The history of Christmas in Lethbridge includes a wide range of stories, including sports, the arts, and traditional holiday events.
President of the Lethbridge Historical Society Belinda Crowson says one of these stories is that the first baseball game played in the city was on Christmas Day 1885, which she says makes a great holiday story.
“It was a really warm day and they just kind of went across to the square that is now Galt Gardens,” Crowson says.
Brewery Gardens is a memory of Christmas past that many have according to Crowson, with Christmas music being played in the gardens throughout the holidays.
“It was right on the main highway in Lethbridge and so families would stop there, roll down the window and listen to music so a lot of people have great memories of that.”
Other highlights Crowson says come to mind for the Christmas season include local shops decorating for the holidays. She explains these displays reminded shoppers of watching Miracle on 34th Street.
“There would be amazing display so if you even if you couldn’t afford it, you could stare in the window and imagine,” Crowson says. “I remember the one year in the great depression when nobody had money, but they decorated Christmas tree trees put them in the pots and have Christmas trees all around the downtown street so you would just walk through this little forest of Christmas trees as you were shopping downtown.”
Fundraising and community support efforts also play a big role in the holiday history of Lethbridge.
“When you look at the Second World War, the preparation they had to do months in advance to send parcels overseas to soldiers who are fighting or for soldiers who are in the camps.”
