The band consists of four brothers and a brother-in-law: Robert Thiessen (lead singer, guitarist), Joseph Thiessen (mandolin), Russell Thiessen (vocalist, percussion), Michael Thiessen (bass) and Curtis Szakács (piano).

They were nominated for New Artist of the Year and Southern Gospel/Country Music Album of the Year and were in attendance at the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of Canada’s 39th Annual Covenant Awards ceremony in Edmonton this past January. In spite of not winning an award they are thankful to be recognized.

Prior to becoming Prairie Joe in 2015, the group played gigs for four or five years as a family band.

“As the band developed and the need came up for better-quality music and the gigs we got became more formal, we worked a lot harder on our harmonizing,” said Russell Thiessen.

“As self-taught musicians we were involved in church music growing up, so it was ‘just natural’ to keep performing as adults even though we all have day jobs,” he said.

The group’s rise within the Canadian music industry all began through involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys.

“Our primary focus and most of our invitations come for help with cowboy church services. That’s where everything started; serving at cowboy church services at different rodeos and such,” Russell said. “From there, it’s gone on to full concerts as well as helping with fundraisers and stuff like that.”

Experience gained at the GMA award ceremony will enrich the group members as they travel across the Prairies, with 30 shows booked so far for 2018.

They begin a tour this month starting in Melfort, Saskatchewan, that continues throughout southern Manitoba.

Additional information, tour locations and dates are posted at prairiejoe.com or on facebook.com/prairiejoe.

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If your wish on Christmas is to have snow falling from the sky, then your best bet is to head out to the Dauphin area. Looking back at the weather records for our three main locations in agricultural Manitoba, I found that Dauphin has the highest probability of seeing snow over Christmas. Dauphin can expect to see more than a centimetre of snow to fall around 17 per cent of the time, or around one in every six Christmases. This compares to 14 per cent and 13 per cent at Winnipeg and Brandon.

Interestingly, with the exception of an 18-cm dump of snow on Christmas Day in Brandon back in 1965, no major snowstorms have occurred on or around Christmas. In fact, the probability of seeing snow during the three days around Christmas is actually lower by around three to four per cent than nearly any other period during December, January and February. Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

All three of our stations have seen their fair share of warm and cold Christmases. I have included the records for each of the stations in a table for you to look at. I have also included weather records for New Year’s Eve. This time it’s Winnipeg that holds the record for the greatest amount of snow, with 18 cm falling on New Year’s Eve back in 1965.

A couple of interesting old Christmas weather tidbits from David Phillips over at Environment Canada showed that in 1939, Winnipeg experienced its second “green” Christmas in history. The thermometer was a relatively balmy -5C, tempting golfers and bowlers to the greens, and tennis players to the courts. Apart from kids with new toboggans and taxi drivers, most people seemed to enjoy the unseasonable warmth. Way back in 1877, Christmas in Winnipeg was mild, rainy, and snowless – “muddy” was the best description. A weather observer/druggist included in his weather observations that “two frogs were said to have been seen in the swamps adjoining the city.” Prior to Christmas Day there were seven consecutive days with rain, totalling more than 23 mm.

Now, the big question for us this year is: are we going to continue with the tradition of quiet Christmas weather or will we break away and have a stormy holiday season? Right now my money is on keeping with tradition, with our region seeing relatively cold and dry weather. Arctic high pressure looks like it will be the dominant feature during the holidays, which will likely keep most of the stormy weather to our south. With that said, the storm track won’t be too far off and a small movement to the north could bring some pretty active weather into our region.

So, no matter what Mother Nature serves up over this upcoming holiday season, remember to take the time to enjoy whatever she dishes out.

Winnipeg

Christmas records (December 24-26)

Warmest high: 5.4C, Dec. 25, 1999

Coldest high: -28.8C, Dec. 24, 1996

Coldest low: -37.0C, Dec. 24, 1996 or -42C in 1872

Warmest low: -2.8C, Dec. 26, 1959

Greatest one-day snowfall: 9.4 cm, Dec. 25, 1938 New Year’s Eve

Warmest: 0.6C, 1991 Coldest: -37.8C, 1973

Greatest snowfall: 18.0 cm, 1965

BRANDON

Christmas records (December 24-26)

Warmest high: 6.4C, Dec. 25, 1999

Coldest high: -28.5C, Dec. 25, 1996

Coldest low: -37.0C, Dec. 26, 1996

Warmest low: -3.3C, Dec. 25, 1959

Greatest one-day snowfall: 18.0 cm, Dec. 25, 1942

New Year’s Eve

Warmest: 3.9C, 1953

Coldest: -38.3C, 1967

Greatest snowfall: 5.8 cm, 1988

DAUPHIN

Christmas records (December 24-26)

Warmest high: 8.1C, Dec. 25, 1999

Coldest high: -27.3C Dec. 25, 1990

Coldest low: -37.8C, Dec. 26, 1968

Warmest low: 0.0C, Dec. 25, 1956

Greatest one-day snowfall:10.0 cm, Dec. 25, 1942

New Year’s Eve

Warmest: 5.0C, 1963

Coldest: -38.3C, 1973

Greatest snowfall: 7.4 cm, 1988

The post Memories of Christmases past appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

It was tradition to enjoy Christmas lunch at Grandma’s house. We loved the laughter, festive foods and jokes. Uncles teased us about secret boyfriends who didn’t exist, and aunts inquired about school and hobbies. Afternoon activities included building forts, challenging Grandma in a game of Scrabble and scanning countless family albums. However, the highlight was Christmas evening when our cousins would meet at an aunt’s house to participate in a competitive round of Pictionary and other group games.

Although freezing rain had been forecast for the evening, it was mild outdoors and we agreed to drive cautiously. The roads were polished glass and to be in motion at all was to be moving too fast. After each mile, our windshield was a pebbled maze and using the wipers just made matters worse. We would leap from the car to scratch peek holes and continue for another mile. If we had been wiser, we would have immediately turned around and been content to spend the evening with our parents. However, we were young and had no intentions of staying home.

We had mastered our routine when our car began to turn uncontrollably and skid. Our vehicle began to slip sideways, and I could feel the tires grabbing gravel as we lurched towards the ditch. Cassette tapes stacked on the dash flew around. Our car came to rest with its trunk in the ditch and front tires facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the road.

In our hurry to get going, our snow shovel had been forgotten at home. We shivered as we attempted to dig using a Frisbee and our hands. After scooping snow for a few minutes, we jumped inside to warm our numb bodies. Remaining optimistic, we dug until we reached dirt by each tire. As my cousin worked the gas pedal, I pushed and the tires spun at incredible speeds. We were not making any progress, and the farm shelter belts seemed so far away. Walking was treacherous due to the ice, and we were not dressed for the weather. Eventually, we just sat in our car and waited for help to arrive.

To pass the time, we reminisced about previous Christmas experiences. It seemed as though Christmas Day weather in the past was usually nippy and blustery. I recalled numerous treks to my grandparents inching along one hydro pole at a time. As a child, I always thought Mary and Joseph would have passed us on their donkey had they been travelling our road. There was also the trip when our family spiralled down an overpass glittering with black ice. With each loop, I caught a glimpse of the semi on our tail and I prayed we would not connect. We eventually ended in the ditch with minimal damage to one wheel.

As we swapped mishap stories, we almost missed spotting a half-ton truck in the distance. His path did not lead to us but we hoped he would see our diagonally positioned vehicle in the ditch from a mile away. Indeed, he recognized us and we noted the smirk on his face as he neared our vehicle. With a small tug from his large farm truck, we were back on the road and continuing our journey.

Christmas is my favourite holiday but I still dread winter travels to and from Christmas events and gatherings. I have spent many Christmases braving blizzards and meditating in ditches. This year, I am not taking any chances. I am staying home.

– Sheila Braun writes from Landmark, Manitoba

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Finding simplicity in the holiday season isn’t always easy, but it is the key to making time for what is important. With a young family, I try to make Christmas as special as possible. I don’t want to miss out on all of the wonderful moments, just because I am too busy. Here’s a few ways I have found to simplify our festivities.

Start by limiting your commitments. It isn’t always easy or possible to say “no” to everything, but cutting back on some events will give you more time for your family. Choose which outings are priorities, and try to make most of your commitments family oriented.

Shorten your “to do” list. Guests aren’t coming to see your newly renovated bathroom, they are coming to see you. Bake ahead of time and freeze your Christmas goodies. Cut back on your food preparation. No one will notice if you only have three kinds of dainties instead of nine. A picture-perfect Christmas isn’t special if you are too busy to enjoy it.

Recruit help. Even little ones can help with small tasks. Divide the meal preparations between guests and have everyone bring something. Don’t try to do it all yourself and if disposable dishes save you time and work – use them!

Simplify the gifts. Every year we strive to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list. As nice as the gifts may be, nothing replaces the time you spend with the person. Shop early and then stop. Don’t rush out for those last-minute things that you don’t really need.

Spread your Christmas celebrations out. Christmas is only one day on the calendar, but that doesn’t mean every gathering has to be that day. One Christmas when our kids were quite small, we fit in three celebrations on Christmas day. Big mistake. By the third event, our kids were tired and not interested in seeing another gift. That wasn’t fair to them or the people who had put so much effort into buying those gifts. Planning one event per day will save everyone from “Christmas burnout.”

Don’t set your expectations too high. We all envision these perfect Christmas card moments, but soon realize they aren’t always realistic – especially with a young family. Your toddler might be terrified of Santa’s lap or your kids might fight over who gets to hang the star on the Christmas tree. But what is really important are the memories that you make. Relaxing about the small things makes the season much more enjoyable.

Make memories. If you have young children, let them teach you how to celebrate. Get caught up in their excitement. Count down the days, decorate cookies and build a gingerbread house. Take a family drive around town to look at the Christmas lights. Go for a walk together on a snowy evening. Build a snowman and then sip hot chocolate beside the Christmas tree. Most of all, just cherish the time with family and friends. Earlier this year, my last remaining grandparent passed away suddenly. Now all of those special times we shared with her mean more than anything to me. The memories we make now are what remain with us forever.

Each year I strive to make the holidays more meaningful and teach my children the true reason for the season. I’m trying to focus on what is most important – giving my family a gift they’ll remember… the precious gift of time.

– Tanya Unrau writes from

Boissevain, Manitoba

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