Holidays 2024: Blyth de Boer family keeps it local around the holidays

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

As of Dec. 1 every year at the de Boer house in Blyth and all the way to Christmas, there’s always somebody watching. More recently, there are always two people watching and they’re little elves... often on shelves.

 

That’s right, two of the popular members of the Elf on a Shelf family have made their way to Blyth to be part of the de Boer household (Heather, Ray and children Isla, Iver and Inid); one boy and one girl, aptly named Girl and Boy. And, it’s always a big deal when they arrive and make their presence known for the year.

 

One year, in the days leading up to Christmas, the family decided to leave the cold of Canada behind and take a vacation in the Dominican Republic. And while they would be back home for the holidays, the kids were surprised when Boy and Girl popped up in their hotel. That’s when they were sure that their particular elves meant business.

 

When Isla, who is 12 years old (she may even be 13 by the time you’re reading this), was just about two years old, the first elf showed up. When Iver, five, was born, the second elf arrived and that’s where it’s stayed for the years that have followed, even with Inid’s arrival just over two years ago.

 

Isla says that over the years the elves have found themselves in some sticky situations, including taking a ride on the family’s ceiling fan. However, the elves showing up isn’t the only thing that happens at the beginning of the month. The family begins decorating pretty early and does all that it can to make it feel festive inside and out of the house.

 

The de Boers are lucky to have much of their family nearby for holiday purposes. On Christmas Day, for example, they don’t even have to leave the village of Blyth to go see his father Fred and stepmother Rhonda. 

 

On Boxing Day, they’ll head to the Winthrop area to see members of Heather’s family. They have a farm there, so there is always lots to do outdoors in the cold and the snow. That’s what Heather remembers about the Christmases of her youth there as well - lots of snowmobiling around the farm.

 

Wherever they are, however, both Heather and Ray really do their best to emphasize the importance of family, relationships and spending time together over the giving of gifts. The kids are not quick to remember specific gifts that they’ve received over the years - aside from Isla discussing her beloved Nintendo Switch and its various add-ons - but they remember the holidays they’ve all spent together, where they’ve gone to celebrate and who they’ve been there with.

 

Even Ray and Heather are the same way when asked to mine their memories for Christmases of the past. Neither could really remember too many of the big gifts they’ve received over the years, but certainly remember spending time with family and friends and, in later years, their beloved children.

 

However, both remember receiving gifts that have stuck with them for years around the holidays. First, Heather, who is a noted local event photographer, received her first true camera as a Christmas gift when she was in her teens. That gift would pave the way for a successful career that has flourished in the last decade.

 

Secondly, Ray would receive farm equipment models for Christmas, many of which he still has to this day. The collectables are important to him, which is why they’ve stuck around for all these years.

 

One tradition that has not wavered, but involves the giving of gifts, is that the whole family, even Ray and Heather, get a new matching set of Christmas pajamas each year. They were kind enough to wear some for The Citizen’s picture, though they are from a previous Christmas, as this year’s have not yet been given.

 

Isla says she has a particular set of pajamas that has been her favourite over the years - a one-piece pajama that had a flap on its bottom.

 

Another tradition for the family has been taking a short trip together over the holidays. A destination like Niagara Falls, which was one from recent years, is about right and it just gives them a chance to get out of town and into a new setting for some fun time together.

 

One Christmas that sticks out for the family is the year that they hosted an exchange student from Brazil. That year, they made sure to cross a lot of very traditional Canadian Christmas experiences off of their list, like cutting down their own Christmas tree.

 

The de Boers have since gone the route of an artificial tree after years of having real trees in the home.