EVENT: Virtual Advent Tour 2010

Welcome! Welcome! Be sure to visit other stops on the tour today:  Tami @ Just One More Thing.. and the lovely Bellezza @ Dolce Bellezza. Also, since you are visiting here on Prince Edward Island, head up the road and visit Colleen @ Lavender Lines.

Christmas Events in PEI
Downtown Charlottetown is decorated with trees on every corner, the streetlights in Old Charlottetown are wreathed and bowed. Plus, Wintertide has huge lighted displays around downtown that are lit up at night, snowflakes and sleighs with horses, the three wisemen. Wintertide lights stay up from the end of November until early January, Old Christmas.

Many people leave their (real) trees up and decorated until Old Christmas, January 5th, the 12th Day of Christmas. One year, the pick up of discarded trees was scheduled for January 3rd, causing letters to the editor and complaints that it was too early for old traditions. Pick up of trees was delayed a week.

In 2001, a shortage of sticky raisins worldwide was a near catastrophe for bakers of plum pudding and special raisin bread, an Island Christmas tradition. There were articles in the paper, and interviews in the stores on the television. (And to make it a real PEI story, the owner quoted in the article lived next door to me in residence in university. There is always a connection.)

Province House, the birthplace of Canadian Confederation has an annual tree lighting ceremony to kick off the season. The stately building is beautiful both summer and winter, and is one of the lucky things we have in our small city and province.

For a long time, we only had Sunday Shopping in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. In the last few years, starting on the Victoria Day weekend in May, Sunday shopping extended then until the last Sunday before Christmas. But then none until May! Last week, the legislature voted, in a tie-breaking vote, to have Sunday shopping all year. I think we are the last place in the world to allow Sunday shopping.

Did you see a reindeer and an elf?

Craft fairs are an annual tradition, and local fundraisers. Several schools host craft fairs almost every weekend in November where you can get anything you could possibly imagine - baked goods, homemade knitted goods, jewellery, tole painted objects, wreaths, photographs, toys, and books.

Another catastrophe was averted this year. Early in November, the news said that bakers who provided baked goods at craft fairs should be baking in kitchens that had been certified as safe by government officials. Common sense prevailed; as as long as the food was low-risk, (no seafood or dairy) then bakers could bring their cookies and fudge to bake sales without fear of reprisal.

My kids at Christmas Brunch last year

 Merry Christmas from Prince Edward Island, and me and my family.







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