Merry Christmas: Sask. leaders discuss holiday plans

The holidays in December are rife with tradition – from decorations to food to entertainment – and for many, this year will be a return to those things after a break under pandemic restrictions last year.

That’s true for anyone in the province, including the leaders.

Premier Scott Moe

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe poses for a photo in his office at the Legislature on Dec. 11, 2018. (Sarah Mills/980 CJME)

With the return of a near-normal Christmas after the very restricted 2020 holidays, Premier Scott Moe is looking forward to family.
He said he has a large extended family and they’re planning on getting together this year and hosting their traditional family hockey game.

“We have the ice rented in the rink for a few hours and all of my nieces and nephews get to show me how much better of a hockey player they are than I am,” said Moe.

Moe said he’s looking forward to doing things like that and having a quieter Christmas with friends and family.

Michael Bublé and Anne Murray are likely to be playing on the Moe family speakers; Moe says it’s the one time of year that happens.

Home Alone could be on the TV, but Moe said for him, the holidays aren’t necessarily about movies.

“For me, Christmas is very much more about getting together with family that I maybe don’t see as much throughout the course of the year, and really enjoying the kids as I enter that middle-aged area of my life,” Moe said.

“I really have an appreciation for all of my nieces and nephews and what they’re up to and what’s going on and exciting in their life.”

NDP Leader Ryan Meili

Last year at Christmas there were gathering restrictions and only a few people in the province had received their first vaccine shot, so NDP Leader Ryan Meili didn’t see his parents at all.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

“Now we feel comfortable going and spending a couple of days with them in Moose Jaw,” said Meili.

He said his father had a stroke this year, so it has been a hard year for his family.

“We haven’t been able to spend the time we usually would, so I’m really excited to get to spend a little time closer to him and to my mom,” said Meili.

When it comes to keeping the family entertained during the holidays, Meili said he likes to watch A Christmas Story.

“I watched that with my son for the first time. I figured he was old enough to deal with the slightly ribald sections of it,” Meili said with a grin in his voice.

With his four-year-old, Meili said they’ll watch the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas from the 1960s.

“Because that’s the best one,” Meili said.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters

Sandra Masters gives her victory speech after becoming the first woman elected mayor in Regina’s history. Nov. 9, 2020 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

After spending 2020 Christmas away from family, Regina Mayor Sandra Masters is looking forward to seeing most of her family in 2021.

Three of her four children will be home in Regina for Christmas.

“We’re not going completely wide open but to have a couple more of my kids home is going to be nice,” Masters said.

And there will be quite a few movies that get played during the season.

“(Our Christmas movies) are Scrooged, Elf, the Grinch – those three for sure,” Masters said.

“Every Christmas we open up presents one by one. Even when my children were really little, my children contained their patience even though it would take us hours to open (them).”

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark

(Brady Lang/650 CKOM file photo)

Mayor Charlie Clark said Christmas this year will be smaller and quieter than other years in the city.

“We actually have a real, wood-burning fireplace in our house, so (we’ll be) putting the stockings up and the kids write notes to Santa … and we open one present the night before,” he said.

The family also usually goes to church, although that’s up in the air this year. Clark is also looking forward to having his wife’s parents over for Christmas Day brunch.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray is also looking forward to getting to visit family he didn’t get to see last year.

“You still have to be safe and take the proper precautions but that, to me, is what Christmas is all about,” Bray said. “I’m a new grandpa so being able to see my little grandson during Christmas break here is something that will probably be the highlight of my week.”

Bray is also looking forward to taking part in some outdoor winter activities with his family.

“I grew up in rural Saskatchewan and we spent a lot of time outdoors and so (we’ll be) playing a (game of hockey outside),” Bray said. “Any of those activities are still things that when we get together with the bigger family, inevitably we will be bundled up and do something outside for part of the day.”

Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper

(Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM file photo)

Police Chief Troy Cooper will be spending some time at his cabin near Emma Lake, north of Prince Albert, where the family will be watching hockey games whenever they can.

“We will find hockey somewhere. New Year’s there’s usually a hockey game somewhere,” he said.

His favourite tradition is having meat pie at Christmas, like his mother used to make.

“I have some friends now in Saskatoon that have taken that on, and make sure I’m well supplied,” he smiled.

He said just being with each other is what the holidays are all about for his family.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick, Britton Gray and Lara Fominoff