Advent celebrations along the north coast of Labrador differ community to community; they all take place, however, on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

Moravian Church Celebrations

On Advent Sunday, the Moravian Church is very elaborately decorated. First of all, a huge Advent Star (with a light inside of it) hangs in the middle of the Church. This is a very extravagant three dimensional geometrically designed star. This star represents the light of Christ and the Star which guides the three Wisemen to the Nativity.

Accompanying the Star are two large Advent wreaths which hang from the ceiling in front of the Church. One hangs in front of the first pew on the women's side of the Church (the left side) and one hangs on the men's side of the Church (the right side). On top of each wreath sit four candles, the first of which is lit on Advent Sunday. These wreaths (usually two feet in radius) are made of wire and newspaper encased in balsam fir boughs. Each Sunday after Advent another candle is lit until the final candle is lit on Christmas Eve. On Advent Sunday the nativity scene is displayed at the front of the Church, just in front of the pulpit. As well, special linens are placed over the pulpit for the Christmas Service.

One of the most significant things about the Advent Sunday service is the singing of the Hosanna. For this reason, many (more than usual) people attend the Advent Sunday Service (4:00 PM). Advent Sunday then is the beginning of Christmas.

The Advent Tree

In Makkovik, one cannot celebrate Advent without having an Advent tree for the children. This tree usually stands two to three feet high and is often collected by the eldest child on the day before Advent Sunday. While we were growing up, our tree was always set up and decorated with small ornaments in our bedroom. More often than not, now the Advent trees are usually set up in the living room for all to see and admire. The majority of homes take down the Advent tree a few days after Advent, although a few keep them up until Christmas.

Before the children go to bed on the eve of Advent Sunday, they hang their stockings because they know the Advent Santa will visit them tonight. Children usually receive stocking stuffers and a few small toys, but nothing as elaborate as Christmas morning. In the 1960's, we often received such items as apples and oranges, and a few candy and maybe one toy. Unlike today, we did not hang our stockings but rather found something in our boot in the morning.

Nowadays, children not only receive something from the Advent Santa in their own homes, they also get something from Santa at their grandparent's house (usually the maternal grandmother's home.) If the children misbehave close to Christmas, a common threat used is that "if you don't be good, Santa's not gonna bring you anything except a junk of wood with an old piece of gum stuck on it." (I've never known anyone to get such and item in their boot.)

Another practice, with reference to the Advent Tree, was for a child to get tree for "Their old woman." A child's old woman was, essentially, the child's godmother and in the case of the Moravian Church, she is always a Chapel Servant. The custom of giving an Advent Tree to one's old woman was very common in Makkovik right up through to the (probably) 1960's. In recent years however, no more than a few people practice this tradition. The change, I suspect, has come with a change in attitude towards the Church. In years past, everyone in the family had to go to Church and thus people were very much influenced by not only the minister and the powerful role they played in the community, but by the Chapel Servants as well. Since fewer people attend Church services regularly, there has been a dislocation between the Chapel Servants and the congregation at large, and thus the giving of the Advent Tree has begun to disappear.

It should be noted here that while Nain too is a Moravian community, the celebration of Advent differs quite a bit. The religious celebration is still very much the same. It is the Advent Santa that differs. In many Inuit families, Advent celebrations are the biggest Christmas celebration of the year. A number of households have large decorated Christmas trees and their homes are elaborately decorated. Some Inuit children get more toys from the Christmas night Santa. The children, in fact, hang their stockings not only in the homes of parents and grandparents, but also in the homes of uncles, aunts, cousins and even in the homes of their friends. Two years ago in Nain, I knew of one woman who was preparing to fill twenty-two stockings left at her home by children. Twenty-two stockings, yet each child received a gift.

Still on the topic of Advent Trees, curiously enough, if one were to visit Bell Island, Newfoundland, one would find at least two or three Advent Trees. This tradition was introduces to Bell Island by me. In 1983, I worked with Social Services as a Secretary. At the time, the Social worker there had an infant son. On Advent, I visited their household only to discover that the child's mother was not aware of the tradition of the Advent Tree. I hurried off, cut a tree, decorated it, filled a stocking with gifts, and hours later, took these things up to the Social Worker for her child. Touched by the gesture, the child's mother swore from here on in, David would always have his Advent Tree. A year later, the family moved to Bell Island. Because David had his Advent Tree every year, his friends began to want one as well. Besides Bell Island, I am also told that three of the child's friends here in St. John's also have an Advent Tree.

As discussed earlier, not all work in preparation for Christmas takes place in the fall of the year. Some work takes place between Advent and December 23rd. All hunting, fishing and berry picking must be completed by about this time save some partridge hunting. All Christmas cakes must be baked. It is during this time that all house cleaning must be completed.

Usually during the second and (in most cases) the third week of December, the Christmas Tree must be cut and brought home. This is a task for the men. On a fairly mild day, the komatik is hooked onto the back of the snowmobile and the man heads in the woods for the tree. If the weather is too cold, then he runs the risk of snapping branches off the tree because of the frost. For this reason, a minimum of two balsam fir trees are brought back. After the trees are stuck in the snow outside of the house, the women then comes out to examine them. She chooses the best of the two. If the one she likes has branches missing, then the boughs from the second tree will be used to fill the gaps. This is done on the 23rd of December when the tree is brought into the house the thawed out. If, on the other hand, she does not approve of either of the trees, she makes this very clear. After a minor disagreement, another tree-hunting expedition is planned because, ultimately, the woman gets the final say when it comes to the Christmas tree.

Anywhere from the 15th to the 22nd of December, the whole community is in a buzz. Last minute cleaning must be done, gifts still have to be made or purchased and wrapped; the School Christmas concert must be fit in; the Santa Claus parade; the Senior's Christmas party must be fit in and, of course (for those who are loyal), the Radio Christmas Bingo must be carried off. Radio Christmas Bingos consist of prizes of cash, turkeys, chickens and grocery boxes. As well, usually on the 22nd of December, the extra Christmas baking must be done. This includes extra cakes, breads, tea rings and cookies. In all homes I visit throughout Christmas, there are two favourite varieties of Christmas cookies. These are the ginger cookies and shortbread cookies.

By December 23rd, almost everything has to be done. If the tree is not brought in the night before, it is then brought in on the morning of December 23rd. Ample time must be given to ensure all the frost and snow thaws out before the tree is decorated. The box of Christmas decorations is usually pulled out of storage on the afternoon of the 23rd. A survey of decorations is made to ensure all lights are working and what Christmas ornaments must be repaired or replaced.

In recent years, the major confectionary store in Makkovik, Skipper Gil's, has expanded its Christmas business. Now all Christmas decorations, toys, gifts, etc., can be purchased in the community. Before this, everything was made, saved, repaired or ordered through the Sear's Catalogue.

Usually, anytime after supper, people begin decorating their trees and homes. The entire community decorates on the 23rd of December. Needless to say, during that evening, there is a steady flow of people in and out of Skipper Gil's buying decorations and the like. It should also be pointed out that December 23rd is quite often the last day in which the mail arrives. People are anxious to see if the last UIC cheque arrives until after Christmas. As well, some are still expecting last minute packages through the mail. If these things do not arrive, arrangements are made to get a short term line of credit with the owner of the store.

The trimming of the tree is usually done by adults and older children. While the younger children generally pick at the decorations laid out in the living room, get tangled in the lights and garland, and generally "get in the way", they nevertheless do get a chance to help out. They usually have the task of hanging ornaments on the lower branches of the tree in very specific spots (already determined by Mom).

It is the men's task to put the lights and the tree top on the tree. After that, the women take over with the ornaments, the garland and the icicles. While the women decorate the tree, the men put the lights either in the windows or outside on the exterior of the house. Once the tree is done, the ceiling and wall decorations must be put up. Usually four streamers hang from four corners of the room and are pinned up in the centre of the room by another ornament. Various Christmas paraphernalia are then set up around the house. These items include wall decorations, Christmas figurines, Christmas candles and candy dishes. Some decorating takes place in the kitchen and over each door of the house but not as elaborate as the living room decorations.

While all of this is taking place there is usually a christmas fund raising plege show taking place at the local radio station. This show raises money for the Moravian Church.

By this time, the furniture is rearranged to accommodate the tree and the final house cleaning takes place. The left over Christmas decorations are put away, the furniture is once again dusted and polished, the rugs are vacuumed and all the floors are scrubbed and waxed. The final tasks for the night are to place all the wrapped gifts under the tree and all the candy and nut dishes are filled.

Christmas Eve in Makkovik is by far the biggest celebration of Christmas. The first thing to be done in the morning is to make sure all the last minute gifts are wrapped before you begingsorting out them for delivery. This starts around ten in the morning. All morning snowmobiles and scooting about the community, people ducking in and out of homes with packages underneath their arms. Christmas in in the air. You can truly feel it! . In our household, the last pies are baked for Christmas. After a quick lunch, preparation begins for the Christmas Eve meal.

Anywhere from about one to three o'clock, people start getting ready for the four o'clock Candlelight Service. There is a steady flow of people taking showers, and the traffic to the bathroom is virtually non-stop. The ironing board is pulled out and everyone's suits and dresses are pressed. Everyone must be ready by 3:30 pm. The whole community seems to attend the Candlelight Service. Almost everyone goes there by snowmobile so in front of the Church there maybe in excess of a hundred snowmobiles parked haphazardly in front of the Church.

At 3:40 pm, the first Church Bell rings. The second and final bell rings at 3:50. Some families celebrate the rest of the community in terms of their arrival at the Church. For example, of you see the ‘Mitchell's' heading to the Church, you know you have a good ten to fifteen minutes to get to spare. If, on the other hand, you see the Evan's heading to the Church, then, well you know you are late.

In addition, to the decorations already set up for Advent, a few new items are added to the final decoration of the Church. In front of the Church, two large posts are set at diagonals to where the corners meet. These posts are placed approximately eight feet high and each post contains rows of white wax candles all lighted. As well every three pews a wall shelf sits on the wall. These too contain three lighted candles.

At the front of the Church on either side of the pulpit stand two Christmas trees. Each tree is decorated with artificial candle electric lights. Before diesel generators were introduces to Makkovik, the Candles placed on the Christmas trees were real.

For the Candlelight Service, extra benches and chairs are set out in the Church to accommodate the large attendance to the service. In fact, some people have to stand at the back of the Church because there are no seats available.

For the most part, Christmas hymns are sung during the Candlelight Service. This is one of the very few services throughout the whole year then the service is carried out both in English and in Inuktitut. Prayers and the Christmas story readings are done in both Inuktitut and English. As well, both choirs sing various in each language.

Three major activities take place during the Candlelight Service. The first of these is sharing The Bread of Life. This always comes in the form of Purity's Milk Lunch Round Biscuits. These are served to each member of the congregation by Chapel Servants who carry the biscuits in large straw baskets. Half way through the service the second event which takes place, is giving the children their apple and candle. All the Chapel Servants (who sit on either side of the front of the Church) get up and disappear behind a door at the front of the Church. In a few moments they emerge, each carrying a tray of apples with a lights candle perched in the middle of it. Each child fifteen years and younger receives such a gift. Once this is done, the lights of the church are all turned off. The children then stand holding their apples, with the candle, high in the air, and begin to sing "Jesus Bids Us Shine." Before the candles are blown out, it is always explained to the children that the apple represents the earth and the lighted candle represents Jesus, the light of the earth.

The service then continues with various readings and choir singing. Towards the end of the service at about 5:00 pm, the children get pretty restless for they know the final event to take place in the service is the arrival of Father Christmas (AKA Santa Claus)! After a short sermon, and the story of the true meaning of Christmas, the jingle of bells and a loud HO! HO! HO! can be heard at the back of the Church. From that point in time, the sanity of the house of the Lord disappears. The Church then turns into chaos. Children squeal with delight, start laughing and talking, jump up and down, while others begin to cry as Father Christmas makes his way to the front of the Church to a chair set out between the Christmas trees just for him.

Huge tea chests filled with wrapped Christmas gifts are pulled from the back of the Church. Two people then come forward to help Father Christmas hand the gifts to the children. The helpers read the names on the gift, the gift is then given to Santa who gives it to the child as they come forward for their gift. Each child fifteen years and younger receives a gift right down to the newest baby in the congregation. As gifts are handed out, hundreds of photographs appear to be taken. Once all the members of a family receive gifts, people leave the Church.

It should be identified here that ever since the first missionaries arrived in Labrador, the Candlelight Service always included a visit from Father Christmas. In Hopedale, this activity takes place in the Community Hall after supper on December 24th. In Nain, this activity does not take place at all, because Nain's population is so large, that two Candlelight Services are held. The four o'clock service is held for one end of the community. An identical service is held at seven o'clock for the remainder of the community.

In earlier times in Makkovik, the gifts to children at Church came from the Missionaries themselves. These often included an article of clothing, a small toy, and candy made by the missionaries' wives. After the establishment of the United States military Base on Cape Makkovik in 1955(?), the Americans contributed to the gifts given to children at Christmas. They carried out what we called "The Drop". A USAF aircraft would fly over the community (a low swoop) on a clear day about a week before Christmas Eve. The swoop over the community would be a signal to the community that the drop was about to take place.

Everyone would then head for the small open marsh (then frozen over) in the middle of town. The aircraft would then drop a flare to identify the drop location and wind direction. On the third pass, the aircraft would fly very high. It would then drop a large basket (6x6x4) which was attached to a parachute. The basket contained clothing, toys, fruit and candy. This would be taken to the Church to be distributed to the children on Christmas Eve.

The first thing that each family does is sit down for the big Christmas Eve meal. For the majority of households in Makkovik the main meal is Partridge and vegetables. Each person gets their very own partridge filled with stuffing. The vegetables consist of whatever is available in the store. These include turnip, cabbage, carrot and potatoes. Accompanying the vegetables is usually a berry pudding of some sort and peas pudding. All of this is richly topped off with gravy. Wine for most households usually is served with the meal although this is not always the case. As well, each person receives a Christmas cracker (store bought with a small trinket, a written fortune and a paper hat). Next comes tea and desert. Desert is and assortment of fruit cake, cookies and specially baked red or bake apple pie.

After everybody rolls away from the table, the dishes come next. This task is done fairly quickly in anticipation of the gift opening event. Everybody gathers in the living room where all the family gifts are pulled out from underneath the Christmas tree. The gifts are distributed at random usually by the eldest child in the family. Once this process begins, people begin opening their gifts as they are handed to them. After all the gifts are opened, and examined, all the thank-you's are made and the room is tidied away. At the same time lots of gifts are sectioned out for closer family members who live outside the household. By this time, it is usually 8:00 pm. Everyone then goes their own separate ways delivering gifts to various households. While people are out, the turkey is put on for the following day and slowly cooks for a few hours. The long and tiresome day usually lasts until midnight. Although some households one visits during the evening, offer "a Christmas drink", clearly social pressure is placed on individuals not to over-indulge - for the night still belongs to the children.

For some families with young children, Christmas day starts at four o'clock in the morning. Children sneak out to see what Santa Claus left for them in their stockings. I recall doing this as a child. We would play with our toys for a few hours then we would go back to bed. We would sleep for a couple of hours then get up for the rest of the day. In many homes in Makkovik, Santa leaves something for everyone including parents and grandparents.

For the most part however, Christmas day is meant for a day of relaxation after the big turkey dinner. The Christmas Day meal is very much like the Christmas Eve meal except a turkey or canadian goose is served rather than partridges. The other difference is that money is found inside of the Christmas pudding.

Prior to dinner, the Moravian Church Family Worship Service takes place at 11:00 am. Again, a large percentage of the population attends this service although it by no means has the attendance of the Candlelight Service. Because there is another service at 4:00 pm, (both services include mostly Christmas hymns) frequently those who do not attend the morning service will go to the late afternoon service. For the most part, Christmas day is spent relaxing. A few families visit one another during the afternoon or evening. Christmas Day supper usually consists of heated leftovers from the turkey dinner.

Towards evening more people visit each others homes. Visitors are usually served a lunch consisting of tea or coffee and Christmas baked goods. As well, the visitors are brought into the living room where people admire the tree and gifts under the tree. In most cases, the women of the household will sit on the floor beside the tree, pull out all of the gifts, name who received the gift, as well as who it was from. This process may happen as often as fifteen to twenty times throughout Christmas.

Not all people are served a lunch while they visit. Men are usually offered a beer or some other alcohol beverage. This being the case however, the majority of people wait until the following night before they "put on their party hats."

Makkovik does not have a regular bar or nightclub. Nevertheless, on Boxing Night, the Community Hall turns into one. It is the only night of the year when alcohol can be served openly in a public place. Although the RCMP are not stationed in Makkovik (the Detachment in Hopedale also serves Postville and Makkovik), they nonetheless are aware of what happens in the Hall on Boxing Night. On Boxing Night, just about everyone in the community nineteen years and older dress up in their best clothes and "go to the Boxing Night". No alcohol is sold as such, but everyone brings their own. Tables are set up for everyone to sit at. Makkovik has its own local band which has been playing together for the past twenty years. At about 10:00 pm, the dance begins. One of the greatest things about Boxing Night in Makkovik is seeing people, who do not normally party, in attendance. A lot of older people are in attendance as well. The dance usually ends about 2:00 am. By this time, people either go home or go elsewhere to a house party. Some house parties do not end until the wee hours of the morning, while others may continue to the next night.

Children, those who are fifteen years and younger, have their own special day in the Moravian Church. This is a day when the youth of the community are celebrated and honoured (this also happens in Nain and Hopedale). There are two church services held on children's day, one at 11:00 am and one at 3:00 pm. The three o'clock service is the one most frequently attended. During this service, the children receive huge molasses and raisin buns, known as Day Buns, which are baked by the Chapel Servants. They also receive a glass of juice.

A lot of partying takes place between Boxing Night and New Year's. On December 30th, however, a lot of people have a tendency to rest and relax, because they know that the following night will be a long one. One of the most important Church Services takes place at 7:00 pm on New Year's Eve. This service is called The Memorabilia Service. During this service, statistics of Makkovik are read for the past year. These statistics include infants who were born and baptised and their parent's names , the marriages which took place and on what days, the names and dates of those who have died, the names of children who have become young people for the year (those who have turned fifteen), a total count of the population, how much money was collected by the Church for the year, and other significant events which may have affected the community. Recognition is also given to new faces, such as Teachers or Nurses, who came to live in Makkovik during that year. Quite often, the comment is made after the service that "so-and-so was mentioned in Church."

While some partying begins after the 7:00 pm service to celebrate the New Year, most people wait until later on in the night. The reason for this is the traditional Midnight Service in the Moravian Church on New Year's Eve. This service begins at 11:30 pm and lasts only for a half hour. At one minute to midnight, there is a moment of silence on the Church. Each person is asked to think about the events in their lives of the old year and to think about the incoming new year. At precisely midnight a Chapel Servant begins ringing the Church bells. A prayer is said by the Minister and then the service is over. As people file out of the Church, New Year's greetings are already being offered. As well, outside numerous guns are heard being fired off. Over the last few years, a few people have begun sending up red flares.

Making their way home from Church, people stop off at the homes of friends and family to kiss and wish everyone a Happy New Year. Long distance phone calls are made to family and friends living outside of Makkovik (this is also done on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). From here on in anyone passing by someone's house to wish them a Happy New Year - this is said to be "making their rounds." By this time, many households are having a party and the well wishers either join the party or are, at least, offered a drink before they leave. One of the tricks to knowing where the parties are throughout the Christmas season is to see which house has the most snowmobiles parked outside of it.

Although they have not held it for the past two years now, and older couple in the community used to lay out a spread of food for anyone dropping by on New Year's night. This was called "Aunt Ingrid's Feed" (because it was held at her house.) Tables of food ranged from full course meals to deserts. It included turkey, ham, chicken, caribou roasts, deer meat cakes, sea meat, rabbit, partridge, salmon, cod fish, fish cakes, smoked trout, dried fish, salads, coleslaws, jelly, fruit cake, cookies, pies, breads and jams. Everybody in the community was invited to drop by for a feast. Nobody was refused. There was a steady flow of people coming into her house, eating, having a drink or two and leave again.

While some partying continued into the next day, for the most part, New Year's day is usually spent relaxing and visiting.

The community pretty well goes back to normal a few days after New Year's. Some people travel back to where they came from (many people living outside of Makkovik come home to spend Christmas with their families), others return to work. Generally, because it is still the Christmas season, people usually do a minimum of work such as washing clothes and chopping wood, etc.. For the few days left in Christmas (until January 6th) still a lot of visiting takes place. If you meet somebody on the road, in the store or talk to them during the season, a comment they might make is "I never saw you all Christmas" or "make sure you come down now before Christmas is over.

January 6th is Nalajuk (null-e-yook) Night in Makkovik. On the night of January 5th, children (and some adults as well) hang their stockings for the last time to see what the Nalajuks will bring them on the morning of the 6th. These stocking stuffers usually consist of a few small items or, in the case of children, one toy. January 6th, as well as being Nalajuk night, is the night that people "undecorate." For the most part, families in Makkovik take down their Christmas decorations after supper.

Around seven o'clock in the evening, all the kids lurk about and play outside in anticipation on the arrival of the Nalajuks. Three Nalajuks (like the Three Wisemen) are seen coming from the Hebron end of town shortly after seven in the evening. They are escorted by a driver who tows them through the community while they sit on the komatik. The Nalajuks, always Inuit men in the community, are dressed in heavy clothing (usually a caribou or seal fur tied around them). They are also disguised and thus wear hand made face masks or ski-masks. They carry with them a bag of goods as well as long sticks.

The Nalajuks make their way through the community usually to households of Inuit residents only. Children from the community closely follow the Nalajuks although they keep a safe distance from them because at any moment the Nalajuks might jump off of the komatik and run after the children. When this happens the kids automatically fan out, run, laugh, scream and head in the opposite direction. If caught, a child must sing a song, any song, to the Nalajuk, otherwise they may get hit with the stick. The Nalajuks go into the household and bring gifts to the children. For these children, they do not hang their stockings the night before because the Nalajuks bring them something in person.

While the Nalajuks are inside of the house, the children in the meantime continue playing and lurking outside the door. While some try and peep through the windows, at least one brave soul stand on the doorstep to let everyone know when the Nalajuks are about to come out. Once they do, the children fan out once again because once the Nalajuks come out of a house, they are sure to run after the kids again, especially if the next house they have to visit is in close proximity to the one just left.

Over all, this activity usually lasts for about three hours. The last household the Nalajuks enter, they do not leave. After about a half an hour later, children usually disperse and head home because they know the activity is over. Sadly enough, they also that this is also the signal that Christmas is truly over for this year.

By the time they get home, they know that all the Christmas lights will be turned off, all the decorations will be taken down, and all the once beautiful Christmas tree will be thrown out by the front door, abandoned, except for a few icicles still attached to a few branches. Furniture will be put back to its normal place and Christmas gifts will be put away.

Nalajuk night differs from community to community along the North Coast. Largely an Inuit tradition, the activity takes place only in the communities of Nain, Hopedale and Makkovik. In Hopedale, the activity is quite similar to that of Makkovik with one exception -- the event may last longer since there is a larger native population in Hopedale than there is in Makkovik. Nain's Nalajuk Night, on the other hand, differs a lot. In Nain, there may be as many as twenty Nalajuks going through the community that night. Their activity appears to be somewhat more violent than that of Makkovik. They not only carry large sticks, but also, chains and steel piping. It is not uncommon to hear the next day that someone got hurt on Nalajuk Night. Two years ago in Nain, a man (young boy) was flown out to Melville Hospital in Goose Bay. His injury was a broken collar bone as a result of an encounter with a Nalajuk. In fact, last year, CBC Radio interviewed the Moravian Minister about Nalajuk Night in Nain. Not only did he describe the history of Nalajuk Night in Nain, but he also made a plea to the community on Nain to tone down the Nalajuks' activities. Because some danger exists with Nalajuk encounters in Nain, I have often heard residents state that they are sometimes afraid to go out on the evening of January 6th because the Nalajuks are so scary. Probably the reason why the event is so much calmer and fun oriented in Makkovik is because of the influence of the larger settler population. It should also be noted here that throughout Christmas, and usually closer to January 6th, if children are misbehaving, a common threat would be "Be good, or else the old Nalajuks are gonna get you" or, "If you don't be good, I'm gonna get the old Nalajuks to come and take you away."

Born into the Moravian faith and raised in a strongly religious Moravian community, I very much partake in the Moravian celebration of Christmas, especially on Christmas Eve. Much of what is described in this paper is a religious celebration of Christmas and many Moravian Christmas practices, even though by choice I do not practice any religious faith. At the same token, I am not a Christmas Scrooge, for the celebration of Christmas for me is the spirit of sharing and the sense of community togetherness which swells in the community during the holidays. I also very much respect many of the communities customs and traditions in the way they celebrate Christmas, especially since living there, these cannot be avoided.

Christmas of the early part of the twentieth century differed from Christmas of the 1980's. For the most part, the differences are just superficial. Many of the customs and traditions are still maintained today. I would suggest that the differences are a result of a change in the economy. Makkovik today is very much a cash flow community whereas in the early part of the century very little cash exchanged hands. I also believe that the mediums of Television and Radio (introduces in the mid-1970's) have affected the celebration of Christmas. The most significant effect of these are modern advertising and consumerism.

Other changes have taken place for which older people now express the feeling of nostalgia for by-gone Christmases. For example, very little Christmas carolling now takes place. For those who dare to go out on cold winter nights, Christmas carols have replaced the singing of Christmas hymns. Many also feel that today's children have lost sight of the real meaning of Christmas - the religious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Probably younger children celebrate "Santa's Christmas" but as people grow older this is probably when they do become more aware of the Christ in Christmas.

A few traditions have begun to disappear. Yet even though this happens people have a tendency to discuss these past traditions so that orally these traditions are still passed down. An example of this is the giving of the Advent tree to someone's "old woman" which was discussed earlier. Another example of a tradition which has disappeared is the Brass Band. After the resettlement program in the 1950's the already existing Brass Band increased in terms of the number of members in the band and the number of instruments that were played. This group would sit at the back of the Church or in the upstairs and play on different occasions throughout the Christmas season. After the Inuit population began moving away to Nain and Hopedale in the early 1960's, the Brass Band disappeared. In an effort to revive this tradition, a group of young and inspiring high school students have begun learning to play these instruments in the hopes of bringing the Brass Band back to Makkovik.

Because Makkovik is to some degree still an isolated community, and because individuals make an effort to recognize their Christmas celebrations as different, I would go so far as to suggest that one of the keys to maintaining some of the Christmas celebrations of ethnocentrism itself. All families celebrate christmas in their way and many have traditions not shared by the entire community. For example, something people have huge family gatherings for a family meal during Christmas. One household may decide that all the family will be invited over (usually between Boxing Night and Nalajuk Night - or Old Christmas as called by some) for a family feast. Beginning with the grandparents, all their children and finally the great-grandchildren are invited to the feast. As well, a few close friends and well respected elderly people of the community are also invited. Rarely does anyone who is invited not show up. There may be as many as thirty to forty people invited to share a buffet of cold wild and domestic meats, salads, deserts and refreshments (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages). This kind of meal may be hosted by three different family members on three different nights.

Christmas celebration in Makkovik have all the pomp and grandeur of modern Christmas celebrations elsewhere in Canada. Many people outside of Makkovik often comment that Christmas celebrations there are "almost too much." No matter how poor people are, or how large one's family network is, each individual gets a gift. I would attribute this to the overriding sense of giving and sharing in the community at Christmas.