Students from St. Mary Elementary School appeared at Thursday's Alnwick-Haldimand Township council meeting to present the gifts of smiles, candy canes and music.
Sixteen young strummers, led by volunteer Gritt Koehl, made up the orchestra called the St. Mary Ukulele and Guitar Club. They opened the council meeting with recitations and a program of holiday favourites that included Frosty The Snowman, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Silver Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
As they offered a final musical piece, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, two of the younger members dressed in Christmas sweaters and light-ornament necklaces put down their instruments (one of them a bright-yellow ukulele with a happy face) to circulate among everyone in council chambers with a jar of candy canes to pass out.
“Music is something you can take with you your entire life,” Acting Mayor Gail Latchford told the students. “So keep it up, and the passion you have got for music. Stick with it, because you are all very good.”
Councillor Mike Filip said that, as a former principal, he had heard his share of Christmas concerts, and declared this one to be outstanding.
“You guys brought happy tears to my eyes, and that's a good thing,” Councillor Sherry Gibson said. “My daughter is Miss Gibson, who used to teach at your school, so I'm going to go home and tell Miss Gibson how proud she should be of you.”