Life in the Valley - Issue 8 - December, 2021

Issue No. 8 December 2021

PAGE 69

Winkler’s newest community, carefully planned to enhance every family member’s day-to-day life.

Lots available at NorthPointTrails.ca Homes available at NorthPointHomes.ca

CONTENT Our Cultural Celebrations

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Solutions IT

Regional Connections

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10

LIFE IN THE VALLEY

IS PUBLISHED BY

SERIOUS MARKETING

admin@seriousmarketing.ca 204.325.0283

26 STROKES OF GENIUS 40 Janzen’s Paint

44 MONEY MATTERS Access Credit Union

TASTE OF THE VALLEY Kevin Funk

48 GARDEN GALS Morden Nurseries

ISSUE 8

December 2021

Childrens Camps International

Buffalo Creek Mills

34

58

Rhineland and Area Empty Stocking Foundation

Cross Country Mfg

50

64

moonliteautobody.com | 420 Airport Drive, Winkler | windylanetowing.ca

PASSION FOR If there’s one thing we can say about this year’s winter fashion trends, it’s that they were created to be mood lifters. Fashion designers reacted fast to the changes our world has faced and have improvised some amazing bright and bold ideas that have graced the recent runways.

Our winter wardrobes look primed to be nothing less than optimistic.

Let these splashes of color, eye-catching prints, vintage inspired comebacks and more, become your perfect excuse to step outside.

With a plethora of options to explore, the only thing you’ll have to worry about is which trend to start with.

First of all, you don’t have to sacrifice being warm and cozy in the name of fashion. Let’s face it, Manitoba is a cold place and we need to be protected from the elements. Well, thankfully puffy jackets, fleece lined leggings, long coats and coatigans (the look of a long cardigan with the warmth and thickness of a coat) have come to the rescue.

For winter 2021-2022, fashion is not overly complicated or fussy, this winter’s trends are all about adaptability. Whether going out for holiday reunions or content with planting yourself firmly between your couch cushions to watch Hallmark movies, these pieces can do both.

At Dilis Boutique, we have put together a few of our favorite must haves of the season. Let’s check the list!

• Faux Fur Coats • Puffer Jackets (Short or Long, Geometric Designs and Colorful) • Pleated Pants and Skirts. We all just want to get dressed and go back to work. The businesswoman look is tailored and structured. An updated version of the 1970’s.

• Mega Knits. Knits EVERYTHING is the obsession of the season, from long maxi dresses, two-piece skirt sets and pant sets; you are sure to have a favorite.

• Jogger Sets • Lilac and Lime Green (what?) Yes, spring colors are here for winter and they are fabulous!

• Shackets • Leather Jackets, Skirts and Pants • Knee High Boots and Retro Sneakers • Dark Denim • Flared Jeans and Baggy Trousers • Sweater Vests • Retro Inspired Sweaters • Vintage Inspired Dresses • Hats

WINTER

Remember, at the end of the day, personal style is wearing what looks good on your body and makes you feel good!

Have a blessed holiday season!

PRESENTED BY

FA S H I O N life in the valley

10 - 880 15th St., Winkler

06

Stay warm during the Christmas holidays

and Happy New Year from Parkside and Staff!

204.325.9133 880 Memorial Drive, Winkler life in the valley

07

life team

FIRST WORD

Alejandro Penner design lead photography

REBECCA DYCK editor When you were a kid, making a Christmas wish list was probably something you looked forward to for months leading up to the holiday season. I couldn’t wait till my mom brought home the Sears Wish Book so my siblings and I could start circling everything that caught our eye with a fat red sharpie. As an adult, it becomes quite a bit harder to make that list, if you even make one at all. You think about practical things you need or something that will fit within your family’s gift exchange budget that you’ve set.

But if I could ask for the things I really wanted, my list might look like this: • Christmas dinner with my entire family • A full Church service on Christmas morning • Company wide Christmas banquet with my fellow co-workers • A world without covid Those things are unattainable this year but I think that through this, we have all realized what really

matters over Christmas and it’s certainly not the presents under the tree. On a more positive note, there are still many things I will be enjoying this December and when the day comes where we can enjoy the things on my list once again, we will appreciate them all the more.

Traditions are a big part of the holidays; they create memories and they are often what we look forward to most from year to year. In this issue, we had the opportunity to be a part of something very special.

We spoke to 15 people, all from different countries but are now living here, and they shared with us how they celebrated back home.

Not all of them celebrate Christmas but they all have their own traditions and memories from their home countries that they hold dear.

Whether you’re spending the holidays away from the people you love or are finding new ways to celebrate, I hope you all find joy in this season. Merry Christmas!

Carpentry

Eric Fehr

graphic design

Mackenzie Klassen photography

Peter Cantelon writer

Steven Sukkau writer

Kevin Friesen sales

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Tony Wall Ryan Bueckert

244 Cochlan Dr., Morden • 204.822.1234 life in the valley

08

Blessings From, Ken & Glenda and Staff at Sunvalley Tire Ltd in Winkler & Altona

life in the valley

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All of us in Canada who are not descended from First Nations people are the children of immigrants. Our ancestors were newcomers to this country and this region.

The Pembina Valley is populated by newcomers and their descendants making it a diverse place with many and diverse needs. The story of this newcomer diversity is largely, the story of local non-profit Regional Connections.

Regional Connections (formally known as Regional Connections Immigrant Services), describes itself as a one-stop shop that provides services, resources, and referrals for newcomers living in the Pembina Valley (Winkler, Morden, Altona, Carman and surrounding areas) and Dauphin regions. They provide settlement services, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and literacy classes for adults, employment services for unemployed or underemployed newcomers and Canadians, as well as community integration events and a volunteer program that help connect newcomers to their new communities.

The tradition of settlement services in Canada goes a long way back to the Settlement House Movement which began in England in the 1880s and migrated to Canada in the early 1900s.

Settlement Houses, like their name implied, were a centralized location offering a kind of one-stop-shop for newcomers as they sought to settle into their new home – Canada. The earliest settlement houses were actually living spaces that sought to alleviate poverty and related

concerns. Overtime they adapted as it was noticed that often many who struggled were newcomers and people of disenfranchised ethnic groups.

Regional Connections officially incorporated as a non-profit in 2016 but its services and roots go back to the 1980s. The late 90s kicked them into high gear with the introduction of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. The program was designed to make it easier for employers to meet workforce needs and recruit people from other countries.

“There were programs under the Winkler Chamber of Commerce and the Pembina Valley Development Corporation,” said Steve Reynolds, executive director.

“They had a lot of clients in common and were working with the same people, especially after the ’98 Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.”

Prior to the nominee program the services that became Regional Connections had been working primarily with Low German people – something they still do in addition to working with newcomers from around the world.

Like the settlement houses of days gone by (minus the residential component) the creation of Regional Connections streamlined services and brought them to a more convenient centralized location. Previously services were scattered throughout the region with offerings in high schools, churches, and an office on Main Street in Winkler.

“Somebody would come in for employment service would fill out a whole intake and give all their personal information and everything, and they’d sign up for an

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English class and go across the hall and do the same thing,” said Reynolds. “So coming together, reduced some duplication of process and streamlined things for applicants. It made it more efficient for clients and helped just take another step in the programs by being able to work together.”

By 2004, Regional Connections services expanded to Morden and to Altona in 2007 as immigration began to pick up steam. With the massive growth in the newcomer demographic came a wide variety of needs across ages.

Regional Connections offers programming that touches all ages from babies through to senior citizens.

Reynolds started working at Regional Connections in 2007 as an English instructor and his passion has kept him there ever since.

“When I started, we had, for example, 10 nationalities that our client base were immigrating from - 10 different countries,” said Reynolds. “Now it’s over 130. So the diversity has really increased. The demographics of where people are coming from has shifted over time. The top countries now are The Philippines and India.”

Take a moment and ponder this for a moment – there are 195 countries in the world today and 130 of them are represented in the Pembina Valley and served by Regional Connections. That’s almost 67 percent of planet Earth living in the Pembina Valley. Amazing.

It should also be stated that Regional Connections has become so well known for the excellence of their services that they operate an office in Dauphin as well and are actively assisting the community of Churchill as they seek newcomers for their area. As of November 2021, Regional Connections settlement workers will also be providing in-person services once every 1-2 weeks in the Carman and Morris town offices.

The programs offered by Regional Connections fall into four major categories: Settlement, Employment, Language, and Community Connections.

Within these categories are numerous offerings targeting the varying and ever-changing needs of the newcomer community.

One of the benefits of these offerings is seen when you get people of so many diverse countries and cultures actively joining one-another to learn about Canadian

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language and customs. The experience can be unifying and assist in making connections that would otherwise not be forged.

“When everybody’s different, or from different backgrounds, then it becomes normal, to just get to know each other,” said Reynolds. “We can see this in our services and English classes when there’s a diverse group of people there they all connect with each other across those cultures.”

Connection is important to newcomers and it’s one of the reasons it’s in the name – Regional Connections. When a person and their family leave the country and culture of their birth to come to Canada and the Pembina Valley, the effect can be jarring.

Long valued support networks such as family and friends are gone and the feeling of isolation can be strong, particularly for a stay-at-home parent or a teenager having arrived with their family. This is an area Regional Connections has been working hard at partnering with others to fill the gap.

“Something that’s probably unique here and has been intentional over time is community partnerships, whether it’s employers or municipalities or other local non-profits and things like that,” said Reynolds. “We can’t do everything and don’t want to do everything and definitely don’t want to duplicate anything other people are doing. We want people to feel welcome and have a good experience and get really good support when they come here. “ Part of working with newcomers is becoming aware of not simply the needs that they have as a broad and mixed demographic, but also of the wide ranging set of benefits they bring to a community.

“Locally, a lot of immigration was driven initially by the manufacturing sector, and still is,” said Reynolds. “One of the things about newcomers is they have high rates of entrepreneurship. Economic immigrants who move their family halfway around the world for job opportunities, or future are very goal oriented and are risk takers who start businesses. So that’s been really cool to see people not just filling jobs locally, but also creating more jobs as they contribute to the community like that.”

As you can imagine, filling all of these needs takes a lot life in the valley

12

of people. Regional Connections employs more than 80 people, many of the former newcomers themselves, to pull together the myriad of support offerings available.

One of those people is Helena Martens. Martens moved to Canada from Bolivia and utilized the services of Regional Connections, particularly the language training where she graduated from their literacy program. Now she works in the HIPPY program. As a home visitor.

HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is an outreach program for newcomer mothers of pre-schoolers who are isolated at home due to lack of transportation.

Chiwandire has appreciated his journey in the community with the help for Regional Connections and sees the need for employees continuing to be a driver for immigration to the region for years to come.

“If a business is growing and needs five people or 15 people or 30 people – people don’t just appear in your local community out of nowhere,” he said reinforcing the value of immigration. “In this role I get to travel and be around the province a little bit more and work with other organizations like ours. And I get to appreciate how unique we are here.”

Martens’ experience as a newcomer helps her connect with parents who may be struggling.

Employment coordinator Adeleke Dada agrees and also highlights the need for newcomers to be prepared to integrate and learn more about Canadian culture.

“Some of them feel very lonely, especially if they don’t have a way like to go somewhere on their own,” said Martens. “They are afraid of losing connection with others.”

The opportunity to be employed in her new country is very gratifying to Helena. What does she like most about her role at Regional Connections and the HIPPY program?

“Learning together with them,” she said. “I was a newcomer once wanting to learn to write. I like learning – learning about different cultures, different backgrounds. That’s something that I love to learn about.

That’s really interesting.”

“To integrate means if you’re coming to a new community, from my experience of living in different places, you need to take time to understand that community,” said Dada. “If you do that part, people always offer strong support. So that’s something to think about.”

For more information about Regional Connections and the programs it offers visit www.regionalconnections.ca.

You can also connect to learn how to become a volunteer mentor to a newcomer or family.

Shepherd Chiwandire is another Regional Connections employee who was a newcomer who now works with newcomers as a volunteer facilitator. In fact, just one week prior to this interview Chiwandire received his Canadian Citizenship. life in the valley

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Where

MORE

is

LESS

We at Ideal Floors would like to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We thank you for your support this past year and look forward to continuing to serve our customers in the New Year!

At Ideal Floors we believe knowledge is key in choosing the right product. Our team has decades of experience in the flooring industry and can help you choose the right product for projects of any size. Whether your project is a new build, or just updating a bathroom, we have you covered with an extensive selection of carpet, vinyl, laminate, vinyl plank, hardwood, and tile.

Owner / Sales

Sales

Sales

Knowledge is key in choosing product & our experts can educate you on the what, why or why not when planning your project. In today’s DIY world, why not ‘We do it for You’?

idealfloorsmb.ca

325 Roblin Blvd E (204) 325-4243

Winkler, MB info@idealfloorsmb.ca

Joy World to the

HOMES

A WONDERFUL PLACE TO CALL HOME!

davehconst@gmail.com • text 204.325.3184 Morden, Manitoba life in the valley

15

The Morden Food Hall

Created in an effort to welcome new entrepreneurs to the community.

What has resulted is an ideal place for three restaurants to bring together the best in exotic cultural food options into one location. These modern commercial kitchens, each run independently of the other, bring together a blend of cuisines from around the globe.

FIND US BEHIND THE MORDEN SIGN

Conveniently located off of Highway 3, just behind “Bruce” allows patrons to grab their meals during a busy n Dror supper hour. We welcome everyone to explore the Lorelunch options at “foodhallandmarket.com” and to get to know each of the occupants.

FIND US BEHIND THE MORDEN SIGN

FIND US BEHIND THE MORDEN SIGN Loren Dr

La Verendrye Blvd

La Verendrye Blvd

The Morden FOOD HALL

FOOD HALL AND MARKET

5 - 2 8 2 L o r e n D r. M o r d e n

w w w. m y m o r d e n . c a / m a r k e t

life in the valley

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Wangdao Bistro is a restaurant dedicated to making healthy, fresh, authentic and distinctive Chinese food. Originality and unique taste are our specialties. We want to bring the most representative Chinese cuisine to our community so that people can taste the original and special Chinese food without having to travel to China. To enrich the food culture of our community. 204-384-9264

IC

EN

AB K H

Ichkaben Doner Kabab offers a selection of shawarma options to choose from, all of them unique and with an authentic taste; falafel, chicken and beef. Served as a platter with lots of crisp vegetables, or doner kebab with choice of bread. Add in a side of our soup or create a combo from our menu options.

In addition to the shawarma, we offer homemade pasta dishes that have freshly made sauces and noodles with a unique texture and a variety of toppings. 204-384-8981

Kitchen Of Spices is an East Indian food takeaway kitchen catering to your souls with fresh and healthy food made in house by chef Ankur Aggarwal who carries more then a decades experience in the cuisine. We offer caterings, deliveries, custom orders and much more. 431-774-0425

f o o d h a l l a n d m a r k e t . c o m life in the valley

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In the fall of 2005, Winkler business owner Dennis Kehler received an urgent call.

A few hours later, he was flown to Fort Worth, Texas to help decide the fate of the Radio Shack Brand in Canada.

What led him here was his success as a leader in the Radio Shack dealer network, having achieved top status in a 900+ store network, respected for sales volumes as well as foresight in the industry.

Now, he stood with a small group of handpicked dealers who had been requested to attend Tandy Corporation’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Ultimately, the decisions they were to make, based on what they were being shown, would decide the fate of the Radio Shack brand in Canada.

But more on that story later.

It began for Dennis when he started his affiliation with Radio Shack in 1984 as an employee of the local associate store. After a few years, at the age of 26, he made arrangements to purchase the store. It began to inch its way up the Radio Shack performance charts, to the very top.

What drove him was the attraction of being able to make a living “playing” with electronics.

“Initially I had no real aspirations of being in business, that just happened to be what was required at the time.”

When he started, a portable video camera consisted of a huge device on your shoulder, wired to a recording pack the size of a small suitcase.

“There was none of this,” Kehler says, motioning to his phone. “A 20” color tube TV sold for $500, $800 if you wanted the version with a remote. The rapid evolution of those types of products never ceased to fascinate me.”

However, he quickly built a very respectable team.

As staff and the store’s size increased, so did their business reach. Within five years, the Winkler Radio Shack was not only performing at the top of the Radio Shack national charts, but the local store had also become a leading retailer in the Southern Manitoba market.

It led him to the Tandy Corporation’s headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas where they were woo’d to sign on with Tandy Corporation who was locked in a battle for the Radio Shack dealer network with up-and-coming USA retailer Circuit City. Circuit City had managed to make a strategic play for the shares of the struggling Intertan Corp, who controlled the Radio Shack brand in Canada.

The dealer group majority decided to support the Circuit City effort. As a result, gained a quick following in the dealer network, and the Source by Circuit City (now owned by Bell Canada and known as “The Source”) took over nationwide. All across Canada, the Radio Shack bulkhead signs fell, and the Source by Circuit City signs went up in their place.

During that time, products continued to evolve quickly, and their focus had to change constantly.

They quickly moved into other lines of business as home theatre and computing were some of the newest and most exciting product evolutions. They brought in other key players and reduced their dependency on Radio Shack; a move that proved invaluable as the Radio Shack / Circuit City battle commenced. The staff introduced Sony, Alpine, Panasonic and many other key brands to retail floors, and flourished with them.

“And eventually, our own brand became necessary, so Solutions and eventually SolutionsIT was born.”

And then came the PC. At the time, Radio Shack, with their Tandy brand, was one of the key players in the PC market. At one point, they accounted for more than 50% of the personal computer sales in North America.

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“Most of us were hooked from the very start”, says Kehler. “Microsoft was just getting started, as was Apple, and there was no I-anything, so the future was very exciting.”

market. The business, now known as Solutions, had been recruited by both MTS (now Bell/MTS) and Cantel (now known as Rogers) as a reseller; planting Solutions firmly into the communication business.

The competition was fast and furious and although Tandy’s name faded in prominence, the store’s involvement in the new technology grew.

“Initially, the cell service was poor but we had a lot of fun bringing it to market. I remember doing our first radio ad as a telephone interview, done from a moving vehicle (before laws prohibited that sort of thing). People were amazed.”

“The computing market had a lot of entertainment value but also so much more, it was a way of enhancing everything we do.”

Dennis and his team jumped on board computerizing everything about the business that they could, accounting, sales, record keeping, business planning, etc.

This led to some amazing business relationships, and the team quickly grew to help expand that approach to a market that included many business entities in the region.

“We were fortunate to become the “goto” for many who wanted their business to benefit from new technology, and that became one of our corporate passions”, explains Kehler.

While retail continued to expand, the business decisions took on more of a “business to business” focus.

An acquisition of the local stationery store named Paperwork resulted in a significant expansion of business services, including a corporate office furniture and stationery team, focused on supplying the business community.

In business, like life, nothing ever stays the same.

Evolving alongside the PC market was the cell phone

Again, the first units were huge, clumsy, and took a ton of power. Certainly, nobody had thought of the concept of taking a picture with one.

Dennis and his team ended up partnering with IDC Communications out of Winnipeg and built the first MTS Connect stores together. Eventually, as each of the partners focused on their strengths, IDC Communications ended, retaining the Winkler Connect store, while Solutions resumed focus on their other growing strength; Information Technology.

And no technology story would be complete without talking about the internet. As computers became more commonplace, the need to exchange data resulted in dial-up bulletin boards, and PC to PC communications, via screechy, slow, and unreliable modems.

One of their favourite memories of corporate computing projects, pre-internet, was building a network of email servers developed exclusively for Southern Health. They teamed up with a friend, peer, and future partner in the Portage La Prairie region, Mega Computers, to build a strategic relay of servers that had the ability to transmit electronic messages,

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shortly to be known as e-mails, between all of their locations and facilities. Compared to today’s technology, it was archaic, but at the time, it was cutting edge. A message sent from Gladstone to Altona would take up to two hours to transmit, relaying through multiple servers as dialup programming set up the required relays to reach the destination; avoiding long-distance dialup charges via the shortest route. Much of it followed the same principles as the future internet emails. It was a game changer for Southern Health, they had one of the most modern communication methods in existence at that time.

But when the internet arrived, all of that was replaced.

Solutions quickly jumped on the bandwagon and Kehler immersed himself in it.

GVSD (Garden Valley School Division) had one of the only commercial connections and was looking for instructors to introduce the local community to the internet in their evening educational offerings. Having a great relationship with GVSD’s technology staff, Kehler and a handful of his team put up their hands to help out.

“What I found interesting in that experience wasn’t just the technology. Much of what amazed me was discussion on the social impacts of a connected world.

I’m still amazed at how some of those predictions that were being made in those academic discussions, even at that time, have proven to be true.”

Solutions quickly became immersed in the internet technology, first as a reseller of MTS’s services, and later, from a desire to do things better; an arm of Solutions branded “Web4”. “Web4” quickly became the predominant dialup internet provider for the region.

Eventually, as dialup services were being replaced by other technologies, Solutions sold Web4 to MTS and resumed focus on Information Technology in general; not ready to commit to the world of connectivity.

“As a side note, I’m extremely happy to see an effort like Valley Fiber pick up the torch of ensuring that our rural markets stay served well by modern connectivity.

National carriers just don’t see enough priority in our markets to do that, or do it well. And today, connectivity providers and Information Technology providers benefit each other, and need each other to drive technology forward. Many of SolutionsIT’s offerings today require modern connectivity.”

As an example, their VOIP, (Voice Over Internet Protocol) offering allows businesses to replace their traditional business telephone systems with software systems that cost less, deliver more features, and interact better with all of their other technologies, but without a fast and reliable internet connection, it’s just not the same.

So, what exactly is the Solutions of today?

“Today, Solutions IT (note the addition of the IT in the name) is an Information Technology provider, still building business relationships, and focused on bringing the best trends in technology to our client base.”

They are no longer associated with the Source by Circuit City, their associations are with like-minded IT providers and their mentors across North America.

They have also learned through their peer groups and through their experiences, that the trends they bring forward can’t be just technological solutions.

“We offer different types of service arrangements for different clients that take us into assisting clients with business budgeting and planning, company policies around their technology, consulting, training for productivity and cyber security, and many other areas that surround technology in business.”

With 47 staff, spread between Winkler, Portage La Prairie, and Winnipeg, Solutions IT provides services that

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benefit the mom and pop start-up business next door, to the multi-location enterprise, with presences across Canada.

Yet, with that reach, SolutionsIT is always eager to help the small start-up businesses. Many of their clients have grown from single PC deployments, to large, multi-site networks in the years that SolutionsIT has been working with them.

Their service arrangements need to be diverse to handle them all, and they are. The company has invested heavily in its systems and organization so that clients can depend on them as an organization with experience, depth, and redundancy.

Today, the entire organization is dedicated to enhancing the successful use of technology in businesses and organizations. The goal is to make things easy so that the business and organization can focus on its own mandates and rely on SolutionsIT to handle all aspects of their technology. Solutions of today employs field technicians, remote support technicians, planning experts, dedicated project managers, trained network managers, and dedicated account managers in a co-ordinated effort to deliver their services and technology expertise to the benefit of their clients.

“I try to point out the “we” and “our” in everything we do as well because we have only been able to do what we do, with a strong collaborative team and groups of teams that have significant experience and tenure. People like Keith Woodcock, Dave Giesbrecht, Zach Worms, Curt Dueck, and Jordan Sharples have 20+ years of tenure here at SolutionsIT and are instrumental in developing products, people, and great clients.”

“Many of our valued staff are long term, and many careers have been built here. We are a 100% employee-owned business. And, as an employee-owned business, we work hard to be big enough to serve enterprise, and still be Mom and Pop friendly.”

“Our products and Solutions offerings are also diverse. We include products and solutions that are affordable, valuable, and scalable for the same range of markets.”

The Radio Shack days are a fond memory, and they served them well, and while they are still the same company, Dennis says their purpose has evolved substantially.

The mission statement on the wall is, ‘To help our clients THRIVE with technology’.

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What is the SolutionsIT of tomorrow?

From a technology offering perspective, it will be what it needs to be. Technology trends move quickly and many of the trends they’ll be working with in the future have not yet started to evolve.

“We will continue doing what we have always done, which is to adapt, learn and offer our clients the opportunity to benefit from what we do.”

For example, the need for proper cyber security is not a new trend, but the threats are always new and increasing vastly in intensity and complexity. The type of players behind the security threats have changed dramatically in the last few years, and that’s a problem SolutionsIT is working hard to help their clients stay ahead of. It takes a lot to stay on top of the technology side of the security, but it’s also about education, user training, and planning.

Another new trend has been brought forward by the recent Pandemic. The effect of the Pandemic on how organizations work has forced many of their clients to operate in a distributed workplace, and yet, stay properly connected. The tools and cloud services that they used to assist their clients in that transition have undergone substantial revisions in the last 18 months, and now that they are being more widely used, it is clear that those tools and cloud services are here to stay, even without a Pandemic driving them.

“We’ve played a role in many of our clients making that transition, and I see we will be doing a lot more of that as these tools are improving at an incredible rate.”

All new trends aside, Dennis is proud of his team’s approach to implementing technology, in that there is one thing they all share… the desire to benefit other people.

“As we are constantly working on how we improve our services, that desire is not forgotten. We tell each other that we don’t do computer support, we do people support, people who use technology. We are not a technology company, we are a people company” The ability to do that well is what builds the trusting relationships needed to move clients, and themselves forward.

“We will never completely perfect or be completely satisfied with our service delivery, but we will never stop working on it.”

One thing that will not change is that if they can have a hand in seeing clients benefit from better use of technology, and/or better support, … we can go home from work knowing we had a purpose and provided value that day.”

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FROM

SNOWTO

OH NO

THE DO’S AND DONT’S OF SAFE SHOVELING

Love it or hate it, snow shoveling is part of living in southern Manitoba. However, snow shoveling is no easy task. Although necessary, it does come with a risk of injury. So, to save yourself from unnecessary pain – follow these simple dos and don’ts.

DO pick the right shovel!

We all come in different shapes and forms – so the shovel we use should be uniquely suited for individual use. When properly adjusted, your shovel should be in contact with the ground with only a slight bend in your knees and minimal bending through your back. The weight of the shovel can make a difference too.

A shovel that is made of a durable plastic will be lighter than a metal one, putting less strain on your spine. Likewise, a smaller shovel blade may take you longer to accomplish the task, but it will ensure that you do not overload or overdo it.

DON’T go out cold!

DON’T overdo it - pace yourself!

Clear snow in stages. Start by skimming snow from the top and then move towards the bottom layer. Or prioritize your most important sections. This will reduce the overall volume of snow needed to be moved at once. Remember the snow is not going anywhere too quickly so do take a break every 10 to 15 minutes or when you are feeling exhausted. Setting a timer can be a helpful trick.

DO listen to your body!

If you begin to feel pain while shoveling, it is time to stop. Pain can be the body’s way of telling you that something is not right and that it is time to take a break.

When it comes time for the flakes to fly, keep this advice in mind to keep yourself safe. If you have questions or concerns always remember to contact your local physiotherapist.

Cold muscles and tissues are more likely to get hurt while doing any activity and snow shoveling is no different. Before heading outdoors, do a small warm-up to increase your circulation. Small movements such as marching on the spot, walking in place, opening / closing your arms in front of your chest, or even doing arm circles can help warm things up.

DO use proper body mechanics!

Remembering a few key points about proper body mechanics can go a long way towards minimizing risk while shoveling snow: • Bend at your hips and knees to utilize these stronger and more powerful muscles.

• Face the snow you are intending to move with keeping your shoulders and hips square. This will reduce unnecessary rotation.

• Push the snow - it is easier than lifting the snow.

• If you do have to perform a lift, do not overload the shovel with snow; there is less strain in lifting smaller amounts with each step.

• Keeping one hand near the handle and the other closer to the blade will improve leverage and improve your ability to maneuver the snow.

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GOOD SENSE PAINTING TIPS Simple, easy, obvious for some of us may not be so for others. Our interest and knowledge bases are different, our brains work differently. What some of us accept to be common sense or established best practice may not be ready knowledge for others. At the same time, if we’re preoccupied, overwhelmed or rushed, we might forget to apply or resist applying, all of our good sense. The staff at Janzen’s Paint and Decorating Ltd. hope that one or more of the following tips will serve to light up your latest painting project.

BE REALISTIC. Think it through before you take on a big or small project before an event or holiday.

EDUCATE yourself. What will you need? Why? How much will you spend? Where will you get supplies?

SCHEDULE your time. Break your project down into steps. How long will the project take? How much working time is estimated for each step? How much drying and curing time is required? Will you be doing the project over an extended period, such as over weekends?

ORGANIZE tools needed for the project. Keeping tools clean and organized when not in use makes future projects less daunting. You will also save money by reusing washable tools and by being able to keep track of what you have.

CLEAN your space, whether it’s a room or a work table. Move extraneous objects out of the way. This will enhance your work experience and help to keep yourself and your belongings safe and clean.

INVEST wisely in the best tools and finishes that you can afford for your purpose. Premium finishes are usually easier to work with, provide better results more easily and in addition to the above, investment tools

are ultimately more economical in the long run when cared for and reused. Benjamin Moore's Aura™ provides unsurpassed coverage with minimal rolling. Good products at lower prices are also available. Benjamin Moore's Ben™ is a sensible choice for painting low wear or frequently repainted spaces.

PREPARE surfaces to be painted. If necessary, clean, sand, remove dust and prime. Sanding between all coats of primer (K046-00 Benjamin Moore's Fresh Start™ is a superior multi-purpose primer) and wiping the dust with a tack cloth promotes a smoother final result.

ASSEMBLE components to be painted. If you’re painting cabinet doors with Benjamin Moore’s Advance™ remove hardware and lay them out in assembly line fashion. If you’re working on a model kit or making seasonal decorations, an assembly line promotes speed and uniformity.

REPURPOSE leftover paint. Before you recycle, use leftover paint on craft or art projects. Exterior paints such as Benjamin Moore's Aura exterior™ work well on outdoor pieces such as birdhouses or accent chairs.

REST between steps by going for a walk, doing another task, or dreaming up your next project!

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Strokes

of Genius

Presented by For more detailed information and answers to any related questions you may have, contact Janzen's Paint & Decorating Ltd. @ 204-325-8387 • Winkler

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May you and your family be surrounded by love this Christmas

season!

Contact Ryan or Joan

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Monthly Amenities – Meal credit in our café ($200.00 – 1 person) – Snacks – Monthly housing costs – Utilities (electricity, gas, water) – Property taxes – Building insurance cost – Weekly light housekeeping – Weekly linen and towel service – Complimentary Laundry facilities on each floor – Trash pick up – Apartment maintenance and repair – Appliance maintenance and repair

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GET a

Gr p

WINTER TIRES On the road, your most precious cargo is held by thousands of pounds all while riding on 4 rubber circles. That’s why it is imperative that those rubber tires of yours perform with excellence every time you leave your driveway. Just like we change what we wear depending on the season, we also need to change our tires for the cold winter months. Studies show that winter tires provide up to 30% shorter stopping distance than all-season tires. With these bitter Manitoba winters, your all-season tires become rigid and lose traction.

Once the temperature dips below 7 degrees Celsius, that is your cue to book your appointment. It’s not just about the snow, the temperature also affects how well your tires are functioning. Tread rubber compounds of winter tires are designed to remain flexible, allowing the tire to grip the road better.

When it comes to winter driving, there are many options – so many options in fact, that it can become overwhelming.

A tire sales representative will be able to ask you the right questions in order to find the perfect treads for your needs.

All-Season tires should really be called ‘three-seasons’ because they are designed for warm, dry and wet conditions generally above 7 degrees Celsius. The finer tread of

all-seasons are not fit for snow and slush but the hard rubber compound will last longer in warm temperatures.

All-Weather tires are perfect for mild winter conditions including heavy rain and snow. The blocky-style tread is designed to push away slush and provide stability along with sensitive handling for warmer conditions. The rubber is flexible in temperatures above and below 7C Winter tires are the ultimate choice for harsh Manitoban winters. The blocky tread with added siping (fine slits in the tread) grips snow and pushes away slush. The rubber compound of winter tires are made to stay soft in colder temperatures for better grip. If you do a lot of rural driving, you may want to consider studded tires. They can provide better handling in challenging road conditions. In Manitoba, studded tires are allowed from October 1st until April 30th.

Winter tires just make sense - making driving safer and easier. Be prepared for the worst, so that you can enjoy the best moments of the season. Take advantage of mail-in rebates until the end of December. For help in choosing the right tires for your vehicle this winter, visit us at Sunvalley Tire in Winkler or Altona.

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CHILDREN’S

CAMPS INTERNATIONAL Almost 20 years ago, Ray Wieler was working as the director of the Winkler Bible Camp, a wooded property off Highway 3 between Morden and Winkler.

WBC had everything you might expect of a small camp; a climbing wall, a lazy creek bed trickling its way through the forest, dozens of cabins with names like ‘Honour’ and ‘Courage’ emblazoned by the door, an old chapel that vibrated with hundreds of stomping feet

every night, a cafeteria that had mastered the art of slinging sloppy joes en masse, and the unbridled energy of young teenage camp counselors that would become young campers’ heroes.

Little did Wieler know, the relatively simple model of camping ministry plus the heart of a young man from India, would spark a movement that would touch every corner of the globe.

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L

In 2003, Antony Samy was sent out from his church in India to North America to gain some ministry experience.

It was at Winkler Bible Camp that Wieler’s newest counselor caught a vision for how camping ministry could change his home nation.

“Jesus came to preach the good news to the poor and set the captives free. In my country, I have seen lots of poor people, and so many people are living in bondage under the caste system. The solution for my country is Jesus Christ.”

That same fire kindled a flame in Wieler’s heart as well.

The DNA of what would become Children’s Camps International is very, very simple, Wieler explains. They partner with the indigenous churches, working with the pastor to train their young people to reach the children within a 4-5 block area of where the church is planted, so the children can come back for follow-up all

year. Samy notes, the follow-up programming is actually even more important to them, and to the 2,000 churches they now partner with, than the initial week of camp.

It’s during the year of follow-up with their local church that children receive important discipleship and many go on to join the church and even become camp counselors themselves.

So it was in 2003 that CCI started in India with the model camp ministry. There wasn’t a climbing wall or a petting zoo, but they did invite children to take part in games, singing, and the Gospel message, all built on the discipleship model of the camp counselor.

They quickly found it worked just as well in a village in India as it did at the Bible camp just off Highway 3 between Morden and Winkler. And they would soon find it works in every other village and nation you can imagine.

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In the first year in India, 500 kids were able to attend, many of them coming to know Christ as their personal savior.

As of this summer, over 2.7 million children have attended CCI camps in India.

Since the first camp in 2003, the North American arm of CCI continues to act as a support to launch camps around the world in partnership with local church leaders. While that support from CCI headquarters continues, local leaders take complete ownership of the ministry, raising local dollars to fund the majority of their costs.

It currently costs $5 to send a child to camp, churches have seen the importance of reaching children and taken on funding 85% of the costs themselves. That includes funding the year of follow-up programming with every camper.

“So we help kickstart the programming and they run with it,” VP of Operations, Dave Thiessen explains.

Today, CCI operates camps across South Asia, Cambodia, and Brazil.

The impact radius of a child attending a camp is explosive as well. Each child brings the Gospel message home to their family and friends and reverberates over the decades. One of the first kids to ever attend a CCI camp in India in 2003 grew up to become a counsellor and now with a family of his own, they share the Gospel with their whole neighbourhood.

Trying to imagine the ripple effect of nearly 3 million children is almost impossible to comprehend.

And there are many more kids waiting to be reached, they even have leaders in place ready to run programs, they’re just waiting on the necessary funding.

“I lose sleep thinking that today we could reach two million kids. Today we could reach those kids but it just comes down to the dollars… but you know every little contribution makes a difference,” Thiessen says.

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The generosity of the Pembina Valley and beyond continues to reap eternal dividends as CCI has been able to launch camps across the globe.

And that funding comes from everything from lemonade stands run by local kids in the Pembina Valley, or the $25 cheque from a local donor, to the large-scale partnership of a corporation.

“Whatever it is, it’s about using the gifts you have for a purpose. And that’s probably my biggest push right now, is what has God entrusted you with? He’s giving each and every one of us gifts and abilities, use what you have… we’re on this Earth for a purpose,” Thiessen says.

One of their most well-known fundraising events was the World Record harvest event in 2018 in Winkler. In total people in 59 countries watched as 306 combines broke a world record.

Since then, they’ve built on their relationship with the agricultural community under the theme, Farming with a Purpose. Farmers grow and harvest crops as a way to raise funds. Another initiative is the sale of hail insurance for farmers. While it’s the same product you’d buy elsewhere, buying through CCI means your money is supporting camping ministry in developing countries. Last year alone they raised $68,000 through the initiative.

“If you’re going to buy insurance, now the only difference is those dollars have a Kingdom focus,” Thiessen explains.

They’ve also partnered with more companies to sell other agricultural products like grain bags, that will send more kids to camp.

Under the Build it For Kids banner, in Kelowna, a major building project aims to send one million kids to camp.

In total, 57 houses have been built in Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan in support of CCI. Thiessen says they’re doing all of this because they’re seeing an incredible opportunity right now around the world, in part spurred on by Covid.

In the midst of the global turmoil, Wieler says Children’s Camps International is giving hope to life in the valley

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children and their families in situations that some would consider hopeless.

“The response has been absolutely incredible, they’re finding their hope in Jesus Christ,” Wieler says.

“We’re seeing a desire around the world to know who God is,” Thiessen adds.

In India alone, there are millions of regional gods. In these times of crisis, Thiessen says many people are looking to a god to believe in, “but they’re asking, “Which one?” and “who is God?” Our ministry has seen an incredible explosion due to the fact that people are searching.”

When Covid hit, Thiessen was in India with a ministry team. They flew home just as the world was closing down.

it’s during the off-season that you have the space to breathe and look at what you can do differently next season to increase yield or look into equipment that could save you time and energy.

Implementing digital camp programming has allowed them to reach even more kids, seeing a 250% growth last year alone.

Now, they’re reaching half a million kids every year.

“I believe… we truly serve an awesome God, a God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” Wieler says.

In Brazil, they had already been developing an online training program that included three years of the curriculum.

“I’ll never forget March 9, 2020, where I went from traveling 3,000 km a week visiting people and sharing what God is doing through CCI, to sitting at home unable to see anyone, all our plans sitting on a shelf.”

When the country shut down due to Covid everybody was at home and the online ministry just exploded. In early 2020 they were operating in one state in Brazil, this summer they were in every single state, reaching an entire nation.

However, like many, it was also an opportunity to slow down and take stock of everything they were doing and make adjustments.

Portugal is now using the material and they’ve had requests to have the curriculum translated into more languages.

“It was good for us as a ministry,” he says, adding it’s like in farming when it’s harvest time you’re not researching new equipment, you’re too busy. But

“God is moving in incredible ways,” Thiessen says.

Wieler shares a testimony from a pastor they’ve

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partnered with in India.

The pastor had gotten into trouble with the law and had been sentenced to a correctional institution. But it was there he heard the Gospel message, and he felt a calling to reach the children in his community. Using CCI training and materials, he began to see his church flourish, with other parents eagerly sending their kids to avoid the same mistakes the pastor made in his youth. He has since started six churches, with over 100 camp counsellors.

“We were created to honour Him and glorify Him. So, whatever you do, God is calling you to use it for His purpose, and have fun doing it,” Thiessen says. “I always say it’s so much fun when you can be part of it, seeing Him change lives.”

That doesn’t mean every day is easy, in fact, Thiessen says there are challenges and a lot of hard work. But it’s always worth it.

To partner with CCI, visit ccicamps.com.

Looking to the future, Wieler’s vision is to seed and grow the ministry in the U.S, “that is a high priority as we see a tremendous opportunity for funding there.”

His other priority is to find creative ways to help churches become fully self-sufficient.

In the end, how we respond to God’s calling, and the gifts he’s given us is up to us.

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NANA’S CHRISTMAS CRE AM COOKIES

Recipe created by Kevin Funk Instagram: @chefkevinfunk

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Taste Valley of the

This recipe has been made in our house since I can remember. It is a family favorite. As kids, we would eat our dinner as quickly as possible in the hopes we would have a few of these creamy goodies waiting for us. It is my mom’s cream cookie recipe. My kids love it as much as I do and they look forward to cookie-making with Nana every holiday season. Memories and sweet treats. It doesn’t get much better than that.

To put our own little family twist on it, we added some nutmeg, cinnamon, and almond. If you do not

WET INGREDIENTS: 3/4 C butter 1 C sugar 2 eggs 1 C sour cream

have these ingredients, they can easily be omitted as they are not necessary. Our little family just loves cinnamon and nutmeg.

I hope you enjoy these as much as our family does.

Leave a couple out for Santa. I’m sure he would appreciate it.

They go great with milk.

s k n u F e h T

Merry Christmas everyone and God Bless.

DRY INGREDIENTS: 3 C flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground almond

• Pre-heat oven to 350 F • Mix dry ingredients and then add the wet.

• Mix in a countertop mixer or by hand. Do not over mix.

• The dough will be sticky. Cover and set in fridge to chill for roughly 30 minutes.

• Flour a surface and roll out the dough. Add a little flour to the dough as needed. Do not add too much or the cookies will be dry. Just enough to roll it out without it sticking to the pin.

• Cut cookies with a cookie cutter or the rim of a cup. Cut them fairly thick. We cut ours about 1/2”-3/4”.

• Space out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

• Bake at 350 F for roughly 10 minutes.

• Remove from oven and let cool.

• Top with your favorite butter/cream icing.

• Best served chilled. That is a personal opinion and it is debated in our house every Christmas.

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ACCESS

C R E D I T

U N I O N

Where you need us to be.

Advice on writing your will Not having a proper Will in place can cause unnecessary grief for family members at an already stressful time. The good news is making a Will is not expensive or difficult.

NAME YOUR BENEFICIARIES Here are some tips to consider:

NAME AN EXECUTOR

A Will allows you to name an appropriate executor. Being an executor is a serious commitment and unfortunately, executors often accept the appointment without fully understanding the role. When choosing whom to name as executor, consider someone who is: • familiar with the duties and responsibilities of an executor and has time to carry out the duties • impartial in case there is a dispute • is aware there is the potential for personal liability

You can determine who will benefit from your estate, the amount, and when the beneficiaries will receive their gift.

Some considerations to think about include: • whether you release the gift immediately or place it in a trust account • how to disburse personal effects and collections • how to disburse real estate or will all assets be sold and the cash distributed amongst family members or charities?

• ensuring beneficiary designations on registered plans such as RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs, and insurance policies are who you want them to be

NAME A GUARDIAN FOR MINOR CHILDREN

Parents need to decide who is best suited to care for their children and name this person as the guardian. The responsibilities of guardian include: the supervision, care, control and custody of the child. However the guardian does not have the power to manage the child’s property. Although all guardianship appointments must be ratified by the court, parent’s wishes are taken into account and given strong consideration. If a guardianship has not been named, the court will appoint the guardian.

ESTABLISH TRUSTS

A Will is one method of establishing a trust, since you may be concerned about caring for a spouse, a dependant child, a disabled beneficiary, a family member with addiction or spendthrift issues, safeguarding assets for future generations or providing ongoing funding to a favourite charity. A well-constructed trust is a useful and powerful estate-planning tool.

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WORK WITH PROFESSIONALS

CHARITABLE GIVING

Working with a reputable estates and trusts lawyer and an accountant can provide greater opportunities to minimize taxes on your death.

Writing your own Will or using a Will kit may work for some, but caution is necessary. If there is any question about whether your can write your own Will or use a Will kit, you should err on the side of caution and see an estate and trust professional for estate planning and an estate lawyer to draft the Will. The money saved by writing one’s own Will or using a Will kit can potentially be offset by the legal fees and family disharmony incurred if the Will has to be interpreted by the Court.

• •

A Will can allow you to continue your support for a favourite charity.

Bequests to charities can take many forms such as: • Cash donation either a set dollar amount or percentage of the estate • works of art, or other valuable donation • establishing a charitable annuity, trust or foundation shares funding the gift through life insurance

It is important to use the charity’s full legal name and charitable registration number.

The Will can specify how funds may be used, and what is to become of the gift if the charitable organization has changed its name, or is no longer in existence.

PLAN AHEAD AND REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR DISPUTES

A properly prepared Will, lessens the possibility of Will challenges and family disputes.

This is especially true if the Will maker lets their beneficiaries know how the estate will be distributed, and why. This alleviates a great deal of stress when the time comes and the terms of the Will become known to the family.

It is also important to remember that people’s lives and their personal situation evolves over time. Having an up-to-date Will ensures their Will reflects their life changes, whether it is because of birth, death, new relationships or relationships that end. It’s a good idea to review your RRSP, RRIF and TFSA beneficiaries annually.

Access Credit Union can connect you with an estate and trust specialist to answer the many questions you may have about the estate planning process and the value of having a well-drafted Will. The financial planners at Access Credit Union can work with you on estate planning, succession planning, and financial planning.

accesscu.ca/investinyou life in the valley

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Merry Christmas Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Garden Gals 204-325-2254 info@mordennurseries.com

Winter is an ideal time to start landscape planning; this allows homeowners to jump right into site preparation and installation first thing in spring. Knowing where to start, especially with a blank slate, can be overwhelming, the following questions can be helpful to consider when in the beginning stages of planning your landscape.

What is the size of your space or property? Where does your house and other existing features sit within the site?

Lot plans, dimensions, inventory and locations of existing features such as garden sheds, trees, landforms/low spots, etc.

How much light, moisture and wind does each space get?

Take note of which way your house faces and things that provide shade and shelter to the different spaces. We always recommend planning plants outside the overhang of your home, as this area tends to be too dry, and hot if on a sunny side of the house, for successful plant growth.

How does your site drain?

During spring thaw and periods of heavy rain, take note of how water moves, or does not move, through the site. Also take note of whether there are, or ever have been, issues with water in your basement.

What is your soil like?

Take note of whether your soil is sandy, heavy clay, gumbo, etc.

Soil pH, particularly alkali soils, are something to be aware of as well. Noting what grows well around you is often a good indication of what the soil is like.

How do you want to use your space?

Outdoor entertaining, living, cooking, open lawn areas for children, etc.

What are the important views?

Stand inside your home, on the deck/patio, at the front door looking out and take photos of what you see. This will help determine the key views, into and out of your space, you want to block, maintain, or frame. Often a well-placed tree will do the trick without having to entirely enclose a space.

What plants do you like?

Gather photos of plants or spaces you like and/or don’t like (both can be helpful!). Look through catalogs and research to create a list of plant that you would like to use in your landscape.

Local reference guides should be used in lieu of online resources wherever possible to ensure that hardy plants are being considered.

How much time do you want to spend maintaining your landscape?

Decide if you want to invest time in pruning, mowing, watering, etc. or if you’d rather install your landscape and do the minimal amount of required maintenance.

Local resources, such as the Prairie Garden and Northern Garden Collection plant catalogue, are excellent to have on hand when planning to ensure the landscape plan will be successful in our Prairie climate once installed.

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Thank you for your support and

Merry Christmas

Reach out to us for all your exterior or interior steel needs 855 Roblin Blvd. East

204-331-5170 www.irosteel.com life in the valley

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EMPTY STOCKING FUND It was 40 years ago that Harv Kroeker along with his wife Anne and the Altona and Gretna Optimists’ Club started the Rhineland and Area Empty Stocking Fund a grassroots volunteer-based initiative to ensure people, who might otherwise go without, are provided for over the Christmas season.

“They saw a need,” said current committee chairperson Cindy Hildebrand. “The first year they had about 30 hampers and they purchased gifts for about 75 children.

They had no idea where it would go from there.”

Where it has gone over the decade is a conservative estimate of 6,500 Christmas hampers delivered and gifts for more than 15,000 children. That’s like giving a gift to every single person in the city of Winkler.

Hildebrand and her assistant chairperson Ken Bergman have years of experience with the committee.

Hildebrand describes herself as the “newcomer” with more than six years while Bergman has been involved for more than 20 years.

Hildebrand and Bergman are part of a core group of 10 members who keep the committee going year to year, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. During preCovid times, as many as 100 volunteers would gather together to assemble hampers, wrap gifts, and deliver to people throughout Altona and the RM of Rhineland.

“We are very blessed in the fact that we live in a community that is so supportive of this initiative,” said Bergman.

Both Bergman and Hildebrand have moving experiences that have kept them committed to helping the committee year after year.

“One thing that happened five years ago was a local six-year-old girl named Rhyla sent a hand printed letter with money in it,” said Hildebrand. “The letter read - “I had a garage sale in May and I sold lemonade, cookies and hot dogs and I raised $264.25 for the Empty Stocking Fund. I hope every kid in the world gets a Christmas present.” The impact that this six-year-old had on us was a bit of a wow moment. The fact that she saw a need as a six-year-old and she did something about it. That’s the impact we also want to have, because Ken and I are not going to be on this committee forever and ever, we need to help send the message for the need in the community that others have that opportunity to come forward and be part of this.”

The Empty Stocking Fund represents the best of what Altona and Rhineland are to Hildebrand and Bergman.

“Our local community bands together when these needs need to be met and they love it,” said Bergman. “People to come and help.”

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

It is memories like these that instill volunteers like Hildebrand and Bergman with purpose. Memories like those of another longstanding volunteer, Pete Schroeder, who remembers the early days more than 26 years ago when they were packing frozen turkeys into the hampers and hauling them upstairs to waiting cars, that make the effort worthwhile and the need continues to grow. “For me it has always been a joy and a pleasure to work with community volunteers, packing and delivering the hampers”, recalls Schroeder.

“We’ve had a lot of new families move in to the community, families that have a large number of children,” said Hildebrand. “So when delivering the hampers with the gifts for the kids, there is such pure, pure joy. Being part of that as a collective group and knowing that these children may not have known this joy and that this could be the only Christmas gift they get - it’s a good reality check.”

Anyone interested in sending a donation to the Rhineland and Altona Empty Stocking Fund or just wants to reach out can send a letter to: Box 2255, Altona MB R0G 0B0.

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BUFFALO CREEK MILLS This is a community and region that has land stewardship at its heart and it shares this with the second company to greet you on the way into town – Buffalo Creek Mills.

A big part of that partnership was Grupo Vida Canada, a subsidiary of the largest oat processing company in Mexico, which has really helped Buffalo Creek penetrate the Mexican market.

Started just over seven years ago in April of 2014 by a group of visionary partners and investors, including CEO Ryan Penner, Buffalo Creek has grown as quickly as the Manitoba oat crops it mills for a hungry market. Each shareholder provided their unique knowledge and expertise that included farming, trading grains, operating processing facilities, engineering and project management.

Oats.

No matter who you are, you have likely benefited from oats either on a cold winter’s morning in hot oatmeal or having eaten one too many oatmeal cookies after dinner. If you own animals, especially horses, then you have likely fed them oats.

It’s an incredibly useful grain and Buffalo Creek is at the

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forefront in terms of vision and practice when it comes to the oat market. Speaking of market, in 2019 (the most recent figures available) Canada was second only to Russia by a slim margin in global oat production at 4.24 million tonnes and with the world’s largest importer of oats just a 10 minute drive south, Buffalo Creek has been perfectly placed to succeed.

Ultimately, it was the lure of having a place to build a business and a team that drove the creation of Buffalo Creek Mills.

At the core of each component of Buffalo Creek’s values are people.

“People are everything here,” said Penner. “I think that it is great people who enjoy working together creating great products. We are successful as a business because of our people who are really the driving force.”

Penner summed up the importance of the employee family in his acceptance speech when Buffalo Creek received the award for Business Excellence in 2019 from the Altona Chamber of Commerce.

“These people are “builders” and builders are willing to invest more than just their time, they are willing to invest emotionally and with the dedication required to create something. In this case, they have created Buffalo Creek Mills and it has been deemed worthy of an award of excellence.”

Having a clear vision that enshrines key values like community, friendship and helping others ensures Buffalo Creek sustains the environment and product that has them exceeding their goals. In fact, Buffalo Creek has significantly increased its year-to-year revenue since it opened its doors.

into the world of Food Production and Food Safety,” said Production Manager Glenn Hollman. “We have a great, hardworking team here that are working together to bring BCM to the highest standards to ensure a limitless, bright future.”

Grant Fehr, Director of Sales & Purchasing, agrees with Hollman.

“Working at Buffalo Creek Mills has been a refreshing renewal of why I have always loved the Grain Industry,” he said. “The team is like a family that works for a common goal, we help each other when help is needed and provide support not only at work but in our personal lives as well when there is a need. Working at Buffalo Creek Mills facility is also being on the leading edge of technology and growth in an energetic and innovative segment of the food market. It’s never boring.”

It is these people who have been driving the company’s growth from two people when it started in 2014 to the current compliment of 27 positions and expected to grow to 40 by the end of 2022. The early success of Buffalo Creek has created a wealth of opportunities for employees, but it’s the family feel that Penner believes is the key ingredient to making them such a desirable place to work.

“It’s a little like helping grandma make oatmeal cookies,” laughed Penner as he explains the draw and why people love working at Buffalo Creek. “You can’t help but have a little fun.”

As important as employees are, they are one part of the family

“Buffalo Creek is a very demanding, yet rewarding company that is focusing on strengthening our weaknesses and also our strengths, especially crucial as the company moves

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of contributors that has led the company to where it is today – there are partners, clients, and of course the local farmers who produce the oats.

“We started growing oats years ago for cattle feed and now that Buffalo Mills has started buying, we began growing last year again,” said local producer Doug Enns.

“I believe that it’s good food and we like to support a local processor – it creates employment.”

Farmers like Enns are part of a large and interconnected, and sometimes unseen family that is positively impacted by companies like Buffalo Creek Mills.

“We’ve been growing oats for about 15 years now and for us (Buffalo Creek Mills) has been a nice diversification,” said local producer Bob Toews. “We’ve had good luck with it.”

“We’ve been working with Buffalo Creek Mills ever since it started and it’s been exciting to see them grow,” said local producer Kyle Friesen. “They have flourished into a well-run oat processing company with a lot of great, hard-working honest people working there. When they commit to something they follow through with it.”

Once harvested by local producers and processed, Buffalo Creek Mills products are exported across Canada and throughout the United States and Mexico.

With phases three and four of their initial four phase plan being launched in early 2022, not only will the number of products they create grow but new markets like Central America, Europe and Asia come within reach as well.

Phase 1 is the production of Stabilized Oat Groats.

This involved the installation of a Kiln and associated

equipment. Groats are the hulled kernels of the oat that contain the germ and fibre rich bran.

Phase 2 is the production of Oat Flakes. This phase included the installation of flaking equipment and an automated bagging system and warehousing processes. Flaking makes the oats easier to cook and use for consumption.

Phase 3 is the production of Quick Oats and Steel Cut Oats. This phase includes the installation of cutting and sizing equipment. According to Taste of Home “The main differences between steel cut and quick-cook oats is texture. Steel cut oats absorb more liquid than their pre-processed counterparts, but they also maintain their shape.

Each oat is still visible after cooking. Quick-cook oats tend to bind together, resulting in a creamy, porridge-like consistency.”

Phase 4 will be the production of Oat Flour. This phase includes the installation of a hammer mill and associated equipment required to produce flour. Oats are ground and sifted until a fine flour is created which can be used in a multitude of ways.

Once phase 4 is complete, Penner estimates Buffalo Creek will be pushing more than 3,000 metric tonnes of finished product per month.

“In the future, we anticipate processing about 200 to 250 trucks per month,” said Penner. “ Buffalo Creek has been following this plan since the earliest days and Penner believes it has provided them with the focus a business needs to be successful. The plan has been and continues to be their roadmap to responsible, steady growth and all the benefits that go with that.

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As Buffalo Creek gets ready to launch the next stage of development in the New Year, they have been actively looking for people to join the family. With a market that is booming with various products and items like Oat-based drinks; Buffalo Creek is positioning itself to meet the demand.

Once phase 4 is complete, Buffalo Creek Mills will be involved in every aspect of the oat processing space getting as much value as possible from the product and providing it to the market.

part of the family they have built. With the production expansions planned positions are going to become available at all levels and they’re looking forward to having people come check them out.

For more information about Buffalo Creek Mills visit www.buffalocreekmills.ca.

“We recently hired a new employee from India through the local immigration program,” said Meaghan Fehr, Buffalo Creek’s Executive Coordinator. “We found the program relatively quick and easy to use and will hopefully use it again in the future. I started here over five years ago and I think I was the fourth or fifth employee,” she said. “With the fast growth of the company, I’ve been able to develop my career quickly.”

Fehr appreciates the family of employees that has been built at Buffalo Creek, something she has had a strong hand in, as human resources is part of her responsibility.

She also credits the company’s willingness to innovate as an exciting part of what drives its success.

Fehr points to processes that Buffalo Creek has implemented to reduce waste.

“We have a system in place that captures unutilized parts of the grain and forms it into pellets,” said Fehr.

“The pellets are then used as feed and biofuel for heating. Between this and a dust collection system we put in place, we’re using more than 99 percent of the grain with very little left over.”

“Our employees go the extra mile for each other and the company,” said Penner. “I don’t have to worry if something is being done or not because they are out there doing it.”

Now as Buffalo Creek looks to the future they are actively pursuing people to come join them and be

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When Cross Country Manufacturing was established in 2006 by a local group of business partners, they didn’t foresee the growth that the company has experienced through to today. Over the years, President Jonathan Doerksen has watched the company expand exponentially, employing a more robust office and plant staff contingent, while building many different types of trailers for multiple industries. What began as a humble shop that built mainly heavy construction trailers for customers within the prairies has evolved into a well-known company that has grown its portfolio to supply over 130 unique trailer models to the construction, mining, logging, and oil and gas industries in both Canadian and American markets. Cross Country has been one of Canada’s fastest growing OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) of semi-trailers over the past decade, and it doesn’t plan to hit the brakes anytime soon.

“Cross Country’s humble beginnings in Morden weren’t met without challenges.

Shortly after its start, the business was faced with the 2008 global financial crisis,” says Sam Cochrane, Cross Country’s Chief Financial Officer. “To survive, Cross Country had to be very resourceful in looking for new markets and providing new products to unfamiliar territory. They established long-standing relationships with key trailer dealers throughout the country, and grew their workforce to accommodate an increasingly large order book. And in 2009, they started exporting to the USA which was another game changer.”

As Cross Country Manufacturing celebrates

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its 15th birthday, it shows no signs of slowing down. “We have a long history in product and process improvement, and we pride ourselves on bringing new technologies into the engineering and manufacturing sides of the business,” says Sam. “We employ an in-house engineering department so that we can be responsive and adapt quickly to make changes.

And we have a very high willingness to customize our trailers to meet our customers’ needs, which is just one of the ways we stand out from our competition.”

So, what will the next 15 years bring? “If the last 18 months has taught us anything, it’s that the current pace of change, both global and local, is unprecedented and we have to be proactive and flexible. Canada is facing a labour shortage and supply chains are still unpredictable, but we’ve definitely come through the worst of it with optimism and we continue to plan for continued, sustained growth. We’re here for the long haul.”

One of the ways that Cross Country Manufacturing has alleviated some of that unpredictability was to explore immigration to grow the local pool of welders, a skilled trade that is in short supply both in Manitoba and throughout Canada. “Our HR Team has been well supported by the important immigration and settlement work being done by the City of Morden and Regional Connections— Immigrant Services. We are excited to collaborate to grow our company, and we appreciate the skilled newcomers who will further diversify our workplace. We’ll be welcoming a number of new welders in the coming months and we know that they’ll be

embraced into the wonderful local community as well.”

When asked what he’s most proud of, Sam was quick to give props to the Cross Country team. “We have a really great group of people in the office and the plant.

They’re always willing to come together to problem solve and brainstorm the best ways to move past any obstacle.

We’ve all been through a lot of change in the last couple of years, but our people keep smiling and that means a lot. Our whole team is definitely greater than the sum of its parts, and we’re excited to see how it continues to evolve as we keep building exceptional trailers for the North American market.”

Sounds like a company to watch!

Cross Country Manufacturing is currently hiring!

You can connect with the company on social media (handle is @crosscountrymanufacturing on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn), at www.crosscountrytrailers.com, or by checking out its Careers page at https://crosscountrymanufacturing.easyapply.co/ for current job postings.

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OUR CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

India is a country of festivals. The diversity of culture makes it difficult to narrow celebration down to just one and this is part of what makes it great.

Rajesh Parekh is Hindu and lives in Winkler now (and has for three years), but his memories of his hometown of Mumbai, India and the variety of people as well as the different cultures and religions are a source of pride.

While he loves all of the festivals, of particular significance to Parekh is Diwali.

“Diwali is the festival of lights and it is a traditional festival in our country,” he said. “In ancient times, Lord Rama went for a pilgrimage and when he was coming back from exile people began lighting the entire kingdom. We celebrate it as a victory over evil.”

As Parekh stated, Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita and bother Lakshmana from 14 years of exile. Typically people decorate their homes with lights, candles, and clay lamps.

People fill the markets and there are fireworks as part of the celebration which lasts for five days. This year it was from Nov. 2-6.

Diwali is celebrated by people of varying faiths in India including Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. Each day of Diwali has a different name and significance. Day one is called Dhanteras, day two is Naraka Chaturdashi, day three is Lakshmi Puja, day four is Govardhan Puja and the final day is Bhai Dooj.

When asked about his favorite memories of Diwali Parekh is quick to respond –“Fire crackers,” he said. “In those days when I was young, it was a big thing. We used to barter with friends – ‘you have this and I have this’. People in Canada should know that Diwali is something like Christmas for us.”

Other festivals that are important to Parekh and others from India include Holi, the festival of colours, which celebrates the victory of the good Prince Prahlad over the evil Holika; Guruparab is the anniversary of the 10 Sikh gurus; Desserha-Vijayavasami celebrates the death of the demon king Ravana at the hands of Lord Rama; Janmashtmi, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna; Ganesh Chathurti, a 10 day festival marking the birth of the elephant-headed god Lord Ganesha; Baisakhi welcomes the harvest; Navratri celebrates the Goddess of power Ambra; Onam celebrates the homecoming of King Mahabali.

Christmas is also celebrated with the cooking of walnut cakes while people can be seen in Santa caps and reindeer headgear.

People decorate Christmas trees and visit churches seeking the blessings of Christ. Locales of significance to celebrate Christmas in India include Goa, Pondicherry and Kerala.

“India is a country of festivals,” said Parekh who says the Indian community in the Pembina Valley continues to celebrate these festivals locally. “There are different religions and different cultures and everyone has got their own celebration. Indian culture is a very ancient culture and is more than 10,000 years old.”

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WAYS TO STAY SAFE

this Christmas Activate your alarm system

Carefully manage your social media posts

While it may seem obvious, you might be distracted and you could be in a rush to get out the door.

Though you might be tempted to broadcast to the world how excited you are about your holiday gifts, resist the urge to let the world know what you are giving or receiving.

Lock everything This might seem like common sense, but more often than you would expect, a burglar gets into a house because an entry was left unlocked.

Leave the lights on While this may not be the most energy efficient advice, the more it looks like somebody is home, the less likely it is for someone to try to intrude.

W hen leaving home

Have a neighbor or family member watch your house and pick up your newspapers and mail if you’re leaving for an extended period of time.

Don’t drink and drive Arrange for an official designated driver for your party who will not drink at all.

life in the valley

Secure valuables

Do not leave packages or valuables on the seat of your car. This creates a temptation for thieves. If you must leave something in the car, lock it in the trunk or put it out of sight.

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Your faithful writer who should be focused on interviewing our next subject about a South African Christmas is too busy stuffing his face with delicious spicy chilli bites and is behind schedule.

The delicious fried bite-sized item is an example of a food introduced by Indian immigrants to South Africa is typically made with chickpea flour, onion, coriander and chillis and were brought in by Tom Hesom – they remind him of Christmas.

“Christmas is family,” said Hesom. “Christmases on my grandfather’s farm which was called Glen Moor. We would have this big Christmas dinner with crackers (those things you pull apart that go ‘bang’ and have a prize inside), and a lot of food.”

Hesom’s grandparents immigrated to South Africa from Scotland and England. Their children were born there.

“I had seven uncles and the whole family would be there on the veranda,” said Hesom noting that Christmas in South Africa took place at the height of summer in the southern hemisphere and so the environment was very different from a Canadian Christmas.

Hesom recalls fondly the opportunity for him and his cousins to shoot their grandfather’s notorious shotgun.

“My grandfather’s shotgun had a very old hammer with an extra-long barrel,” he said. “We used to take out back and we were little kids so that when we fired it off we would land on our backs. Great memories.”

in the heat of the day are all powerful memories for Hesom who immigrated to Canada in 2003 when he was in his sixties.

“Of course the big Christmas meal was the highlight and then after a few hours all the uncles used to go and sleep in the schoolhouse where we were taught by a tutor,” he said.

With the hot weather Hesom described the dinner as more of a feast of cold items like salads although there was plenty of meat and lots to drink. Turkey was not a traditional Christmas item but something that might turn up at any time throughout the year.

Since moving to Canada Hesom noted that there are a lot of similarities between how South Africans celebrate seeing as they both have a British colonial history.

“Canada obviously follows the British tradition,” said Hesom. “We call Santa Father Christmas from that so that that was different.”

A South African Christmas for Hesom meant family and food.

It meant decorating the home and the Christmas tree. It was different than Canada because it was a time to enjoy hot summer days outside with cousins and a delicious Christmas lunch with cool salads and refreshing drinks.

These days Hesom celebrates a colder, snow-filled Canadian Christmas with children and family who also live in the area. A family who are just as likely to enjoy some of Hesom’s cooking, especially his fantastic chilli bites to warm them on a winter’s day.

Spending time at his grandparents farm over Christmas, firing his grandfather’s shotgun and playing endless games with his cousins

a c i r f A South life in the valley

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Katja Afonina only arrived to Altona from Ukraine last April and is preparing for her first holiday season in her new home.

Like most people in Ukraine, Katja celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 7th with New Year’s celebrations being the pinnacle of the holiday season.

“Christmas is more of a family’s day but for the New Year, you take more time in preparation to celebrate,” said Afonina. “Most people start to celebrate the New Year’s season two weeks before the date from Dec. 15.”

Just like many of the celebrations we are familiar with, food plays a central role for Ukrainians and Afonina describes a time where people are preparing as many different types of dishes as they can.

It is a time for decorating but also a time for people to consider making a change for the better with the New Year coming.

“Every year is wonderful,” said Afonina who is looking forward to celebrating in Canada. “Everything will be different because we live in a new country. We will celebrate Christmas Day on Dec. 24 this year. My younger daughter celebrates her birthday on this day so it will be a great holiday for us.”

Afonina has already been out buying decorations for her home in preparation for the season and has noticed something different in Canada compared to Ukraine in this area.

“I noticed our neighbours decorate the outside of their house and this is new for us,” she said. “In Ukraine, people usually decorate only the inside so it will be a new experience for us and we will enjoy it.”

Not only will they celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24 and 25th, Afonina and her family will still celebrate Orthodox Christmas and New Year’s Day and will do so with Ukrainian friends they have made since moving to Canada.

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“We have a really big celebration that starts on December 12th with the Virgin Mary with most Mexicans going to the biggest church in Mexico City, the Basilica,” said Rosa Elena Farrera Herrera who, along with her husband Armando Hernandez Garcia, have lived in Morden for just two months. “Then we start Posadas from December 16 to January 6.”

The December 12th celebration Herrera is referring to is called the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe in which millions of people flock annually to the large Basilica in Mexico City where an image of the Virgin Mary is displayed.

The other celebration, that of Posadas, is the most important celebration of the Christmas season in Mexico. Posadas events take place on each of the nine nights between December 16 and 24 and involve a procession of people going to a home (a different home each night) emulating the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem in search of shelter.

“Children go outside with their families and go to houses to sing songs for a traditional Mexican Christmas,” said Herrera. “They ask permission to come inside.”

Once inside, there can be food and celebration and this varies from home to home.

“Another thing that we have is a traditional Christmas Eve,” said Herrera. “We have a lot of traditional Mexican food for dinner, then we have a party with piñatas, fireworks. We make traditional dishes like romeritos, turkey, and Christmas salad.”

To conclude Christmas celebrations, Mexicans will enjoy Three Kings Bread or Rosca de Reyes, a soft, spongey sweet cake baked in an oval, made with orange zest and decorated with fruits, jam and sugar paste. It is definitely a favorite.

“Inside of the bread, there is a children’s toy that represents Jesus,” said Herrera and Garcia. “When they cut the bread, if you are lucky enough to have the toy you have to invite everyone that was present to come and eat tamales on February 2nd. This is the day we finish our Christmas celebrations.”

Also known as Candlemas Day, February 2nd is traditionally the day that Jesus was presented in the temple.

Herrera and Garcia are both from Veracruz, Mexico but in an interesting twist they met in Oklahoma, where they were both living prior to moving to Winkler. Both of them have a favorite Christmas memory from their days in Mexico.

“When I was a child I used to have dinner with my family and all of my cousins would be there,” said Herrera. “We used to play games and we had two tables – one for the adults and one for the children and it is really good memories – playing with my cousins.”

Garcia’s favorite memory involves Herrera.

“I would have to say the first Christmas we spent together in Mexico with her and her family,” he said. “I got to meet her father and her mother.”

Romeritos is a Mexican dish from Central Mexico that is made from seaweed, mole sauce, seasoned with shrimp.

“At midnight on Christmas Eve is when you start dinner,” said Garcia. “After dinner is when you have the party and the fireworks.”

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Nigeria We are entering the Christmas season in the Pembina Valley and you can tell. People are chomping at the bit to decorate their homes and get out to do their Christmas shopping.

Christmas carols compete for airtime with Mariah Carey and all is well with the world.

For the most part, Canadians are a somewhat staid and quiet bunch. Sure we like to celebrate as much as the next culture but we do so in a way that differs from the rest of the world.

Fortunately for us, the world has come to the region and we are able to witness and even participate in a myriad of different cultural celebrations with our recently arrived neighbours.

Bernard Adeniji arrived six months ago with his family from Nigeria and they are preparing for their first Christmas in their new home in Winkler. Christmas celebrations in Nigeria are exuberant and joyful.

“The Christmas season in Nigeria starts in the first week of December and goes to the first week of January,” said Adeniji.

“In Nigeria there are various ethnic groups and each person tries to celebrate in his or her way. We get Christmas trees of different colours - it could be a yellow Christmas it could be a blue Christmas tree. ”

“Part of the main food is jollof rice,” said Adeniji. “We have fried plantain which is called dodo, yam with exotic soups, and our own drink we call palm wine. People like me take water.”

Jollof rice is a west African dish made with tomatoes, onions, spices, meat and rice all cooked in the same pot.

While the food is definitely a highlight through the Nigerian Christmas season, Adeniji has certain memories that stand out for him.

“My favorite Nigerian Christmas memory is from three years ago,” he said. “We had a house party and everybody came down – my friends, my family, my wife’s family, from the U.S. and Canada and all over. We had a dinner and it was really lovely bringing two families together.”

Adeniji describes a time filled with street festivals, musicians, parties, fireworks – it is a time when everyone is celebrating.

This year Adeniji and his family will celebrate differently.

“We’re going to celebrate in the ways celebrated in Canada,” he said. “We will have a green Christmas tree and cook Christmas dinner. We will go to church – we shouldn’t forget the essence of Christmas which is the birth of Jesus Christ.”

Of course food is a big part of Christmas in Nigeria and depending upon the ethnic group you are from the menu can vary. Adeniji is from western Nigeria and part of the Yoruba people – a group that makes up 42 million people in Africa.

life in the valley

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From the Reeve, Council, and Staff at

Ph. 204.325.4101

rmofstanley.ca life in the valley

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info@rmstanley.ca

How big is the Christmas season in the Philippines? Well, we tend to think we’re pretty festive when it comes to Christmas but in the Philippines they take the season to an entirely different level.

“In the Philippines, once September 1 strikes it’s already considered Christmas season,” said Janelle Collantes, who has lived in Winkler for five years with her husband Russelle. “Malls in the Philippines already have their Christmas lights and decorations up and some families and households will put up their Christmas trees starting September 1 and Christmas songs will already be playing on the radio.”

September 1? Yes, you heard that correctly. For those readers out there who wait until the beginning of December and think they are early – according to your Filipino neighbours, you are definitely not early.

“It’s a ‘Ber’ month,” explained Russelle. “The ‘Ber’ months (SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER) are considered the holiday season. The vibe is different – everyone is smiling and excited, especially kids. People are friendlier in ‘Ber’ months.”

This seasonal celebration lasts more than a third of the year until January 6 and the Feast of Three Kings (also known as Epiphany) when Filipino Catholics celebrate with feasting, visiting and gift-giving. According to Janelle, this is also when that Christmas tree that was put up September 1 comes down.

One of the biggest observances during this time is called Simbang Gabi a nine-day Catholic mass that starts on December 16 done in honor of the Virgin Mary. The masses are held early in the morning, typically between 3-5 am.

After the last mass, people look forward to Christmas food.”

“We have Christmas food we call Bibingka,” said Russelle. “It’s a food served inside of a box and it is only served at the start of ‘Ber’ months.”

Bibingka is a type of baked rice cake cooked in a terracotta oven, lined with banana leaves. Another traditional Christmas season dish is Puto bumbóng, a purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes, and of course there’s everyone’s favorite seasonal drink – hot chocolate. All of these foods contribute to a celebratory and boisterous holiday season that stretches over four months in the Philippines.

“It’s quieter here,” said Russelle laughing. “When we arrived (in Canada) it was December 30th and we thought it was going to be a big one since we were used to celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in a big celebration where people gather, streets are blocked, and we went out on New Year’s Eve and there were no fireworks, it was very quiet.”

Janelle noted that New Year’s celebrations start early on December 31st in the Philippines, with fireworks already having begun. There are parties everywhere and neighbours are going to one-another’s houses drinking and eating.

“Everyone is inviting you to go inside their house,” said Janelle. “In one house you could have a meal, in another dessert, and a third even more.”

The Collantes say that despite being away from the Philippines, the Filipino community in the Pembina Valley has been growing and they do a great job celebrating Christmas and New Year’s locally.

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“If you complete all of the masses, you are granted a wish,” said Janelle. “We did it in 2019 at the Catholic church in Morden.

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Bessie Xu of Winkler comes from Wuhan City in central China and she’s been in Canada for 10 years.

Moving from a city of 4.6 million people to a region whose population is measured in thousands can be a major change in a person’s life, but one thing that can remind a person of home is their traditions and cultural celebrations.

For Xu and millions of other Chinese a celebration that happens around this time of year is the Spring Festival.

Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year of the Lunar New Year, is the biggest celebration of the year in China. Spring Festival launches on the day of the new moon sometime between January 21 and February 15 and celebrates the end of winter in China and the beginning of spring. It ends 15 days later with the Lantern Festival.

“It is a very important time for family to be reunited,” said Xu. “Everybody tries their best to go back to their family and hometown. We prepare a lot of things for Spring Festival. We shop together, and it is important to get your house clean so that you can get rid of bad luck from the previous year.”

Like the rest of the world, food and family are big components of the festivities.

“We have a very important dinner together,” said Xu. “Very often we also visit relatives and friends. My favorite thing about Spring Festival is family reunion. It is really happy when we get together because my parents and siblings live in different parts of the country.”

Depending on the part of China you are from there are differing ways people can observe and celebrate the Spring Festival.

“If you are from the southern part of China we have the lion and tiger dance,” said Xu. “In northern and central China usually we would go to the open market and have difference kinds of parades.”

Xu describes a time where family shops together, decorates the home, spends time preparing the celebratory New Year’s eve dinner and staying up late connecting. The dinner will always include fish because it is a symbol of prosperity and a good way to enter the coming year.

“We usually stay up pretty late to welcome the arrival of the New Year,” Xu said. “We go out and set off fireworks and fire crackers.”

Xu and her family will celebrate the Spring Festival this year just like previous years in China by having friends over and carrying on the tradition.

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With one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world, Christ the Redeemer, one would expect that Christmas in Brazil is a big deal.

You would be right.

Now imagine how much more Christmasy this would be if you lived in a town called Natal in Brazil – which literally means ‘Nativity’ or ‘Christmas’, Brazil from the Portuguese.

Two years ago, Tatiana Santos moved to Winkler from Natal, Brazil and so they know Christmas celebrations.

Natal was so named because it was founded on Christmas Day in 1599 and has grown to be the Christmas capital of Brazil. The local government promotes a contest with prizes for the best decorated homes and businesses. The streets are decorated and large Christmas trees are set up throughout the city and there are also publicly performed Christmas plays.

“In Brazil, we celebrate the 24th night of December with the family gathering,” said Santos. “So it’s a big family gathering and lots of food. The tricky thing is that we need to wait until midnight to start eating.”

The celebratory meal will include turkey but it’s common to have a few other regional foods depending on which region you live in Brazil.

“We do have Christmas trees and because Brazil is mostly Catholic, some families go to the mass on the 24th and after they get home and they keep together with the family and wait until midnight to celebrate and have dinner.”

“In Brazil, we have a lot of North American culture on the TV, the movies and the TV series we grow up watching show us Christmas and the lights and decorations,” said Santos. “Here in Canada I see how everybody has already put up decorations and trees. It feels more Christmasy with the snow.”

Even having a Christmas tree is something that adds to the seasonal delight for Santos.

“To be honest, in Brazil, we never had a Christmas tree. It was expensive,” said Santos. “Not everybody can have that and so here we have the chance. So last year was the first time we put up a Christmas tree and we’re always into that. We are very happy to decorate and are excited to buy a new little thing to hang. Another thing that I really enjoy here is that we listen Christmas songs on the radio. The radio station here really gets into the moment and the celebration whereas in Brazil the radios are normal. They don’t change their programming because of Christmas”

Families will spend time together. There will be secret Santa events and gathering around the television to watch Christmas movies and listen to seasonal music by Brazil’s version of Mariah Carey for Christmas – Roberto Carlos.

Santos doesn’t think celebrating Christmas in Brazil is much different from Canada and in some ways, being in Canada for Christmas feels more Christmasy.

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Syria Zein Hamam and his family have been in Canada for almost six years now and have been away from Syria for more than 10 years.

Today they call Altona home.

For Hamam, the biggest seasonal and cultural celebration in Syria is now a winter event, it is Eid Al-Fitr and it takes place in May this year.

An observance followed by the world’s 1.9 billion Muslims, Eid Al-Fitr is also known as the feast of breaking the fast and is a celebration that marks the end of another month-long Muslim observance – Ramadan. During Ramadan Muslims worldwide enter into a period of fasting from sunrise until sunset each day.

Founded by the Prophet Muhammad after his migration to Mecca, Eid Al-Fitr lands on the first day of Shawwal, which is the tenth month on the Islamic calendar.

“We get together with family and friends, we make food, and buy new clothes,” said Hamam.

“We make lots

of sweets, desserts, and it lasts for three days in a row.”

Ma’amoul and Kahk are particularly popular sweet cookie treats that are made and consumed during Eid in Syria and Lebanon.

Ma’amoul is a butter cookie filled with dried fruits and nuts while Kahk is a small circular cookie covered in powdered sugar.

“People don’t work during those days,” said Hamam. “We all celebrate together and pray and later on we eat.”

Traditionally, Eid begins after sunset on the night after the first sighting of the crescent moon. Typically an act of charity for the poor such as a donation is performed, this is known as zakat. Eid is also known as Sweet Eid and Sugar Feast for the nature of some of the foods consumed in celebration of the end of fasting.

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th u So Korea JongSoo Kim and his wife DongSoon and their family have been in Altona for only a few months now since moving from their home country of South Korea, and they are excited to learn about seasonal celebrations in their new home.

“It’s similar to here because we celebrate Christmas Day, but not as big as here,” said DongSoon. “In Korea, couples and families get together and have dinner. Everyone loves Christmas and give gifts.”

go to the bell ceremony and then drive more than three hours to the sea for the sunrise. “Most people just choose one of them.”

JongSoo noted that South Koreans consider Lunar New Year more important than the New Year’s Day celebrated on January 1st.

“We get the whole family together in my parents or grandparents house and we bow to them to pray for their health and they give us good advice,” said JongSoo.

Of course, like many other places, Christmas in Korea is not simply a day but part of a longer seasonal celebration that includes New Year’s Day.

“We also wear traditional clothes called Hanbok,” said DongSoon.

Hanbok, which literally means “Korean clothing” is traditional garb dating back to 100 BC and is made up of several different elements.

A big part of the beginning of New Year’s Day in South Korea is the Bosingak Bell ceremony. The bell is in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, and is rung 33 times by 16 different people. The event begins at 11 pm and runs until 1: 30 am.

This year, the Kim family will continue to celebrate their traditions and will prepare a traditional Korean food called Tteokguk – a Korean rice cake soup eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year.

“We go to the centre of Seoul and people get together and there is a big bell at the centre and we countdown,” said DongSoon.

There are many in South Korea who will often participate in a different tradition to usher in the New Year.

“We get one year older,” DongSoon said laughing. “One spoonful, one year older, two spoonfuls, two years older. As less as we can so we don’t get old.”

“We go to the eastern sea to see the New Year’s sunrise,” said JongSoo who noted that some people will

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May the spirit of the season fill your heart with love and peace

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l a g u t r o P In Portugal during the holiday season people will greet each other with “Feliz Natal” which is the Portuguese version of “Merry Christmas”.

Liliana Costa moved to Winkler from Portugal more than four years ago but still works hard to celebrate the holidays according to her traditions and how she grew up in sunny, warm Portugal.

“In December, you will see decorations outside,” she said. “We do the Christmas tree and all the indoor decorations of the house and then on the 24th - that’s when we celebrate even more than on the 25th of December. We get together with as much family as we can gather. We cook throughout the whole day. We’ll have a big table with loads of food. It’s one of those days where there’s way too much food for the people that are there.”

together with your family eating and doing different activities.”

Just like in Canada, Liliana and her family would have typical traditions they would follow every year.

“We usually would go to the city and see the big tree lighting and then walk around because it’s so beautiful,” said Liliana. “We love all the Christmas decorations and it’s not as cold, so you can go outside and not be freezing. My family and I would watch typical Christmas movies. We play a lot of board games too.”

Costa has fond memories of her extended family coming from all over Portugal for the Christmas gathering. It was a time when you would see family members you had not seen all year.

As you have probably noticed, no matter the culture, Christmas and the holidays are a time where everyone enjoys family and food. In Portugal you cannot have a proper Christmas dinner, called Consoada, without the Cod. Not turkey. Cod.

As mentioned earlier, Portugal is not a cold winter country. For Costa, living in Manitoba over the Christmas season does not cause her to miss the warmth of her home country, it just makes things feel more “Christmasy” here.

Of course it makes sense that fish would be a key food in a world famous seafaring nation The Portuguese Christmas Eve cod, is called Bacalhau de Consoada. There are many variations depending on the region and family but a typical recipe calls for dried salt cod, potatoes, cabbage and hard-boiled eggs.

“With snow here, it is so nice,” said Costa. “I really liked it when I came to Canada. It feels more like Christmas. When my grandmother was here, she really liked the snow.”

“It’s very unique to Portugal,” said Costa. “After dinner - if you have small kids, you go right to opening the presents. If not, there are some families that wait until midnight to open the presents. It’s a celebration that goes all night and then on the 25th , some families go to church in the morning and then usually spend the whole day

Costa still makes the Bacalhua de Consoada every year for her Christmas celebration and continues to gather with friends and family showing that no matter where in the world you are from, the holidays can be celebrated in your own way right here in the Pembina Valley.

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If you were to talk to Willie Gilbert, who has been in Canada for two years, about his native Dominican Republic, you will definitely come away with the feeling that every single day in the country is a party. Every day is a great celebration and the Christmas season is just part of a year-long party that never ends.

“We’re starting to talk about Christmas in October,” said Gilbert.

“At the end of October, everybody puts their tree up in the house and they’re starting to put up lights and this kind of thing.”

Gilbert is still able to celebrate in the Dominican style because he and his family connect with the Dominican community in Winnipeg where his sister and her family lives.

“The only difference is that my parents and one of my sisters are still there in the Republic and we reach out and use technology,” said Gilbert.

Obviously, a country and people who start celebrating the Christmas season in October are big fans, and the festivities and decorations throughout the country are proof of this. Gilbert was living in Santo Domingo before moving to Canada, a city of nearly 3 million people.

“The decorations use all different colours similar to here but I think I’m sure that we put up more,” said Gilbert. “All of the businesses and the commercial centre are decorated. You can see all of the houses put lights on the front. On the radio we have specific music for this time of year. We have merengue music.”

Merengue is a type of Latin dance music and it is VERY popular in the Dominican Republic, so it should come as no surprise that

it is adapted to the holiday season and with merengue comes dancing.”

“We dance a lot,” said Gilbert. “So the Dominican is a little bit different than Canada because we are always having parties and celebration almost every day for two weeks.”

Gilbert describes a country where every neighbourhood of anywhere from 25 to 100 people spontaneously gather on the street in the warm evenings to dance and eat and enjoy one another’s company throughout the holidays.

“We have rice and beans called Moro (known as Moro de Habichuela Negras),” said Gilbert. “This is also common in Puerto Rico and Cuba - we are very similar. We have roast chicken and a Russian salad.”

According to Dominican Cooking’s website “Dominican ensalada rusa is an indispensable dish in our Christmas dinner, and is very popular throughout the Hispanic world. In the Dominican Republic, depending on the occasion and preferences, you can make a potato salad with apples, or a pink potato salad by adding beets. The first one is the most common for Christmas. Like all our dishes, there may be as many variations as there are homes in the country.”

Gilbert’s favorite memories of a Dominican Christmas revolve around family, food and celebrating in the warm evenings with neighbors listening to merengue and dancing.

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Barbara Aguilera and her husband moved to the region from Venezuela two and a half years ago and have fond memories of celebrating the Christmas season in South America.

Like so many of us, when Aguilera thinks about Christmas, food comes to mind right away.

January 1 to thank God for the New Year. Another difference for us is that New Year’s is a super big party. Here it is just another day. It’s pretty quiet.”

“We are so happy,” said Aguilera. “We love Christmas. People save money for this time because they people like to paint the house a new colour or decorate the outdoors and indoors of the house and to prepare hallacas - a traditional food.”

Aguilera describes a time when if people are celebrating in the neighbourhood you join in. If there is a party down the street at someone’s house you celebrate with them. It is a time of going out dancing late into the evening and well into the next day while enjoying a favorite seasonal drink – Ponche de Crema, which might best be described as Venezuelan egg nog.

Hallacas (Hi-Yak-As) are a type of Venezuelan tamale that are typically prepared and eaten during the holiday season from before Christmas to New Year’s Day.

“You celebrate together,” she said. You go around your neighbourhood and celebrate the New Year with all your neighbours and see the fireworks. For us it’s a big deal.”

“We make them with corn flour, and plantain leaves,” said Aguilera. “Inside there is pork, beef, chicken. A piece of egg, pepper, onion, green olive or grapes.”

As with other cultures Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in Venezuela are a time for family gatherings.

“My favourite memories are when my grandpa was alive,” she said. “He was the crazy man of Christmas and he would decorate all the house and he would put up three Christmas trees. My family, my aunts, my cousins – the whole family from both for my grandmother and grandfather’s side would come to my grandma’s house because it was a big house and we celebrate together and spend time together.”

The plantain leaves are tied around the mixture and the entire tamale is boiled. The hallaca has been described as a national dish of Venezuela and there are many variations to be found depending upon the region but one thing is certain – Christmas season means hallacas.

“This is a very special time of year for us,” said Aguilera. “We give gifts to children and adults. It is a tradition to buy clothing and put money in it for good luck.”

It was difficult being away from family and friends for their first Christmas in Canada but in the past two and a half years Aguilera has made new friends and continues to celebrate and prepare traditional food for the season.

“I will make hallacas with my Venezuelan friends and we will celebrate together,” said Aguilera.

a l e u z e Ven There are some key differences in the season for Aguilera from Venezuela aside from the obvious temperature differences.

“We go to the church on December 24th not the 25th,” she said. “Sometimes we go to the church on the New Year’s Day or

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Salem Foundation presents

Faith & Life Womens Choir The choir is a branch of Mennonite Curch Manitoba and is dedicated to the mission of inspiring others to worship God through music. In the nearly two decades that the choir has existed, it has sung at various Mennonite church assemblies and congregations, concerst and songfests. It provides music for the Frohe Botschaft radio program and has recorded several CDs.

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Salem Foundation presents

Faith & Life Womens Choir

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The choir is a branch of Mennonite Curch Manitoba and is dedicated to the mission of inspiring others to worship God through music. In the nearly two decades that the choir has existed, it has sung at various Mennonite church assemblies and congregations, concerst and songfests. It provides music for the Frohe Botschaft radio program and has recorded several CDs.

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Sunday

Patrick Friesen, DWS

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Sermon starts on the3:30 Mount Program p.m.

by Patrick Friesen.

Faspa starts 4:30 p.m.

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You Can Make A Difference in Salem Home Residents’ Lives

Spending of funds is confined to Board approved programs and purchases. Each gift designated toward an approved program will be used as designated with the understanding that when any given need has been met, or where projects cannot be carried out for any reason, designated gifts will be used where needed most.

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Winkler, April 7th, MB 2019 Program starts 3:30 p.m.

Winkler Bergthaler Faspa starts 4:30 p.m.

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THANK YOU THANK YOU

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April 7th, 2019

Patrick, his wife Trudy and 2 daughters live in Steinbach where Patrick is a Professor at Steinbach Bible College. His doctorate speaks to his passion for leading and teaching Worship. At SBC he directs Free Servant, a band that Patrick Friesen, DWS gives students opportunities to learn about and leadand worship.

As Patrick, his wife Trudy 2 to his Sermon onSteinbach the Mountwhere daughters live in presentation he says: Patrick is a Professor at Steinbach “Hear Jesus’ famous sermon Bible College.

His doctorate come to life through thespeaks retelling of hisfor disciples.” to by his one passion leading and teaching Worship. At SBC he directs Free Servant, a band that givesUpgrade students opportunities to Cottonwood Patio and Swing learn about and lead worship. As Our residents enjoy the outdoors in summer, just as we all to his Sermon on the Mount do. It has been many years since the Cottonwood Patio presentation he says: has seen upgrades and it is not the pleasant, peaceful “Hear Jesus’ famous sermon space that it could be. The residents have enjoyed the come to life through the retelling by one of his disciples.” wheelchair accessible lawn swings that have been placed in the other areas and now we want to place one in the Cottonwood Patio as well. A new concrete pad to Cottonwood Patio Upgrade and Swing replace the old bricks andresidents some trees and Our enjoy the outdoors in summer, just as we all other plants make do.

It has beenwill many years since the Cottonwood Patio thisseen an inviting place forit is not the pleasant, peaceful has upgrades and residents enjoy be. The residents have enjoyed the space thatto it could relaxing and wheelchair accessible lawn swings that have been reminiscing theareas and now we want to place one placed in the on other swing.

Your donations in the Cottonwood Patio as well. A new concrete pad to will bring much replace the old bricks happiness to the and some trees and residents ofwill make other plants Cottonwood. this an inviting place for residents to enjoy relaxing and reminiscing on the swing. Your donations will bring much happiness to the residents of Cottonwood.

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And Much More And Much More

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a i s s Ru Christmas and New Year’s Day are big deals in Russia but the dates we are used to in North America are not quite the same there.

here with the presents and all of that - we have pretty similar tradition but for the first of January. It’s a Boxing Day. So basically, everybody open the presents then.”

“Its way less days off,” said Petr Beliaev of Canada. “In Russia, the holidays start on December 31st and go to the 8th or 9th of January. So people will have fun, travel somewhere. It’s a paid holiday and everybody’s joining in.”

Another key difference for Beliaev like others who have immigrated to Canada, is climate.

In Russia, most people celebrate Christmas during a season that begins on New Year’s Eve and runs until January 10 with January 7th being the commemoration of the birth of Christ according to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“I came from the south part of Russia, which is located between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov - it’s the city of Krasnodar,” he said. “It’s not that far from Sochi where the Olympic Games were. The climate is way, way different from the climate we have here right now in Manitoba. It’s more like Vancouver. It’s like we didn’t have actual winter.”

Petr Beliaev and his family moved to the region from Russia more than four years ago and since then he and his family continue to celebrate according to Russian tradition but also add December 25th to the festivities.

Like other communities, the city of Krasnodar sees itself decorated and lit during the holidays with Beliaev describing houses and malls decked out to celebrate the season. Another key difference is Santa Claus – this is not what he is called in Russia.

“We do celebrate Christmas but we basically celebrate twice,” he said. “We celebrate it like all people celebrate Christmas in North America - on the 25th and also we celebrate one more time in January on January 7th.”

“We call him Ded Moroz (Дед Моро́з) which is going to be our Uncle Frost,” he said. “He is absolutely the same as a Santa Claus but has a different name. But the whole idea behind that character is absolutely the same. It’s spirit of the holidays. He brings presents. He brings you joy and happiness if you believe in Him.”

Beliaev describes a time filled with family and food like so many other cultures and traditions at this time of year.

“It starts in the evening and the kids are visiting their godparents,” he said. “They bring some kind of sweets like sweet rice with the raisins and honey. They have some presents - somebody can get money or clothes. So this is how that works. It is like the Christmas traditions I can see

The origin of the character Ded Moroz pre-dates Christianity in Russia and may have roots in the story of a Slavic wizard of winter.

No matter the origins, Ded Moroz is a cool character.

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Morden life in the valley

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Winkler

Christmas time in Friesland, The Netherlands had always been a special time with Theo Polstra and his family in the village where he lived in Oude Bildtzijl in the province of Friesland. Christmas was always about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and giving thanks to God. Friesland is a northern province in The Netherlands and happens to be where Menno Simons grew up as well.

On Christmas Eve, just before midnight, the village band would play Christmas songs on the Pyp, which was a bridge in the center of the village. Polstra played the trumpet with his dad and brothers in the band. All of the locals would come out to watch and sing along.

After the service, every child got a surprise bag with a book, an orange and some nuts. It was simple and treasured.

On Boxing Day the family had a church service in the morning but this time with all of the local churches together and the band playing again. Every year a different church hosted the gathering. It was such a joyful time.

Every year the Polstra family still enjoys the traditional Weihnachtsstollen (German Christmas Bread) and Oranjekoek (Orange Cake), a treat they look forward to all every year.

Sinterklaas, otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, was separate from Christmas and came on December 5th.

The tradition is, he arrived on a boat and rode on a white horse with helpers to bring gifts to the children through the chimney and fill their stockings.

But Christmas was totally for Christ. On Christmas Day, they had church in the morning and in the afternoon they had Christmas with the kids in the church, where there was a 20 foot high Christmas tree.

The Christmas story was told. Everyone got some Speculaas (almond) cookies and chocolate milk.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:21-23

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There are many people in our region who have been here for generations who celebrate Christmas and the holidays the way their ancestors have; the way many of us are familiar with. There are also others that bring a new cultural celebration to the region as welcome immigrants from other countries.

Albert Dyck and his family represent the best of both of those worlds. Dyck is of Mennonite heritage but was born and raised in Bolivia where his grandparents emigrated to.

In 2008 Dyck moved to the Pembina Valley and brought with him familiar Mennonite traditions as well as his own Bolivian heritage and memories.

“I came from a Mennonite background and my grandparents emigrated there,” said Dyck, noting that the holidays in Bolivia typically started to warm up around November and were generally low key. “Our Christmas would be closer to what a Mennonite Christmas would look like - a lot of family gatherings and get-togethers.”

Unlike a typical Manitoba Christmas, Bolivia is celebrating during the southern hemisphere’s summer. The average temperature in Bolivia during December at noon is 31 degrees Celsius and partly sunny.

“The nice thing is, it is the middle of summer, so you have warm weather pool parties, and barbecues,” Dyck said.

“Growing up, we would always get together have barbecues and enjoy it.”

“There was also a lot of fireworks,” Dyck continued. “As a kid growing up we would go beg for some change from my parents and load up a bag full of fireworks. It’s connected to the new year but even before that for Christmas, that was a big thing and running around in the streets of the city.”

Of course, like every celebration, food and family are central parts in Bolivia.

“The food was completely different,” said Dyck. “We did not do turkeys. We did not do mashed potatoes or anything like that. It was usually some kind of steak or grilled chicken or grilled pork, salads and apple cider. Apple cider is a big thing that we always had for Christmas - everyone had that.”

Dyck spent time living in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city of 2. 3 million people, and noted that Bolivians do not decorate quite to the same level as we would see locally in terms of lights and decorations.

“There would be some lights but not as crazy as here,” said Dyck. That’s a big difference out here. There’s a lot more lights and a lot of more decorations. There, it was some businesses and if you went to the main plaza downtown, they had quite a bit of decorations there because it’s also right by main big cathedral.”

Dyck and his family never put up a Christmas tree and many Bolivians are noted for not following what North Americans would consider a typical Christmas in terms of traditions and décor. According to Wikipedia, most Bolivians don’t even give gifts at Christmas.

“My parents weren’t very much into Christmas where they would give presents,” he said. “They would do presents but they would give it to us ahead of time or later. It wasn’t like a specific day, they would do it throughout the season. I remember this one Christmas growing up, we just said ‘Hey, we want to do it like the rest of my cousins and aunts and uncles did’, so they went out had everything packed and had it hidden away and then on the 24th in the evening they put out all the Christmas gifts. In the morning we got up and opened up all our Christmas gifts and that was a really special surprise because there were a lot of gifts there that we weren’t expecting. That was one of my highlights and then in the afternoon, we went to grandparents and got together with my cousins and everyone was comparing what they got - that would be my favourite.”

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Make Christmas bright, but don’t set it alight • Always use certified Christmas lights • Check that your lights are not damaged or broken before use • Turn off your lights or unplug them, before you go to bed or go out • Make sure smoke alarms are fitted in your home and ensure they are checked regularly • Keep lights away from flammable decorations and materials that can burn easily • Replace failed light bulbs immediately to prevent overheating

• Do not overload plug sockets • Fire Places ...Use a fire screen to keep embers and logs from escaping and make sure all embers are fully extinguished before you turn in for the night.

• If you use space heaters, make sure that it has at least three feet of clearance on all sides, and keep it located away from kids, pets, and fabrics • Set timers when cooking/ baking, take your time with the Christmas cooking/baking, and do you best not to leave your oven unattended.

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Henry Siemens publisher Here we are at the end of 2021 and we’re left to marvel at where we are. Once again there is a resurgent wave of a new variant and we’re wondering what our Christmas celebrations will look like. There are many theories about how we got here. There is likely some truth to most of them. None of it ultimately matters because we are where we are and being right won’t change that.

Last December was hard but it was filled with hope and optimism. We were all in the same storm. Our boats were different but we believed we were all in it together. We were almost at a viable vaccine release and there was a feeling that life might return to normal soon.

This year is so much different. We are no longer all in the same storm and it’s making it really hard to get along. More than anything else we have to find a way to do exactly that though. Our communities can’t survive if we can’t work together. How can we hope to grow our businesses if we can’t learn to trust each other again? How can we invite the greater community to support us if we can’t even support each other?

LAST WORD These words roll off the tongue. They’re easy to say but oh so much harder to live. How many times have we looked in the proverbial mirror and said ‘of course I do that’ and then promptly turned around and harshly judged someone for thinking differently? It happens to all of us. It will take years of intentionally striving to not be offended by those who disagree with us to rebuild what has been taken but there is no other way back. We have to Get Back to That.

Let’s make 2022 the year that we show the world how southern Manitoba rebounds. How we care for and love each other. How we rebuild relationships. How we Get Back to That.

This area is special. We’ve heard that for years.

We’ve nodded politely and agreed. We’ve even started telling ourselves that. It’s time we truly show what that means. How do we come back from the last two years? By Getting Back to That.

I believe the Love and Grace shown in the Christmas story is where we start. There is no more getting back to that than that.

Over the past few months we’ve had the privilege of working with a local group urging us to ‘Get Back to That’. Their marketing has focused on traits like Love, Kindness, Caring and Grace. All things we desperately need to re-find in ourselves.

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