Window-painting keeping kids busy in P.E.I. town

If they can't go to church, they're going to bring a bit of church to them.

With Easter just around the corner, some families in Tignish, P.E.I. have been painting crosses on the windows in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

But it's more than just crosses they're painting, it's a splash of colours with the end result resembling the stained-glass windows in churches.

“The churches are all closed, so we can't get to mass any more,'' said Jackie Leclair, whose children had a hand in brainstorming and, ultimately, creating their fancy window.

“My six-year-old (son) saw somebody else's post when I was going through Facebook, and he thought it would look good on our (glass) door. He said, ‘Now, God can come and live with us.'''

Leclair put painters' tape on the windows to create shapes and let the kids handle the painting, other than the actual cross, which Jackie handled.

The effort has now spread through the community to the point where Leclair says people drive around looking at other people's windows for something to do.

Peggy Buote's family in Tignish also got in on the fun of painting their windows.

“Sure. We saw it posted by a friend (on Facebook) and thought it was a nice family activity as we are following Dr. Heather Morrison's recommendations and self-isolating,'' Buote said, referring to the province's chief public health officer.

“It was a great activity that we could all participate in as a family, and we shared the activity with others by posting on our Facebook page for our religion classes in the community. Looks like lots of people have joined in as well.''

Leclair said it isn't easy these days for her and her husband, Alex, to keep their five children — Bobby, eight months; Annabelle, two years old; Harley, nine years old; A.J., three years old; and, Caleb, six years old — occupied and out of trouble.

“They're not fighting too bad right now,'' Leclair laughed, “but it's getting to be a lot with seven of us in the house and two dogs on top of that. They don't understand why they have to stay at home; why they can't go visit their grandparents.''

Leclair said she has also had the kids out to see the teddy bears people are putting in their windows, and they've watched the music videos people in Christopher Cross have been posting online.

Despite the challenging times Islanders find themselves in, the community spirit is still thriving.

“P.E.I. is a small place. Everybody just tries to make the most out of everything, especially for the kids,'' Leclair said.

Jackie and Alex Leclair’s children, A.J., left, 3, and Caleb, 6, are pretty proud of the job they did on the front door of their house in Tignish, P.E.I.. Residents throughout the community have been keeping their kids busy painting windows and glass doors the colour of stainedglass windows in churches as Easter approaches.