Métis federation gets in the spirit with donation, light display

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This article was published 13/12/2024 (355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The holiday season at the Christmas Cheer Board began weeks ago, but another festive reminder that it’s the most important time of the year has come to light.

The Manitoba Métis Federation sparked up its annual Christmas lights celebration at its 200 Main St. location on Dec. 5, marking an unofficial beginning to the holiday season for those who work in and pass by the building.

The federation presented the Christmas Cheer Board with a $50,000 cheque, which will be used to make its final food order of the season.

“The theme that we’re pushing really is it’s a time for everyone to come together. I don’t care who you are, what your situation in life is, struggles and successes, but it’s a time to share and come together and be proud of our beautiful city, our beautiful province, our beautiful country,” federation president David Chartrand said.

“This might be the uniting force that brings all of us together at times.”

The lights feature a waving Métis Santa beside a chimney on the south side of the main roof. Next to him is his cart, full of gifts and being pulled by three bison. A string of lights in the colours of the Infinity Flag run along the lower roof level along with 10 brightly coloured Christmas trees on the north side of the main roof.

The federation has put on a festive display each year since 2000, but the lights at its longtime 150 Henry Ave. building weren’t making the impact it had hoped for. Upon purchasing the prominent building at 200 Main last fall, it became the perfect place for a flashy arrangement.

“For the first year when they did it on that corner of Main, just seeing it lit up like that — first of all, it’s a beautiful display, and secondly, just that area of Main Street, it just sort helps turn on the holiday season for everyone. Every time I drive past it and it’s on, it just makes me smile because it’s such a beautiful display,” said Cheer Board executive director Shawna Bell, who accepted the organization’s largest public donation of the year.

“The support from the Manitoba Métis Federation is so important to us because they’re really involved in the community, and because we’re a community-run organization it just makes sense that we get to partner with them. We’re very fortunate for the generosity of the Manitoba Métis Federation because it really does go such a long way into ensuring that hampers get out to families, particularly when we look at last year when we ran out (of hampers)… it makes me shutter every single time because we never want to find ourselves in that kind of a situation again.”

It’s been a predictably hectic start to the season for the non-profit, which estimates it’ll support close to 22,000 individuals and families this month.

The 400 registered volunteers — plus schools and other groups — have been working tirelessly to prepare hampers, which will continue to be made until Dec. 18 and are available for pick up through Dec. 23.

As of Friday, more than 10,000 Christmas care packages were prepared and waiting to be delivered. Interested volunteer drivers are encouraged to visit the warehouse at 895 Century St. It’s open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

“It’s been a pretty hectic season so far. Our phones haven’t stopped since we turned them on, on Nov. 5,” Bell said.

“We’re hot, hot, hot in the process of getting everything together.”

“This might be the uniting force that brings all of us together at times.”–David Chartrand

Chartrand hopes the lights can help the volunteers push through the final couple of weeks, and lift the spirits of those who are struggling during the holiday season.

“People don’t realize Christmas is sometimes the saddest part of some of these families lives,” he said. “Maybe there’s been a death in the family… and sometimes Christmas is hard because people are having a hard time making ends meet.”

It’s why Chartrand plans to light up more of the Métis-owned buildings in the future. The Métis National Heritage Centre, historically known as the Bank of Montreal building at Portage and Main, will receive some decorations in the coming weeks.

Next year, the federation will also light up two of its newest acquisitions at 191 and 179 Pioneer Ave.

“Two hundred Main is perfect because there’s all (sorts of) traffic going in that direction and there’s a lot of freedom from our side to decorate to the degree that it can impress the seeker,” Chartrand said.

“It’s really a sense of pride for the Métis of Red River to showcase our ability to showcase Christmas to everybody.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X:@jfreysam