Funny thing about “best-laid plans” — the only time we ever hear that phrase is precisely when plans have gone distinctly wrong. If you had any plans this holiday season on Haida Gwaii, there is a high probability that idiom proved true. All the plans were tenuous and troubled, as fickle as sea foam in the wind.
Here in Tlell, the annual Winter Celebration dinner (and Santa’s arrival) was threatened by sustained 100 km/h winds. There was significant chatter before the event about the ability to cook turkeys, potatoes and ham without power, but the power stayed on.
And even if it hadn’t, Tlellians are resourceful, and all felt we could handle it.
So, among the dwindling gusts, Tlellians gathered in the near-shelter of the Exhibition Hall at the Tlell Fall Fairgrounds. We brought our turkeys, hams, potatoes, desserts and sides to share, gathered and sang, and feasted together.
It was the beauty of what can happen here in Tlell.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are times you are reminded that there is but one road that connects our little community to the rest of the island. This fact was a sad reality for a Christmas dinner at J&T’s that was never meant to be.
Christmas is a thing, for those of us who celebrate it. It is a strangely stressful thing for something that is meant to be about magic and togetherness, sometimes taking on the same gravitas as its religious origins — something many of us have nothing to do with anymore.
We tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get it right, but so often the only way to get it “right” is to shake it up a bit. So this year — for me — that meant embracing going with chosen family to the only restaurant open in the south and enjoying a feast of Chinese food curated by Tony. I was all in!
A regretful RCMP officer, who also did not want to be where he was that particular evening, had other news for us. The road was closed. Despite reports from friends who had driven under trees and around downed power lines during the day, safety and repair had arrived, and such nonsense was no longer permitted.
So, a Christmas Chinese feast was, to me, denied.
In its place, we had turkey soup and leftover ham in the wood-stove warmth of my home, nestled among the breakfast dishes still not done. The generator hummed, the fridge got warmer, but during dessert, the power flicked back on. It was the strangest Christmas dinner I think I’ve ever had, but certainly a memorable one.
I’m continuously amazed by the incredible job that BC Hydro workers and those who support them do to get the power back on and keep us safe. It felt like a miracle when the hum of the fridge supplanted that of the generator, and not a moment too soon (again, an idiom only used when the moment is almost too late).
Haida Gwaii is a unique living experience, and prolonged power outages are just the way it is. I’m grateful for the friends and family who came together despite the weather, and that the “best-laid plans” were made even better. Here’s to a 2025 that follows suit!