At Woodlawn Memorial Park, we recognize that all our families who have been touched by loss have blue snowflakes of various shades fall around their Christmas celebrations.
For some it is a deep midnight blue, while for others, time has lightened the shade to royal or powder blue. Members of the Woodlawn community enjoyed a light-hearted gathering with others to support each other amidst all the cheery colour of Christmas at our annual Blue Christmas event.
Decorated with blue and silver, the mausoleum became a hub of activity while the sweet scent of hot apple cider filled the air. Our organ, with its treasured Guelph history, rang out Christmas music under the skilled direction of Joe Carere and the walls resounded the four-part a cappella chorus of the Over Tones.
Guests bundled up and joined Woodlawn team members as they strolled around Block B. With flickering candlelight, they broke the evening silence with old fashioned caroling. Silver Bells, Silent Night, Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells were just a few of the songs they sang aloud.
A highlight of the evening was a lively, somewhat ad lib rendition of “A Moose in a Maple Tree” (a Canadian take on the traditional 12 Days of Christmas) to help everyone warm up again as they sipped hot chocolate and hot apple cider and enjoyed some sweet treats.
With the singing of “Blue Christmas,” those who will be missed were remembered, while guests were encouraged to know they were not the only ones whose hearts ached this Christmas. The evening concluded with a draw for the two lovely potted urns of fresh greenery prepared by Woodlawn staff.
If you missed the event, please visit our Facebook page to see photos of the event, including an amateur video of one of the Over Tones performances. While you are there, if your snowflakes will be royal or powder blue, perhaps you could share a few words about how you cope when your blue snowflakes start falling. You just might help someone whose snowflakes will be midnight blue this year.
