CHRISTMAS 21 - Hallahan gets crafty around the holidays
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Grace Hallahan of the Westfield area, the Huron County Plowing Match Princess for the third consecutive year, says the holidays are cause for celebration and tradition at her home.
In an interview with The Citizen, Hallahan said that when the holidays roll around, she looks forward to spending a lot of time with friends and family, simple as that. She also tends to be pretty handy and crafty around the holidays, utilizing her various skills to fill bellies and treat those closest to her with thoughtful, handmade gifts that are truly one of a kind.
Hallahan is a gifted baker, having learned at the foot of both her mother Arletta and grandmother Marian. Now, the 16-year-old is comfortable in the kitchen on her own, making holiday creations for those in her family.
She also knits, crochets and makes other forms of crafts as gifts when Christmas comes back around every year.
In recent years, being the Huron County Plowing Match Princess has introduced something new to Hallahan’s holiday traditions, as she and Queen of the Furrow Maranda Klaver have been a staple at Santa Claus parades throughout the county and beyond.
The two young women were crowned for their positions in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hosting of the Huron County Plowing Match has been interrupted, with cancellations and then closed-to-the-public matches that did not include new Queen and Princess competitions, meaning that Klaver and Hallahan are the longest-serving Queen and Princess in Huron County history.
The young women have graciously extended their reigns, soon into a third year, until the match can be held again in the traditional sense and their successors can be crowned, live and in-person.
Hallahan says she has loved being part of community Santa Claus parades. She says they really get her into the holiday spirit and that it’s always fun to see your friends and neighbours from the float and for everyone to be so excited to see them.
As for Christmas meals, Hallahan says she and her family usually make their way to their grandparents’, Frank and Marian Hallahan of Blyth, home for the big family Christmas dinner. Aside from that, things are usually pretty quiet at home for the Hallahans, but with plenty of food and good cheer always around.
She says the focus of the holiday at her house isn’t all about presents, but one sticks out recently that she’s still very happy about and that’s her very first pair of cowboy boots from her parents. Hallahan says she loves them and is still wearing them today, so that makes for a pretty good Christmas gift.