"Journey to a First Canadian Christmas" is one of ten stories by Audrey McKim, collected in Stories for Canada's Birthday, published by the Canadian Council of Churches/Friendship Press for Canada's Centennial in 1966. Each story is a vignette of a way that the Christian church or one of its leaders impacted Canadian history.
Audrey McKim was a fairly prolific but somewhat underappreciated Canadian children's writer, mostly in the 1950's and '60's. Most of her books and stories appeared in church-related publications, which limited her audience although it did make her well known among church teachers and midweek group leaders. I always enjoyed her way with a story, and missed having this book around as an adult until we lucked out at a church sale.
"Journey to a First Canadian Christmas" is a fictionalized story of the childhood of Anglican Bishop Robert Renison, who was born in Ireland in 1875 and came to Canada as a child. The Renison family spent their first winter here "near Sault Ste. Marie where his father taught Indian children while he and his family learned the Ojibway language." As the story opens, Robert, his brother Billy, and his parents are travelling even further north--by foot and canoe--to live in "the land of Christmas trees."
"What's a Christmas tree?" asked Billy.Father and Mother do have a few more things than Christmas on their minds at this point...mainly the fact that their third child is about to arrive. But the little sister is born safely, the family builds a house, and Christmas finally arrives.
"These evergreen trees! At Christmas time Queen Victoria has such a tree right in the palace."
"Will they know about Christmas where we are going?" asked Robert anxiously.
"Wherever Christians are, you will find Christmas, Robert," was his father's answer....
Robert was silent. Sometimes his ideas about things were quite different from those of his father.
After prayers the presents were opened.
Wonderful presents!
Mother had knit stockings and, under the direction of the Indian women, had beaded moccasins for each of the three boys. Father had made snowshoes for every one....
On the way to church service, Robert asked, "Did the Indians know about Christmas before you came here, Father?"
"Some of them had heard. For some, today will bring their first understanding of what Christmas means: the coming of Jesus when He is most needed. About two hundred years ago a brave Jesuit missionary called Jean de Brebeuf wrote the first Canadian Christmas carol. He wrote it for the Huron Indians to the east. I am going to sing it to our Indian friends today. It is written in a way that they will understand the Good News."
In the gathering of Indians, Robert listened carefully to the words of the hymn:
At the end, Robert asks:
"Is heaven like having Christmas every day, Father?"
"Well now," said Father, "'tis surely true that in heaven there is the same fine feeling of peace and good will. Yes, I think that heaven may be like Christmas days well spent."
"I think so," said Robert, "for today was heaven for me!" And he burrowed deep under the warm blankets and was soon asleep.
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