Christmas in Concordia
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2021 (519 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As we make our way through another Christmas in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s critical we stay vigilant and do our best to keep our holiday celebrations safe. With the Omicron variant here in Manitoba, it’s important that we limit our gathering sizes, get vaccinated, and take a COVID-19 test if we feel sick. By staying prudent, we’ve been able to cautiously restore some of the holiday traditions we missed out on in 2020 and, hopefully, many of you have been able to spend time with your loved ones.
At the beginning of this month, I had a chance to safely deliver holiday poinsettia plants to community centres and seniors’ organizations around our neighbourhood. I also took the opportunity to drop off Christmas oranges to child-care centres around Concordia, helping bring holiday cheer to children and early childhood educators alike.
Meanwhile, many Christmas traditions such as breakfasts with Santa were restored with social distancing in mind, like at 180 Poplar Ave., where I helped flip pancakes and safely serve meals in early December.
For some organizations in our neighbourhood, however, the pandemic has meant we’ve had to create new holiday traditions.
At the Elmwood Community Resource Centre, I teamed up with their Christmas hamper delivery team to support families in need, which was followed by a virtual Letters to Santa event hosted online.
In Valley Gardens, the community centre opted out of its annual Christmas breakfast, so I joined folks there for an outdoor skate with Santa to keep things COVID-safe.
For seniors, I helped serve meals at the Elmwood East Kildonan Active Living Centre’s Christmas lunch, which was switched to a pickup-only event this year to avoid large gatherings.
Whether it’s through tried-and-true Christmas traditions or new events done differently in the wake of COVID-19, it’s been a pleasure connecting with our community this holiday season.
On behalf of the NDP caucus and the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, I wish to extend a merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family. Let’s all keep doing our part to stay safe and make sure next year’s holiday season can be even better.
As always, my office can be reached at 204-654-1857 or matt.wiebe@yourmanitoba.ca
Matt Wiebe
Concordia constituency report
Matt Wiebe is the NDP MLA for Concordia.