Peter Thompson
Vendor, Writer
David Deocera
Vendor, Writer
It was a week before Christmas, year 1969. We had flurries in the air and cold wintry days. Snow could get pretty deep in these parts, a village about 13 kilometres north of Boston Bar, B.C. called Kahmoose, meaning Boothroyd.
As a community, some people started their dinners early so family and friends could join them. Each household had it on different days.
Family and friends would get together for a meal. Grown-ups would be chit-chatting and having a holiday cheer, while kids would be playing outside in the snow and having fun.
We also visited people a few miles away, enjoying a visit, food and drink, and asking them if they needed a ride on a certain day because some people didn’t have a phone and it was how we communicated.
Different homes cooked different dinners. Some places we’d get turkey, another place we would get deer meat with gravy and mashed potatoes, or maybe some salmon or salt salmon — one of my favourite dishes — or moose roast. The dishes came with the all fixings and different desserts which were homemade.
I remember one time a lady had too much cheer, so when it was time to go home, some of the people put her on a sleigh and pushed and pulled her home — laughing all the way. At least she got home safely. Luckily for all she lived just a few doors down.
At our house, when it was our turn to feed and entertain our guests, we had a nice turkey dinner with all the fixings. We also had the Japanese oranges that came in a wooden box that you had to use a hammer to open. Also the hard candy of different sorts in a bowl, which you had to pry apart because they were all stuck together.
We also had mixed nuts but no nutcracker, so we used a hammer on an old shoe horn which my dad used to fix the soles of shoes. On quite a few occasions I remember hitting my thumb or finger cracking those hazelnuts!
I remember one time the power went out because of a landslide and there was going to be no power for hours. Someone had an old wood-burning cook stove, so we went there to cook our turkey. After it was done we invited them to our place for a good dinner with all the side dishes.
When I think back on this time, it was great to have a gathering of community where people got together to share food, festivities and fun.
I miss those days.
Image drawn by David Deocera.
Peter Thompson
Vendor, Writer
Peter Thompson (Nlaka’pamux) was born in Lytton, B.C. in the Fraser Canyon and has lived in East Vancouver for nearly 50 years. He enjoys trout and salmon fishing in the summer, and loves getting out of the city to spend time in nature with his four grandchildren. Peter has been involved with Megaphone for more than a decade and has had numerous winning photographs appear in Hope in Shadows calendars. Look for him at his spot on West Fourth Avenue at Vine Street. Stop by and say hello.
David Deocera
Vendor, Writer
David Deocera moved to Vancouver from the Philippines in 1995 and joined Megaphone in 2013. He is a gifted artist, writer and photographer, and he speaks several languages, including English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Russian and Arabic. David is a member of The Shift peer newsroom.
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