This Nunavut hamlet is pulling out all the stops for Christmas this year | 24CA News

For a small neighborhood, it is bursting with Christmas spirit.

The hamlet of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, is displaying do the vacations proper this yr, with an entire month of actions designed to get everybody concerned.

“We knew that this would be a really special year because everybody could come back and do what they love to do, and get together,” stated Nadene McMenemy, head of the neighborhood’s Christmas committee.

“It’s almost like this year actual Christmas events have returned, and everybody is just looking so forward to it — and we are too. So we decided, let’s pull out all the stops here.”

Kugluktuk is the westernmost neighborhood in Nunavut, positioned north of the Arctic Circle on the mouth of the Coppermine River. It’s dwelling to about 1,400 folks, and the winter months may be very chilly and really darkish. The climate forecast is asking for temperatures beneath –30 C for many of this week. 

The native Christmas committee has been elevating cash for months for all the occasions and actions, in addition to prizes and Christmas hampers. The occasions embrace a expertise competitors, a parade, a sq. dance, trivia nights, a film night time (Elf) and a neighborhood feast on Tuesday night time. They’re additionally mentioning a magician from Edmonton to placed on a present.

“We think we’ve power-packed the schedule for this year,” McMenemy stated. 

And then there are the Christmas video games — a custom in lots of Nunavut communities — to be held over a number of nights, this week and subsequent. That’s when folks collect locally corridor for some family-friendly skill-testing occasions, and an opportunity to win some prizes.

The expertise contest has already occurred, with younger folks posting movies to the Christmas committee’s Facebook web page. The winner will probably be introduced on the neighborhood feast.

“We fundraise all year to be able to do these things. And we’re pretty proud of our accomplishments this year,” McMenemy stated.

Last week, Santa paid a go to — Kugluktuk’s a comparatively brief journey from the North Pole — for pictures with native children. McMenemy stated a document quantity confirmed up.

“It was unbelievable. It was, I think, 180 families,” she stated.

Even although it seems like a return to pre-pandemic instances, McMenemy stated they’re nonetheless asking folks to be cautious, and keep dwelling in the event that they’re feeling sick. Lots of movies will probably be posted on-line, she stated.

The purpose is to ensure no person is omitted. 

“We went with the higher-end prizes, and more prizes and things, to reward people and thank people, and for people to just basically enjoy Christmas because that’s what it’s all about — family and friends, you know?” McMenemy stated.

“We’ve got all the lights up on the poles, and the big tree on top of the hamlet, and the Northern [store]’s open ’til 11 — it feels like we’re in the big city!” McMenemy stated.