALL FACILITIES OPEN NEW YEAR'S DAY, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024 ALL FACILITIES CLOSED FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 & MONDAY, DECEMBER 30 ALL FACILITIES OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25 ALL FACILITIES CLOSED BOXING DAY, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26 ALL FACILITIES CLOSED
Our very best wishes for a happy & healthy holiday season.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2025 ALL FACILITIES OPEN
CHRISTMAS TREE COLLECTION
CHRISTMAS TREES LEFT AT THE CURB WILL BE PICKED UP BY THE CITY, AS TIME PERMITS, STARTING JANUARY 2.
www.SRRWD.ca 154 Friesen Ave, Steinbach Vita 204-425-7877 Steinbach 204-326-1030
We wish residents a safe and enjoyable holiday season!
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