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Flashback to 1960s Christmases: Can you help us fill in our collection gap?

Historic Snapshots of Your Community
14603025_web1_181206-AHO-M-Santa-1961

Can you feel it … that quiet lull before the seasonal festivities really ramp up? Or maybe like me, you’ve already been involved in planning a number of different events for several weeks, and you’re bracing yourself for the welcome chaotic cheer. Whatever the case, there are a number of wonderful holiday events happening in our community, including at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum.

Mr. Clays’ and Mrs. McMullins’ intermediate classes at Kent School. Production of “Santa Sat and Sat and Sat." Featured in the Agassiz Advance, Dec. 16, 1969. (Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society)

On Saturday, Dec. 1, the Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society held its sixth Annual Dickens Christmas Tea at the Cheam Village Retirement Home. Members of our community who attended this event were treated to two hours of goodies and entertainment. The Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society’s own Beverly Kennedy once again delivered the traditional Tea Etiquette and a new historical biography of Agassiz’s William McRae. The Chilliwack Harmony Chorus sang everyone into the holiday season, leaving us all with high spirits as we went our separate ways.

Let’s come together again on Monday December 17 when the CPR Christmas Train will be in town! Please join us at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for warm beverages, seasonal treats, and fun activities for the whole family! We look forward to welcoming you in and helping you warm up on this special evening.

And now for a community challenge: what are your family’s Christmas traditions? How have you documented your traditions and how have they have changed over time? How do you intend on sharing them with your family and your community?

Children in a Nativity play, 1960s, The Agassiz Advance. (Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society)

In preparation of this column I went looking through our archives and was only able to find a handful of Christmas-related images and documents! Most of these derive from The Agassiz Advance and date from the 1960s to the present. I have selected a few images that span the 1960s’ to share with you as a flashback – over 50 years ago now. But our collection is in desperate need of your family and community memories! So this year, as you think about Christmases past, please consider sharing your documents and images with the Agassiz-Harrison Museum.

As always, please contact us at agassizharrisonmuseum@shawbiz.ca or 604 796 3545. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas season and I look forward to sharing with you more in 2019!

– Lindsay Foreman, manager and curator at the Agassiz Harrison Museum