Holidays 2024: The Stewarts mine their memories of Blyth's sled hills around the holidays

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

For Linda Stewart and her husband Don - known to most in and around Blyth as Barney - they were largely spared the early, early mornings that Christmas can bring, as their children tended to sleep in until at least 8 a.m. or so - a blessing, some parents will tell you.

 

Linda, for her work with Blyth Community Betterment, the Blyth Lions Club, Blyth Minor Hockey (when her children were young), was named this year’s Citizen of the Year Award winner for Blyth. Barney, years ago, also won the prestigious award for his extensive work with the Blyth Lions Club, making the couple the first to win the award independently of one another.

 

Much of Linda’s work with Blyth Community Betterment is done around the holidays, with its annual Santa Claus parade and the New Year’s Eve fireworks. However, it wasn’t always like that. Growing up in Blyth, Linda said she was always on the road to see her grandparents on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. However, she was lucky, as they were all in Blyth, so being on the road meant walking or taking a very short drive to see her beloved relatives.

 

Linda had three brothers, so the holidays were a busy time around the house. They would have a delicious Christmas dinner and open up their Christmas gifts. She remembers receiving her first-ever Barbie doll around the holidays, and a pair of brand new figure skating skates was also a memorable gift that she can recall to this day.

 

There was one year, however, that Linda and her brothers got up really early and went down to the tree, only to see all of their presents waiting for them. Not content to wait until their parents were awake, they opened everything up, took inventory of the year’s take and then wrapped them back up to the best of their ability. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t work and their parents knew instantly, but it was a noble effort.

 

For Barney, who also grew up in Blyth, it was another large family affair with himself, two brothers and two sisters. And, for the boys, at least, it was all about sports. Barney’s dad was a big sports fan and he had no trouble passing that down to his three sons, who were then as they are now all big sports fans. So, when it came time to give Christmas presents, it’s not a surprise that gifts for Barney, Ken (known to many as Tigger) and John (known to many as Bear) usually centred around sports. And, if one of them received a new hockey sweater for Christmas, it would be on full display that afternoon in the driveway or out on the street as the boys played hockey for the rest of the day.

 

They would also make the rounds over the holidays to see grandparents and relatives and, much like Linda, they didn’t have to travel very far either.

 

As both Barney and Linda grew into adults and had their own Christmases, they would have their children home and always have a visit from a local branch of Santa’s North Pole on Christmas, which was exciting for all involved.

 

Usually the boys ended up outdoors playing hockey, much like their father and his brothers. Usually it was on the street or the driveway, but there was a time that Barney tried to flood his own homemade rink. If that wasn’t working, they would head to the pond if it had been cold enough.

 

As for decorating around the house, Linda admits that she has scaled back significantly in recent years. She still has a lot of decorations around the house, including an extensive Royal Doulton collection, but when the kids were smaller, she always went all out and the inside of the house was about as festive as a house could be.