Just when you thought Christmas decorations were finally put away, the Ladysmith Recreation Committee (LRC) pulled them all back out again to celebrate Christmas in January on Saturday night.
The committee set to work decking the halls last Tuesday in anticipation of the over 100 guests who bought tickets to enjoy a sold-out Christmas dinner with turkey, ham, and all the fixings.
With help from a team of volunteers, the Thorne Community Recreation Association hall was decorated with candy cane garlands, holiday lights and ornament chandeliers.
“We sold about 120 tickets and then I had about another 20 people call,” said Terri-Lyn Blaskie, one of three members of the committee. “I had a waitlist I called when we had cancellations.”
One of the guests joked that there were only 75 people who lived in town yet there were 120 people in attendance.
Blaskie said that the committee purchased six turkeys and three hams for the event, and had been cooking everything since Wednesday. At the end of the night, they offered take out containers of homemade coleslaw and bags of turkey for $5 or $10.
When dessert plates had been licked clean and the last dishes had been cleared, local favourite The Reg Carkner Band took to the stage.
“People are always so busy in December with all the Christmas events,” Blaskie said. “We decided to celebrate Christmas in January and I think we’ll keep doing that.”
This is the first dinner hosted by the committee since it was formed last year, and Blaskie said that they hope to have more.
“When the weather is warmer and we do like a spaghetti dinner, we’ll also use the other room,” she said, pointing to an enclosed sunroom attached to the hall. “It’s not insulated so we can’t in the winter, but in the summer we can have more people.”
