On Christmas Day, a group of carolers will bring some holiday cheer to the residents of Tudor Manor.
This will be the third year Grant Sullivan and his wife, Silvia Corsini, have made the visit to the Manor. The first year they were joined by three other singers. Last year the group expanded to about 20 and they’re encouraging more to join this year.
They meet at Tudor Manor just before 10 a.m. on Dec. 25 and spend two hours singing carols in the lounge areas on each floor of the facility.
“We go there and turn off the TV and start singing and then people come out of their rooms because they hear what we’re doing,” said Sullivan. “Everyone starts singing along and they really enjoy it.”
Sullivan and his wife met 40 years ago while singing in a Montreal choir that visited a local hospital each Christmas morning to sing for those who were sick and away from home for the holidays.
Their own Christmas Day celebrations were delayed, and their extended families knew not to expect them before 1 p.m.
“By the time we sang at the hospital and visited both of our families, it was 9 p.m. before we got home and opened our own gifts, so it was a really long day,” said Sullivan. “But it was always so worth it.”
When the choir disbanded, Sullivan and Corsini kept the caroling alive for a few years longer before they moved to Alberta. When Corsini began volunteering at Tudor Manor, she spoke to the administration there and the tradition was reborn.
“We find the people who enjoy it most are in the Alzheimer’s wing,” said Sullivan. “They remember the songs and they recognize the melodies. Music is a real trigger for them and they get right into the spirit.”
Sullivan said the caroling brings Christmas alive for him, seeing people light up to have visitors on Christmas morning and hear beautiful music.
Having been raised in a religious family, he sang in choirs throughout his life and even entered the seminary for while, but he said nothing he did before compares to the feeling of singing on Christmas Day.
The selfless giving of his own voice is a heartwarming and meaningful way to spend Christmas, he said.
“That’s the secret to giving,” said Sullivan. “If you give without expecting anything back in return you get more than any gift you unwrap.”
Sullivan encourages anyone interested in spreading Christmas cheer to call 403-995-9175 and join the carolers on Dec. 25.
