Creemore's Community Christmas
This Christmas, on the big day itself and for the 10th year in a row, 150 or so folks from all walks of life will sit down together for a holiday feast with all the fixings. There will be a beautifully lit tree, presents for everyone, musicians leading carols and a visit from Santa himself. But most of all, there will be the spirit of Christmas, and trust me, that spirit will be strong, because what happens at the Station on the Green every Christmas Day is something that happens in few other places.
“People have told me they’ve tried to do the same thing in other places, but they’ve had trouble,” said Diane McKay, who has been overseeing the Creemore Community Christmas Dinner for eight of those 10 years (the original event was run by Carol Levenick of Stayner, who worked at the Egg Plant Cafe at the time. Diane helped her the second year, and soon after she took it on herself).
For Diane, the reason why it works so well in Creemore is that people here really think of themselves as part of a community. So if they have nothing else to do on Christmas, or they can’t travel, or they can’t afford to cook their own meal, or they just feel like doing something different, they think of their community.
The key to the event, stresses Diane, is that it is not just for the needy. It’s for anyone who, for whatever reason, doesn’t have any other plans for the holidays.
Even if you can’t make it out of your house, the event has you covered, every year a team of volunteers is ready to deliver food and cheer to people who have called to pre-book.
Over the past 10 years, the number of people attending the event has grown steadily, and last year it hit 150, the capacity for the Station on the Green. Credit for the event’s growth can be attributed to a solid team of organizers that joined McKay and her husband Brian about five years ago. Since then, Matthew Flett, Ali Woodley, Tim Armour, Karen Johnston, and Murray Firth and the McKays have streamlined things, developing a thee-day schedule that sees volunteers gathering for food prep on December 23.
The captain of the kitchen is, of course, Flett, who owned and operated the Purple Hills Bistro for several years where Chez Michel currently is. He now teaches cooking and baking at Georgian College, and has been known to bring some of his students along to help.
“I put out a nice spread,” said Flett, who surely must, being a guy who never does anything halfway when it comes to food.
Everything culminates on the big day. People arrive to a festive Station, and children are welcome to help decorate the bottom branches of the large tree, which is always donated by Tim Armour. After a meet and greet period, guests are seated and progress through a full Christmas Dinner, culminating with a visit from Santa.
“It really is a special thing,” said Flett. “That’s why Ali (his partner, also an organizer) and I keep coming back.”
This year, Hazel, David and Karina Wipper will also become permanent members of the team, after playing music at last year’s event.
To RSVP that you will be attending this year’s Community Christmas, please call Diane McKay at 705-466-3126. New volunteers are always welcome as well. People who are shut in for whatever reason, or are confined to Creedan Valley, are also encouraged to book a delivery. Finally, if you wish to donate money to help the event continue to exist, ask about the Creemore Community Christmas Fund at the TD Bank.
