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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
Christmas and the promotion of literacy were combined together last week in Fort Liard.

Megan Steeves holds the Chistmas ornament that she made at the Family Literacy Christmas Special in Fort Liard. - photo courtesy of Jennifer Lukas

The Hamlet of Fort Liard's department of wellness and recreation held a Family Literacy Christmas Special on Dec. 12. The department has been holding literacy events since October, including family board game nights and writing workshops on stories and poetry.

This year's Christmas event drew its biggest crowd yet. The Fort Liard Library can comfortably hold 20 people, but between 50 and 60 crowded in for the event, including about 20 parents, said Roslyn Gardner Firth, the hamlet's manager of wellness and recreation.

"It was wildly successful," she said. "It seemed everybody really enjoyed it."

Kali Norn, 13, was one of the enthusiastic participants. Norn attended the literacy special with her mother and two sisters.

"It was really fun," she said. "I loved how all the kids made all the Christmas ornaments."

Kali helped her younger sister Kadence make an ornament out of a sealing jar lid, stickers and other decorations. Kali also enjoyed the story readings.

Ollie Williams read How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Gardner Firth read The Night Before a Canadian Christmas.

"I thought it was good for the kids to listen," she said.

Megan Steeves, 10, was particularly a fan of Williams' reading.

"He was pretty dramatic about it," she said.

Making a Christmas ornament and singing Christmas carols were among Steeves' favourite parts of the evening. Accompanied by Maria Bittern on the guitar, the participants at the literacy special sang Silent Night in Dene Zhatie as well as Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town in English.

Steeves encouraged her mom to come to the event in the hopes she would win the adult draw for the family gift basket. Instead, Steeves won one of the children's prizes. She is saving the wrapped gift to open on Christmas Day but admits it has been hard not to peek.

"I'm curious," she said.

It was great to see so many people participate in the evening, said Gardner Firth. The crowd spilled out into the foyer of the hamlet office, where a craft table was set up.

As part of the evening, resident Eva Hope shared her memories about what it was like in Fort Liard and the surrounding area around Christmas time when people were still primarily living on the land.

"That was a wonderful addition to the evening," said Gardner Firth.

Literacy activities are continuing in the hamlet. On Dec. 13, Jennifer Lukas began reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Lukas will be reading portions of the book every Thursday evening.

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