The Huron Carol in Huron, English and French!

What a wonderful surprise it was today to receive an email from Patricia Carroll, the younger sister of Madeleine, who was in the same class as me at Chapleau High School in the Fifties. And she attached an awesome rendtition of The Huron Carol in Huron, English and French. Thanks so much Patricia.

Here is Patricia's email:

You may not know me but I remember you when I was 10 yrs. old living in Chapleau with my sister Monica and brother in law Andre Thibault circa 1955 to 1957. I am Madeleine Carroll's youngest sister, Patricia also aunt to Rick, Ron and Jamie Thibault. When I say I remember you, it means I remember seeing you on the main street as I remember so many faces going and coming from school and knowing the names and nicknames. I live in Windsor and I am retired from Chrysler Canada Ltd. I have many fond memories of Chapleau and its wonderful residents, of which many were my relatives.

My mother's first cousin Father Albert Burns was a Jesuit and parish priest of Sacred Heart church in Chapleau. At this special time of the year I would like to pass this beautiful carol (hymn) which is sung in Huron, French and English. Most importantly it was written by the Jesuit martyr, Jean de Breboeuf and is considered to be the oldest North American Christmas carol.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year, Michael and I love reading your report on a regular basis even though I have been away from Chapleau for 53 years.

Here is the beautiful Huron Carol written by Jean de Breboeuf so very long ago!

Mona (Alajoki) MacKenzie 'strange feeling' no snow while in United Arab Emirates at Christmas

Mona (Alajoki) MacKenzie, a former student from my days at Chapleau High School has had the opportunity to live in United Arab Emirates, including Christmas away from Canada. Mona kindly shared the experience.


Here is Mona's story:

For ourselves, we tried to find a getaway vacations, anywhere within reasonable flight range, 5 hours or so. We went to the Philippines, Egypt, Kuala Lampor, Oman, India and Malaysia, just to name a few.

While we were in Pakistan, we joined the United Nations Club, they were wonderful. They provided a variety of different cuisines and entertainment from all nationalities.

During our stay in the United Arab Emirates, we joined the Canadian Club, Abu Dhabi, which also has a web presence on Facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84165812325)
 The club focused on Canadian Expats, bringing them closer to one another while away from Canada.

It is a very strange feeling, not seeing the snow, hmmm, When I first went to the Middle East, there was very little in the form of recognizing the Christian Holiday. And this last year there, they had many themes in the Malls with Christmas  Trees and decorations. It was nice to see.

Many of the 5 * Hotels always had a Christmas Theme, with banquets to celebrate the season.

I also realize, that this was meant for the tourists from Europe, as there has been an increasing number

LOL, I wish I could have sent you something, a little more exciting; however, we did enjoy scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, wind surfing, kayaking and mountain hiking, on our many trips away from the UAE.

Mona Lisa (Alajoki) MacKenzie

Thanks for sharing Mona...mj