In the midst of the hubbub leading up to Christmas break, including concerts, gift exchanges and the general madness that schools experience in the lead-up to every vacation, a calm and joyous sense of fellowship harkens as staff and students gather for annual Christmas dinners.
More and more schools are joining the tradition of serving a Christmas dinner to all the staff and children.
Denise Warchola, Ashmont Elementary principal, notes that last year, assistant principal Candice Houle suggested bringing the tradition from Onchaminahos School in Saddle Lake to Ashmont.
“It was just something where we talked about, that, ‘We’re together as a family.’ Christmas can be a joyous time, but for some of our kids, it can be a hard time for them, as well as some of our staff,” said Warchola. “It was just a way for all of us to come together as one big family to share a meal.”
Houle adds that Christmas can be a tough time for some families, who may be missing loved ones that are no longer around to be part of the holiday.
“One of our intentions is to teach the true meaning behind Christmas, spending time as a family. We like to bring our children together as an Ashmont family. What better time to do it, than Christmas time… and bring that spirit alive?” Houle said.
How the Christmas meal is organized varies from school to school. In Mallaig, the Parent Council is the one to organize the dinner, with Parent Council chair Pam Martin saying the tradition has been one that’s together “forever.”
“It’s nice to give back to the school – and they always enjoy it,” she said, adding even while it can be a bit stressful to organize, everything always comes together wonderfully and the appreciation from the staff and students is worth the effort.
Last Tuesday, grandparents and parents served up turkey and all the fixings and a table groaning with desserts to smiling children who carried the heavy plates back to their classrooms to dig in.
“Today is turkey day!” exclaims Mallaig Kindergarten student Kenzie Malo.
“Because it’s Christmas,” adds her classmate, Zane Hiebert.
In Ashmont, the administration staff is the one that has spearheaded the efforts. When asked how the team manages it with all their extra duties, Warchola says it is a huge group effort, with the help of Ashmont’s “amazing staff.”
“We’re very lucky that our kitchen staff asked, ‘Do you guys do a Christmas meal?’ She offered to help us with all the preparation ahead of time,” she said.
Houle added that once the admin team got the ball rolling, without even being asked, the staff took it upon themselves to bring desserts too, “with the spirt of giving.”
On Tuesday, all the staff and students gathered in the gymnasium, decorated with care, with red and green tablecloths and votive candles, Christmas music playing in the background, as they all prayed to the Creator and ate the feast together, something that Houle said it touched her to see.
“It’s quite a heartfelt experience,” said Houle. No matter what came before or what comes after, this dinner is a peaceful calm in the busy-ness of the season, and Houle notes it’s the school’s way of “making sure we keep the kids in a real positive mind frame and surrounding them with positive energy.”
