As we all get ready for a different kind of Christmas this week, it’s easy for our thoughts to drift toward what we can’t do in the coming days rather than what we can do, and most importantly, what we still have to be thankful for.

At Winkler’s Pine Ridge School, Alyssa Friesen's Grade 7/8 class had a discussion after reading short stories from the book Not Cancelled: Canadian Kindness in the Face of Covid-19.

“We talked about how there are still many positive things about life that are not cancelled,” explained Friesen to PembinaValleyOnline. “We have to find the good, sometimes, in the midst of difficulty. As we were heading into the Christmas break, my students were questioning what this Christmas would look like. How would it be different?”

With all that’s happened this year, it’s easy to focus on the disappointments about what this holiday season will bring.

“One student brought up that Christmas was cancelled,” noted Friesen. “We had a wonderful discussion about how we have the power to create the kind of Christmas we want. The new laws are trying to keep Manitobans safe, and Christmas is a belief. It is something built by what we do, and what we believe.”

Friesen’s class made a list of what can’t be cancelled this year and things we need to focus on to celebrate the truth of the holiday season.

“We wanted to share that with our community, so we installed art on the front windows of the school declaring what is not cancelled," noted Friesen. “We hope this is a way to spread positivity, and remind everyone Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the magic of the season or whatever you believe within you cannot be cancelled if we just continue to believe.”

The video below was submitted by Alyssa Friesen and showcases the many things her students wanted to share with the community that are not cancelled this year.

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Written by Chris Sumner