A huge crowd packed the halls of Tin Wis to celebrate Christmas.
Chief Counsellor Elmer Frank thanked everyone for coming and said it is always good to see our nation come together.
These past few days have been exceptionally cold here in Tofino, and as the members arrived to the conference center most mentioned the cold and were glad to be indoors where it was warm and inviting.
The tables were beautifully decorated, lights, Christmas songs and a tree set the tone, and to add to the festive feeling, staff and volunteers wore Santa and elf hats.
As each person came in they were given a ticket to enter the door prize draw. Prizes consisted of Walmart gift cards and two mini iPads, one for children and one for adults.
You could tell there was a feeling of joy and happiness in the room as members and visitors had a chance to visit while waiting for the turkey dinner and all the fixings, as people were talking, laughing, sharing stories, ideas and catching up on family activities.
After dinner, the different children’s groups provided entertainment by sharing the songs and dances that Gail Hayes and Grace George taught them, and the parents and grandparents were very pleased to watch their children perform.
Allison Howard invited the entire room to participate in a game where each team choose a leader to somehow figure out what song they picked. The leader could use charades or a flip chart and each team had to sing the song, and it was fun, to watch.
And finally, Santa and all his helpers entered the building. The children were so happy and excited to see him. They sat on the floor and patiently waited for their name to be called, and the parents had the opportunity to take a picture of their child sitting on Santa’s lap.
Most children were smiling and there was the few small toddlers who were afraid of this white-bearded man in the red suit.
The staff and volunteers worked diligently to organize the day’s event, and Elmer thanked Audrey Martin for catering, and he also acknowledged the contributions made by Tofino Co-op, Tin Wis, Creative Salmon, Cermaq and Coast Mountain Construction who made this occasion possible.
