Dear Editor:
Perhaps I was feeling unusually “grinchy” on that day before Christmas two years ago, or perhaps the shopping, crowds and over-the-top Christmas hoopla had finally got to me. Either way, I wasn’t feeling the holiday spirit when I entered the coffee shop at Park Royal with my daughter to meet up with a family member. “Nowhere to park, too many cranky people – Christmas, can’t stand it,” I muttered.
As we waited for our hot drinks, I noticed a family, including two women, a teenage girl and two younger children looking over at us in wonder. They couldn’t take their eyes off the gingerbread house that we had just finished making at my brother’s, which is an annual family event.
As we heard the family speaking, my daughter recognized their language as she had learned it from a school friend. She was able to greet and converse with them; they were astounded that this blond, blue-eyed Canadian girl was speaking to them in Farsi. It turned out that they were recent immigrants to Canada, arriving only a few weeks prior and this would be their first Christmas here. They were a bit sad, missing family and friends left behind, but glad to be in Canada.
I looked over at my daughter and with a glance between us, we said, “Please, take the gingerbread house as a gift, from our home to yours and welcome to Canada.” The little girl was jumping up and down with delight and the boy’s grin was ear to ear. One of the women said, “Oh, Canadians are so wonderful, we thank you for your kindness.” And then, right there, this “grinchy” old heart melted in a big puddle right in the middle of the Starbucks.
I wonder now, two years later, how that family is doing, were they able to settle in, find jobs and feel truly welcomed as Canadian citizens? Do they remember their first Canadian Christmas, and the gingerbread house?
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this year, and to welcome new Canadians, including Syrian refugees and those from many other countries and cultures, please take the time to learn a few phrases in another language because “hello and welcome to Canada” sounds great in every language.
Pat Woods
North Vancouver
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