The holiday season brings a special kind of magic, especially in communities that come together to celebrate. The Winnipeg Beach Legion, with help from the Gimli Ladies Auxiliary, hosted Winnipeg Beach School (WBS) staff and students to lunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 10.
One-hundred-eighty smiling faces came through their doors to have hot dogs and macaroni and cheese with the famous couple from the North Pole.
“This is now our third year inviting all the students and teachers from the school and Tiny Tots program to have lunch with Santa,” explained Winnipeg Beach Legion vice-president and public relations chair, Velma Darroux.
It was a busy and snowy Tuesday for the legion volunteers because usually, all of Santa’s visitors come over the course of two days, but because of the snow day on Monday, all of the festive feasters dined on one day.
A jolly crew of volunteers spent many hours making fresh pots of macaroni and cheese from scratch, grilling up juicy hotdogs and baking delicious sugar cookies.
“One of our Auxiliary ladies is always making cookies, so she made cute little sugar cookie snowmen that she decorated all nicely for everyone,” added Darroux.
Once the diners’ bellies were filled, they finished their lunch with a personal visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and they got a handmade gift.
Each student received a homemade pair of knit mittens and a matching touque, a perfect present for the chilly winter days.
Santa’s elves worked hard to ensure that each pair of touques and mittens was unique. They volunteered several hours to ensure that Santa had enough gifts to give out at the lunch.
“They said that if we supplied the yarn, that they would knit the pairs. It was so wonderful to see them all be done. They even included some extra little surprises like bookmarks!”
Darroux mentioned that many students forget their winter gear at home, so having an extra set of mittens at the school helps ensure that the students stay warm when they go outside for recess.
Michelle Hainsworth, a teacher at WBS, extends her gratitude on behalf of all the staff and students who attended the Christmas lunch.
“We are very grateful for all the volunteers who put on this annual magical experience for us all. They go above and beyond with not only the lunch and gifts, but the kind conversations spent with all the kiddos.”
She noted that the whole afternoon was filled with Christmas spirit, making a positive impression on everyone.
“The moment we walked in we were greeted with twinkle lights, decorations, merry smiles and Santa!” Even the teachers got in on the Christmas fun when they were asked to share a jolly tune and sing Christmas carols for everyone.
It is because of generous donors that the Legion is able to host an event like this for the community. They recently held a tea with a silver collection, and all the money collected went towards the lunch. Of course, the lunch would also not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers.
“Everyone just loves coming out and helping with the kids. It is worth every second when we get to see their smiling faces,” said Darroux.
Express Photo by Rayme Thomson
The Legion also had more holiday cheer on Friday, Dec. 13.
Winnipeg Beach Legion and Auxiliary volunteers cooked 200 Christmas dinners for community members and gave 175 of those meals away for free. Darroux noted that they have been providing this service for as long as she can remember.
“So many people don’t have access to a Christmas dinner, so we make them a plate that they can freeze until Christmas day, and heat it up once they are ready for their feast.”
From turkey to baking to cabbage rolls, all of the Christmas fixings were on the menu to ensure that no one missed out on a holiday meal.
The Winnipeg Beach Fire Department delivered meals to the Winnipeg Beach Lodge and Isfeld Manor, and Auxiliary and legion volunteers delivered the remaining meals to veterans across Winnipeg Beach, Gimli, Matlock and Winnipeg.
The dinners were extremely well received, as Darroux’s text messages were blowing up with positivity.
“Everyone was thanking us and saying how it was really appreciated. This meal is always looked forward to by people in the community.”
As the year comes to a close, so does the Winnipeg Beach Legion’s programming. All weekly events and activities are taking a short break for the Christmas holidays.
All programming will resume the week of Jan. 6, 2025, and you can visit the Winnipeg Beach Legion Facebook page for schedules and updates about its events.
