Christmas 2025: Malpasses are putting down roots in Blyth

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

For Blyth correspondent Sarah Malpass, Christmas means keeping close. “It’s about family coming together and spending time together,” she told The Citizen. This year, Malpass and her family plan to stay home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. “This year, it will just be the four of us,” she explained. “In previous years, we've gone ’round to friends’ homes and spent it with them as well.” The Malpass quartet consists of Sarah, her husband Mark and their two children, Mackenzie and Morgan.

 

For Blyth’s new neighbourhood newshound, preparing for a quieter holiday brings back cozy memories of childhood Christmases spent in England. “It was always close-knit - just the four of us,” she recalled. “When I was very young, my grandad used to come and visit. He would walk down, and spend time with us at Christmas. That was nice. But always just family.”

 

One major difference between the Christmases of Sarah’s past and her present-day celebrations is that she has gone from being the child to being the mother. While Morgan is still too young to truly grasp the reason for the season, Mackenzie is just beginning to hit her yuletide stride. “It’s become more about her and giving her a fun experience,” Sarah explained. “We write letters to Santa, and she leaves cookies out for Santa.”

 

This year, Sarah’s wish is a simple one - something every parent of little ones will likely understand. “Hopefully Morgan will do a bit more sleeping,” she said, wistfully. More than anything, she’s hoping for a festive season that feels fair, fun and fulsome for both kids.

 

Their holiday meal trends toward the comfortingly traditional. “We usually do a traditional Christmas chicken, and then open some presents - and don’t forget the wine!” Sarah laughed. While chicken may be less common as a Christmas centrepiece in Canada, the British have been serving chicken at Christmas since medieval times. Back then, chickens in England were so prized for their egg-laying abilities that it was rare to find a whole roasted chicken on even the most lavish table. Typically, only the oldest birds found their way to the holiday table, frequently in the form of a pie. In the Tudor era, an elaborate “Christmas Pie” was all the rage. It was a sort of 15th century “turducken” – a pigeon within a chicken within a goose within a turkey, all wrapped in an enormous pastry crust.

 

While Sarah may not have a repertoire of Tudor-level holiday dishes, she did marry into a family that upholds the tradition of at least one classic English treat. “Mark’s family makes a Christmas pudding,” she explained. “It’s like a fruit cake - you put brandy on the top. And cream. It’s popular in England... I don’t tend to make it much.”

 

Decking the halls has become a cherished part of the season for the Malpass clan, with each ornament holding a memory of where the family has been. “We have lots of ornaments we’ve collected over the years,” Sarah said. “Whenever we’ve gone to places, we’ve picked up an ornament. So now, we tend to have two trees - one with just baubles on, and one with all our special mementos.” Outdoor decorating is left to Mark. “And then we just do lights outside - Mark likes his light displays,” she added with a smile.

 

For Sarah, the secret to an extra-special Christmas in 2025 lies in embracing the holiday traditions of Huron County - especially the local parades. “Definitely the Santa parade,” she said. “We usually attend the one here in Blyth.” Last year brought an added touch of wonder when her elder child took part in her very first parade. “She’s a member of Clinton Skating, and so we all walked with the Clinton Skating Club. It was good. It was nice seeing so many happy faces. And they gave us all treats to hand out!” she recalled. “Mackenzie was able to walk around and share the joy of giving with everybody - the challenge was trying to get her to keep up with the car rather than stop and give everybody a treat!”