As a mom of two young boys, I feel I have a special duty in my role as their mother. I want them to experience magic – the kind I did as a little girl. But when it comes to the holidays, we can’t have magic without gratitude. At the ages of three and nearly two, my boys don’t quite grasp the true meaning of the holidays. They understand Santa, they understand their gizmos and gadgets, and they certainly understand the word ‘present’. And while the Christmas magic that comes with those luxuries is a reality for them – it’s not a reality for many individuals within our community, including children.

As my boys grow and experience the holidays, I want them to experience another form of magic my parents entrusted to me – and that’s the magic of giving back. According to the Halton Round Table 2018 Community report, there are 18,700 residents in Oakville and 13,200 residents in Burlington living in poverty. Many of them do not have the opportunity to experience the magic of Christmas – but we can change that. Through charities in Oakville and Burlington, residents like you and me can help provide basic necessities to create magical moments for families across our region.

Here are a few recommendations on where to start:

Kerr Street Mission

485 Kerr Street, Oakville
Kerrstreet.com

Kerr Street Mission in Oakville was created to provide help for the present and hope for the future for all those living in need in Oakville. Besides creating a place for people to gather and find help and resources, the Mission is known for its Christmas Wonders and Beyond Program. For more than 15 years, KSM has rallied the community together to help families in need to celebrate this joyous season. Through financial donations from our community, they have been able to bless over 1,200 families with gifts of food for a holiday meal, pajamas, and gift cards. Their goal this year is to once again help these families have a special and memorable holiday. The Christmas Wonders and Beyond Program runs from November 1st to December 31st.

Be A Santa to A Senior

Beasantatoasenior.com

Be A Santa to a Senior is a true community program. The program, launched by Home Instead Senior Care, partners with local businesses, charities, and volunteers to identify seniors who might not otherwise receive gifts over the holiday season. Home Instead then works with local businesses and retail stores to help facilitate the purchase and distribution of gifts by placing trees and ornaments within their various locations. Volunteers then collect, wrap, and deliver these specials gifts – just as Santa does.

Holiday Giving Program

Compassion Society
Compassionsocietyofhalton.com

The Compassion Society is an organization with over 1,000 clients living on or below the poverty line in Halton. For these individuals, the holidays are difficult and challenging to say the least. Through their Holiday Giving Program, the Compassion Society organizes and offers a Christmas Market where new, unwrapped gifts and retail cards are distributed to adults and children in need. In a tangible way, you can demonstrate your compassion and support to these individuals by donating gift cards or unwrapped gifts by December 9th, 2019.

Toy Mountain

Burlington Salvation Army
Salvationarmy.ca

The Salvation Army Community and Family Services in Burlington hosts an annual Toy Mountain drive. 2019 marks the 24th anniversary of the VTC Toy Mountain Campaign benefiting The Salvation Army – and it’s so easy to make a difference. Simply donate a new, unwrapped toy to their east-end office at 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington. And please do not forget the tweens, teens, and babies. In Oakville and Burlington, The Salvation Army also runs its annual Christmas kettles campaign, which raises money to fund year-round assistance programs offered to local residents. If you see a Salvation Army volunteer with their kettle and bell, drop a few dollars in – anything helps.

December is a wonderfully holy time of year with several religious holidays throughout the month. People of all faiths and nationalities have something special to celebrate.

The Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

December 12th is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is observed by Catholics, especially those of Hispanic descent. The story of Guadalupe dates back to the year 1531 when it’s said a native Mexican peasant named Juan Diego experienced a vision of a young woman at a place near to what is now known as Mexico City.

There are many ways to celebrate this holiday, by eating festive foods, such as gorditas, and bringing roses into one’s home – a tradition that’s important because Our Lady is said to have presented Juan Diego with roses.

Hanukkah 

Hanukkah is an eight-day wintertime Jewish Festival of Lights which is celebrated from Dec. 22 to 30. The celebrations begin at sunset and in honour of the holiday, eight candles are lit on a menorah. The tradition comes from the story that there was only enough oil to light a Temple lamp for one day, but the flame burned for eight.

During Hanukkah, a typical Jewish household will likely celebrate with specific foods, such as latkes, and light the menorah once per night for eight nights. Special prayers are also recited.

Yule 

Yule is celebrated on December 22 by Germanic peoples around the world who celebrate the Winter Solstice. Yule is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and is the ancient name in the Germanic lunar calendar for a winter festival corresponding to December and January.  Yule is a festival which refers to the 12-day holiday associated with the Feast of the Nativity.

Christmas

Next, we come to a holiday that’s celebrated by millions around the world. Christmas is celebrated on December 25th because that date is recognized as the birth-date of Jesus Christ. While the religious holiday has been observed by Christians since the Middle Ages, it is also widely celebrated by millions of non-Christians around the world. The holiday has grown to include many fun traditions, such as a red-suited fellow named Santa Claus who scurries down chimneys laden with presents.

Kwanzaa

December 26 is the starting date for Kwanzaa, a week-long, African-American and Pan-African celebration of family, community, and culture. Introduced in 1966, it was named for the time of year when African tribes celebrated the first harvest of crops. Some people who celebrate Kwanzaa believe the festival has a spiritual overtone because of its emphasis on faith.

Bodhi Day

January 2, 2020, commemorates Bodhi Day, a Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, experienced enlightenment. (Buddha means “awakened one.”) It is also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali.

Siddhartha Gautama is said to have vowed to sit under a peepal tree, a popular sacred fig tree, found in what is now Bodhgaya, India. According to tradition, Siddhartha meditated until he found the root of suffering and discovered how to liberate himself from it. He did not rise until he was enlightened.

Bodhi, which is also spelled Bodie or Bode, is synonymous with the state of nirvana – being freed from hate, greed, and ego. The day is observed by many mainstream Mahayana traditions who celebrate by decorating a ficus tree with beads, coloured lights, and ornaments that represent the three jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Others mark the holiday by meditating and visiting shrines that serve special cookies shaped like Bodhi trees or heart-shaped leaves.

While these aren’t all of the cultural celebrations that take place in December (there are a total of 14), these holidays provide a look into the way many of our friends and neighbours celebrate the holidays. Whether you’re lighting your menorah, singing carols under a Christmas tree, or feasting on gorditas – we wish you the happiest of holidays.

by Denise Davy

The wait is finally over. After months of excavating, laying stone, and some seriously hard work – Lakeshore Road is set to reopen just in time for holiday shopping.

Many who frequent downtown Oakville know that Phase 1 of the Lakeshore Road Streetscape Reconstruction has been extensive. The project, which is to be completed in two phases over a two-year period, had closed vehicle access beginning in April 2019 from Navy Street to Thomas Street. While the second phase of the project is yet to begin, when complete improvements will include new street furniture, a pedestrian crossover at Navy and Church streets, a two-way conversion of Navy Street, bike corrals and patio design, redesign of the town square, among other exciting initiatives.

With phase 1 under wraps, downtown Oakville has come alive in their typical holiday fashion. The streets are lined with beautiful holiday décor and twinkling lights. With Towne Square construction postponed, the annual tree lighting ceremony will take place in Centennial Square (beside the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts) will be complete with a 50 ft. blue spruce Christmas tree. Also new at this year’s tree lighting and holiday market will be LED swings (only for the night, so don’t miss them!) and a 10.5 ft. illuminated ornament to help you capture amazing memories.

When you visit downtown for your holiday shopping, roads will be fully reopened to vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists, construction fencing will be completely removed, parking spaces will be available on Lakeshore Road, and new street furniture will be in place.

The reopening of Lakeshore Road means the Christmas season will be in full swing in Downtown Oakville.

by Annelise Lawton

If you stand at the foot of Brant Street and look up from Lakeshore Road, it’s hard to imagine anything but a bustling main corridor – yet, not that long ago, Brant Street was nothing more than a dirt road with a smattering of stores.

Since the 1800s, however, the city’s main artery has been transformed from a quiet country road in a small village to the lively city street that exists today. The evolution of Brant Street has been marked by several key developments, one of which occurred in 1947 when the street saw the opening of its first grocery store. At the time, there had only been a greengrocer. The arrival of a new grocery store was met with such excitement that crowds lined the streets.

In 1954, another grocery store came to Brant Street triggering an even larger celebration. Not only did the opening of Loblaw’s draw a huge crowd but promoters even brought in a helicopter.

In the 1960s, the stores along Brant Street reflected the lifestyles of the residents and included Crest Hardware, one of five hardware stores on the street, along with a watchmaker, bakery, and shoe store. Then there was Queen’s Hotel, which was built in 1860 as Zimmerman House (later becoming the Sherwood Inn, followed by Coronation House). The area was also an employment hub, with a cannery factory on the lake at the foot of Brant Street, providing jobs for many in the surrounding area.

The change that perhaps most defined the street’s future came in 1965 with the construction of Burlington’s Town Hall. Built on the site of the old library, Town Hall, later renamed City Hall, was the only building of its stature at the time.

In 1966, the street underwent the ‘Brant Street Spruce-Up’. A sign of its growing popularity – some buildings were renovated and the street and sidewalks received a facelift.

The 1970s brought a lull to the downtown due to the popularity of the new Burlington Mall, which opened in 1968. Since then, however, many changes have been introduced to rejuvenate downtown, and today’s Brant Street has pulled shoppers back to the core.

Walking down Brant Street today, you’ll find an assortment of unique and local shops, including home decor stores like Centro and Pure Boutique, and eateries and cafes like The Queen’s Head, Saigon on Brant, and the famous Kelly’s Bake Shoppe. For those who are fashion-forward, Brant Street has Bush’s, Posh Couture, Joelle’s and Jeff’s Guy Shop, and Mirella’s, all popular clothing boutiques – and you can even get inked at The Tell Tale Heart Tattoo and Gallery.

Also downtown is Burlington’s oldest funeral home, Smith’s Funeral Home, which came to Brant Street in 1942.  Down the street is Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Bar and further toward the lake is sweet-spot Castelyn Belgian Chocolates. 

The popularity of Brant Street today has been closely tied to developments at Spencer Smith Park, once a small shoreline park called Lakeside Park and renamed Spencer Smith Park in 1942.

Over the years, the many festivals at Spencer Smith Park, including Ribfest and the Sound of Music, have introduced thousands of people to Brant Street. But many people are unaware of the park’s beginnings – a landfill site that originally sat where Brant Street meets Lakeshore Road.

Another little-known fact is that Brant Street was named after Joseph Brant, a Mohawk military and political leader, and the surrounding streets, including Caroline and Elizabeth, were named after his family members.

The opening of the Brant Street Pier in June 2013 was another significant change that brought more people to the core. There are more changes on the horizon, and some aren’t without controversy, specifically the plans for a high-rise across from City Hall.

While the dirt road of yesterday is long gone, Brant Street still remains central to the city’s identity – and who knows where it will go from here.

by Denise Davy

Local Links

Burlington Historical Society
Burlingtonhistorical.ca

Downtown Burlington Business Association
Burlingtondowntown.ca

Posh Couture
Poshcouture.ca

Joelle’s
Joelles.com

Castelyn Belgian Chocolates
Casteleyn.ca

Wendel Clark’s
Wendelclarks.com

Centro Garden
Centrogarden.com

Pure Boutique
Pureboutique.ca 

The Queen’s Head
Thequeenshead.ca

Saigon on Brant
Saigononbrant.com

Kelly’s Bake Shoppe
Kellysxo.com

Mirella’s Lady Boutique
Mirellas.ca