Christmas Tourtiére

Christmas in the village of Rosemére, Quebec, was a time of snow banks and the warmth of family gatherings. My Christmas of 1951 was to be one of desperate loneliness, far removed from family and friends in Western Canada. Even though I spoke French, I was looked upon as “l’englaise” and felt very much the outsider.

Our three year old daughter always looked forward to the arrival of an eleven year old neighbour girl, Lucie, from school so that she would have someone with whom to play.

I, with my two toddlers, too often, perhaps, found myself entering Lucies’s parents house next door as Mme. Picard’s large warm kitchen matched the warmth of the woman herself.

We often visited on Saturday, there to find Mme. Picard baking, in preparation for the arrival of her fourteen children for their Sunday visit. The huge refectory-size table was laden with baked delights of all shapes and sizes, some of which we were invited to taste.

Pre-Christmas baking took on an air of special urgency. One of Mme. Picard’s creations was that of tourtiéres consisting ground pork and spices within a pie crust. It was new to me and looked especially appealing.

Christmas approached, with little or no expectation on our part. Christmas Eve was dreary indeed. So, when Lucie arrived holding a tourtiére, it seemed a miracle and we gave appropriate thanks.

Many, many years later I still, each Christmas, think of the goodness of Mme. Picard who, with her family of fourteen, still found time to think of her lonely neighbour from the West and to include her little family in the spirit of Christmas giving.