Norwood of Christmas Past

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Asphodel-Norwood’s Christmas spirit was on full display last Sunday at the annual Community Carol Service. The event has been a treasured part of the village’s annual festivities for nearly fifty years. In mid-October the call is put out for volunteers who would like to participate in the choir; this is followed by eight weeks of practice and culminates in a choral celebration of the season for a packed venue. The format usually includes a mix of traditional and modern carols, some sung by the choir only while some of the more well-known numbers have the audience joining in. Short scripture readings are intermixed throughout the presentation. In recent years the evening has also included wonderful performances by the Children’s Choir from St. Paul’s elementary School.

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The village of Norwood has always celebrated the holidays in some fashion or another. Indeed many of the annual Christmas traditions that are enjoyed by residents today can find their earliest beginnings in the village’s historical past.

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In those early days of village life back in the 1820s and 1830s Christmas celebrations would have been considerably simpler than what we are used to today. Most of the early settlers were men and woman of strong Christian faith so a time of worship, prayer and reflection would have been at the forefront of their Christmas activities. Dedicated church buildings and even ministers were scarce at the time so their devotions would have been held in a settler’s home usually with other like-minded families. In similar fashion to modern times a Christmas meal, furnished from what the land had provided and shared with family and friends would have been anticipated and enjoyed as a time to celebrate the season together.

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While almost implausible to contemplate, the revered Christmas tree would actually not have been part of our earliest ancestor’s celebrations. The tradition of using greenery for winter time celebrations and decoration dates back thousands of years; however it is Germany that is generally attributed with the creation of the traditional decorated Christmas tree. It did not however become commonplace in North American homes until the later part of 1800s when Queen Victoria started using them to decorate the Royal Residence’s (influenced likely by her German born husband Prince Albert).

Norwood’s business community has over the years taken the opportunity at Christmas to extend greetings and express their thanks to their customers for their support and patronage over the year. In the early 1900’s and extending into the mid-1960’s the village Newspaper “The Norwood Register” carried multiple ads and flyers of best wishes from local businesses at Christmas time. Many local businesses also chose to have their own cards printed that would then be mailed or handed out to their customers. The publishers of the Norwood Register even splurged and printed a rare colourized front page in December 1922 expressing their best wishes to all of their readers.

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The annual Santa Claus parade is the unofficial start of village festivities, in its modern day form it traces its roots back to the relatively recent date of 1997. Other holiday traditions in the village include the aforementioned Carol Service and a variety of church bazaars. The celebrated bazaar has unfortunately dwindled in numbers over the years; however these happy gatherings continue to provide an opportunity to meet and greet friends and neighbours and enjoy some good food and fellowship together during what is inevitably a busy time.

Interestingly the majority of holiday celebrations have a very long history in the village; records show Christmas carnivals of sorts taking place on the village streets dating back to the early 1900s. Our modern versions continue to follow a similar program as these early festivals featured activities for the children, treats and goodies were provided free by local businesses, roasted chestnuts were apparently a bit hit in the 1930s. Santa Claus was and continues to be a special guest each year. One particular example dated from the 1940s had Santa (or his helper) taking up a position on the stone steps of the large Methodist Church that once occupied the site of today’s United Church, from there he would hand out small treats to all the boys and girls. Later in the evening the Church Choir would gather outside on the same steps to provide “a fine musical interlude” before the Christmas Eve service.

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There is no denying that Christmas is a special time of year; amongst the usual hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and should one pause to look for it, there can be found an underlying sense of hope. Hope perhaps that the world is not as discouraging as it seems, hope for better times to come.

Journey to Bethlehem

A more recent community tradition even though its origins date back to the very first Christmas is the Norwood Pentecostal Church’s annual Journey to Bethlehem. This much anticipated interactive event takes place on Saturday, December 20 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the County Rd. 40 church. This unique outside performance celebrates the true meaning of Christmas with a live telling of the Christmas story. Guests make the Journey to Bethlehem thorough a series of buildings where they meet various live characters and animals to eventually find themselves at a lowly stable. Afterwards visitors are invited to enjoy hot chocolate and homemade goodies inside the church. A memorable time for all ages, admission is free to everyone. Call the church at 705-639-2187 for more information.

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Christmas Dinner

Christmas is meant to be shared. There will be a free turkey dinner with all the trimmings at the Norwood Town Hall, 2357 County Rd. 45 on Christmas Day, doors open at 1 p.m. with entertainment provided by the talented Nephton Ridge Runners, Dinner is served from 2 to 3 p.m. The local churches, businesses, organizations and individuals have come together to host this Christmas Day tradition. No one should be alone on Christmas or for that matter if you simply do not want to cook you are invited to come out and enjoy a holiday meal amongst friends and neighbours, you will find good food, warm company, and a community that cares.. For more information or to volunteer or to make a donation please call Mary at 705-639-8956 or Rolf at 705-875-8018.

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