Thank you for bringing the magic of Christmas to life in Whitehorse

For Nina, the brightest and most magnificent Christmas image that comes to mind is of Santa Claus and the sounds of the bells. PHOTO: Pixabay

What image appears in your imagination when you think about Christmas? When I think about Christmas, the first thing I imagine are all of the wonderful Christmas movies (like Home Alone).

I think about the smell of fresh mandarins. 
I remember my grandparents when they were sitting in front of the TV near the old-fashioned, but very cozy Christmas tree.
I remember the famous Coca-Cola advertising.

However, the brightest and most magnificent picture that comes to mind is of Santa Claus and the sounds of the bells.

All of us – adults and children – want to believe in a fairy tale! Sometimes adults need fairy tales even more than kids. Anyway, we have already celebrated Christmas and the New Year. The calendar year is already done, and it’s a good time to remember how it was. The season of holiday preparation officially kicked in high gear with the Santa Claus Parade, held in Whitehorse in the middle of December.

Perhaps for some people this colorful procession is just another traditional marathon and they believe that participation in the event is only a waste of time. However, I’m not among these people. For me, the Christmas season is the most magnificent time of the year, when you want to believe that literally anything you can wish will happen. When everyone, regardless of their age, believes in fairy tales and expects something bright and good. It’s time to try something new.

Though I moved here from Toronto, I have never seen the Santa Clause Parade. And it’s really sad, because the parade that was held in Whitehorse was something crazy and unforgettable. Participants could see flamboyant cartoon characters walking along Main Street and different, colourfully designed themed floats.

Finally, he appeared, the one we’d all been waiting for. Everyone who came to the street on this day came to meet and celebrate him: Santa Claus! He turned to the right and to the left, gave a fatherly wave of the hand and smiled. He arrived, and that meant we were on a fast-slide to Christmas and the New Year. Very soon this kind wizard will open his fairy bag and shower all of us with wonderful gifts.

The City of Whitehorse and organizers of the Santa Claus events tried their best: just a week after the Santa Clause Parade and tree-lighting ceremony in Whitehorse, a new festival was held. Here, thousands of people had an opportunity to try plenty of drinks and variety of snacks from sponsors, ride a dogsled, take a traditional photo with Santa or choose from several other activities.

Organizers made this event joyful and interesting for all participants, anyone had a chance to find many fun things to do, entertainment and amusement activities. I was ecstatic of the fabulous atmosphere of Christmas and my almost forgotten childhood. There was such a feeling of hope and that’s when you wait for a miracle. You believe that it will come true and anything you can wish for will come true.

It was my first winter in Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon Territory. However, being here, in those moments I truly believed that, yes, there is a real Santa Claus that lives somewhere in the territory. He is very close to us. This is a real Santa who came to the town to meet us. This is not some performance artist, but a real, living magician. He will bring us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In addition, I would like to say thank you to City of Whitehorse for a Garbage Truck Santa that brings cheers and holiday spirit to the town. Being here for Christmas, I felt that I was in a fairy tale, like in my childhood. I literally wanted to cry with happiness.

Thanks to the organizers for bringing fairy-tale particles into our ordinary life and enveloping our lives in a fairy-tale spirit.

Zoom, Santa, Zoom

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