Fort goes back to wartime Christmas
Visitors get a glimpse of War of 1812 era observances
More than two centuries ago, Christmas at Fort George wasn’t exactly festive. There were no parties, no gifts under the tree, certainly no Boxing Day sales.
For many of its denizens during the War of 1812, there was no celebration. Just another day defending Newark (as Niagaraon-the-Lake was known then) from possible attack by its American counterpart, Fort Niagara. Indeed, during Christmas, 1812, both forts were heavily damaged from artillery duels earlier that fall and tensions were thick.
But as the fort’s annual Garrison Christmas Event shows, some cheer peaked through. Modest decorations — mainly in the officers’ quarters — were a reminder that Christmas was going on beyond its fortified walls.
For the most part, Christmas was “fairly bland” for the British forces inside the fort, says site supervisor Dan Laroche.
“Hopefully the officers at least provided them with a nice meal on that particular day, but that’s not a guarantee,” he says. “I’ve actually seen examples where a nice meal was provided to the men, but that was then docked from their salary. Merry Christmas.”
About 300 people were expected to attend the two-day event at Fort George, which included crafts for kids, making Christmas decorations, games with the soldiers and musket demonstrations.
The tradition started at the fort in the early ’90 and has been a tradition for many families to visit since, says Laroche. It’s staged with help from the
Friends of Fort George.
“We see a lot of repeat visits for this event, year to year. (People like) the natural decorations.”