There was no easing into winter weather this year, as the significantly milder than typical autumn that we had been experiencing allowed us to head outdoors wearing little more than a lightweight windbreaker all the way until the very end of November. And then winter weather was thrust upon us over the weekend with a significant amount of snowfall, forcing us to haul out the snow boots and heavier jackets for the first time this season.
Depending on where you live in the municipality, you saw between 25-50 centimetres of snow fall over the weekend, and on Monday the snow continued to fall, blanketing this municipality in a thick layer of white. The sounds of shovels scraping on asphalt and concrete, snowblowers and street plows filled the air over the weekend, sounds we hadn’t heard for many months.
The winter weather arrived just in time for the holiday season to kick off in Meaford with the third annual Christmas on the Bay event held at Market Square beside Meaford Hall over the weekend.
Organizers once again transformed Market Square into a traditional European style outdoor market with small cabin-like kiosks to house vendors offering locally produced artisan crafts along with food products perfect for early holiday shopping.
With some 20 vendors from leather and woodworkers to potters and jewellery makers, there was something for most everyone’s holiday gift list. And then of course there was food and entertainment to help make the holiday shopping experience even more festive.
For four days from Thursday through Sunday, residents and visitors attended Christmas on the Bay in spite of snow squalls that resulted in significant snow accumulation and some dicey roads to contend with throughout the weekend.
The organizers of the event should be proud of their efforts, as it is not only a good dose of fun to kick off the holiday season, it is also an event that helps draw people to the downtown area, and into the retail shops and restaurants.
Shopping as locally as possible is important to many of us, but of course in a small rural municipality located in a county of mostly other small rural municipalities, shopping local is not always possible, making online shopping almost unavoidable for many.
As festive as our surroundings are beginning to feel, it is important to remember that many in our community are struggling of course, and the holiday season can be anything but joyful and festive for those who are fretting over putting food on the table let alone buying gifts for under the tree.
As we have read and heard in recent weeks, the use of food banks has surged throughout the province, including locally, and many are struggling to survive on a $17.20 per hour minimum wage, while the ‘living wage’ calculated for the Grey-Bruce area suggests that an hourly wage of $23.05 is required, not to thrive, but simply to survive in this modern economy.
The holiday season can bring a clash of emotions for those who are indeed struggling, and during this time of year we must remember that not everyone is basking in the festive holiday spirit.
For many children this time of year is filled with magic, hope, and joy, and this weekend Santa will arrive with the Kinsmen Club of Meaford’s annual Santa Claus parade taking place on Saturday, December 7, beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Santa’s arrival can be a magical moment for youngsters. I recall my own children, who, when they were young, would enjoy stopping in at a downtown coffee shop for cups of hot chocolate to enjoy while watching the parade on what always seemed to be a chilly evening. Some years there was snow to add to the festive ambience, while other years the ground was still bare when it was time for the annual parade. When that final float carrying Santa and his sleigh would approach, the excitement in my sons’ eyes would accelerate as they caught their first glimpse of the man in red.
Before the parade, the Meaford Fire Department will be spending the day at the Red Apple store located at 206497 Highway 26, collecting non-perishable food items for the Food Bank as they ‘fill a sleigh’ for those in need in our community.
So the winter weather has arrived, and the festive holiday season has begun. Whatever you celebrate, or if you celebrate nothing at all, be safe, be kind, and remember that alcohol and driving do not mix, and the OPP along with municipal police forces throughout the province will be out on the roads for the duration of the holiday season watchful for impaired drivers. If you drink during this festive time, have someone drive you home, or call a taxi – don’t risk the lives of others by driving after drinking.
