P.E.I. newcomers celebrate early Christmas in Canada

Newcomers on P.E.I. can experience a Canadian Christmas in Summerside Saturday evening.

More than 200 people are expected to attend this year's Christmas in Canada celebration.

It's an event offered by the PEI Association for Newcomers to share Christmas traditions with people who may not have experienced them before, including a full turkey dinner.

Belinda Woods, a settlement worker for newcomers, organizes the event.

"I found by doing this that there's several of my clients that now celebrate Christmas," said Woods. "They'll do the tree, they'll do Santa and they love that tradition."

"They'll still do their own, but they'll also include ours," she added. "So to me that's perfect integration."

The focus is on Canadian traditions, but others are noted as well.

Many of the desserts are made from recipes from other countries, and people from other cultures talk about what they do to celebrate the winter solstice.

There's a craft table and activities for kids, and a Christmas tree to decorate.

This is the first year Christmas in Canada will be held at Centre 150 in the Summerside Industrial Park.

The event is from 5 to 7 p.m., with no charge to attend the volunteer-run event, paid for by fundraising efforts in Summerside.