Old Time Christmas

Father Christmas, horse-drawn sleigh rides, music in the Harvey House and the Schoolhouse featuring the Good, the Bad & the Ugly, Roger-Lee Martin, Marven Condo and Nancy Vignola, traditional food & drink, outdoor fires, Tea Room, carollers, kid’s crafts and skating on the pond. Doesn't it sounds great!
It will be available Wednesday, December 26, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Gaspesian British Heritage Village, 351 Perron Blvd. West, New Richmond, in the Gaspe Region, which is in Quebec.

And there will be a Family Day on December 28 from 1:00 p.m. to: 4:00 p.m. which will be presented by the Town of New Richmond. There will be Dogsled rides, decorating gingerbread men, outdoor fires, treasure hunt, music, face-painting and other activities.

And it will be held at the Gaspesian British Heritage Village, 351 Perron Blvd. West, New Richmond, Gaspe.

The entrance fee to both events is $3.00 per person

For more information, go to www.villagegaspesien.com

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

A Special Invitation for a Victorian Christmas Eve

A very interesting notice came into the office this morning that the readers of this blog be interesting in attending -

The people at the Fairbairn House have invited you to the Victorian Christmas Eve event at Fairbairn House from 2 to 4 p.m. on December 24th.

Please come by and help decorate the tree, join in the carol singing, sip a hot cocoa or spiced apple cider, and sample our selection of home-made treats while enjoying the ambience of the newly renovated heritage home.

The 1861 builder William Fairbairn, with his wife Jean, will be in attendance to greet you in the old house, decorated in the fashion of the time.

The event is free, but we would be most grateful for an offering, such as a hand-made vintage-style decoration to add to our collection of decorations for the house, a small plate of homemade sweets, or a donation in our money jar at the house.

They look forward to seeing you on this special afternoon, with expectations that it will set a festive mood for the family celebrations to follow.

Come and stop by the FAIRBAIRN HOUSE HERITAGE CENTRE at 45 Wakefield Heights Road, La Pêche, Quebec just north of Ottawa.

If you wish to know more about the Farirbarin House, you ca go to www.fairbairn.ca/English/history.html

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

Toys and Games in Canada

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) sent out this notice yesterday about the history of toys in Canada, and pictures on their Flickr album -

"The joyful holiday season is the perfect time to introduce you to the Library and Archives Canada collection of photographs related to games and toys.

Although toys and games have existed since the dawn of time, it was only in the 19th century that the ‟toy” really came into its own in Canada. It was also during the Victorian era that toys and diversion were deemed beneficial to children, thereby kick-starting the mass production of playthings. At first, toys mainly came from England, Germany and the United States, but between 1860 and 1915, some 20 Canadian companies began to manufacture them as well. They were made of wood and generally mimicked miniature furniture, cars or horses.

The First World War slowed toy production in Europe, giving the Canadian toy industry the opportunity to flourish. New toys were produced, particularly battleships and construction sets. This is also when manufacturers started using a wider variety of materials, which resulted in copper, tin, iron, lead, and rubber toys. Plush dolls and animals, small lead soldiers, bugles and trumpets, rubber balls, hockey pucks and even humming tops could also be found.

In the 1940s, plastic was introduced in toy manufacturing; it was used to make rattles, beach toys, tractors, trucks and construction sets, as well as an array of tools. In subsequent years, large multinational companies emerged and completely diversified the toy-making industry".

Various outdoor games, such as croquet and lawn bowling have become popular. Children also enjoy games of strength, string, and chance, which are featured in our new Flickr album at www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157631912501393