December 1811 was a busy time.  More troops were trickling into Upper Canada, Canadian units were being mustered for service.  Debates raged over the prospect of war and its effect on business and the people of the province.  Would people leave, fight or surrender?  Would the British abandon the Province or would Native people fight alongside their neighbours. For generations, young men and women have been sent off to conflicts that are always going to end before Christmas.  Perhaps it was deemed inappropriate to fight through the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace, or simply because soldiers only had two days a year to take a break; Christmas and the King's Birthday.  Wars always seem to drag out beyond the optimistic timetables.  As wars drag on and become less and less ‘popular' it is often the soldier, who has spent holidays away from hearth and home, who becomes the target of animosity regarding the futility or lack of progress in a conflict.
Christmas was a simple celebration for people living in the outposts of Upper Canada 200 years ago.  Christmas was one of the few days on the calendar when soldiers and their families could relax.  They decorated their living quarters, they had a better meal and for a few moments they could recall Christmas at home.  Even in the middle of a war they would take the time to remember the holiday.  Upper Canadians, whether of Loyalist stock or more recent arrivals from the United States, were rather puritanical in their view of holidays.  Not a lot of room for festivities in the more serious Protestant households of the Province.  Working on Christmas day was not uncommon.   However, the British army was not particularly English.  The soldiers in the garrisons included large numbers of Irishmen and Scots or refugees from Napoleon's Empire.  Some units were made up entirely of Germans, Italians and Eastern Europeans.   French Canadian society revolved around their holy days and Catholics celebrated Christmas to a much greater extent than their Protestant neighbours.  Gift giving, decorations, music and even Christmas trees were all traditions that came from non Anglo Saxon Protestant traditions.
French Canadians exchanged gifts and provided early carols or Noels.  The Scots and Irish hung evergreens in their  homes and barracks.   German soldiers put up the first Christmas tree in Canada during their stay in Quebec in 1781.   Many of these traditions pre-dated Christian holidays and the same customs can be found in German Yuletide or the Roman's Saturnalia but became part of Christmas festivities.
For Les Canadiens, New Year's Eve was a great cause for merry-making and the tradition of kisses all-around was their original idea.  The Scots joined in with days of celebration starting with Hogmanay on December 31st and the singing of  Robbie Burn's Auld Lang Syne can be credited to this period in history.  Just as Christmas traditions were linked to pagan festivals for the winter solstice, the focus on New Year's came from old pagan traditions and the religious observance of the Epiphany.  New Year's Day was important as the annual Levee when all good subjects renewed their loyalty to Crown and country.   With all these traditions and holidays, the twelve days of Christmas was not an exaggeration.  The celebration started on Christmas Eve and ended with the Epiphany on or around January 6th with a feast of and of course a Twelfth Night Ball could wrap up the season.
The parties didn't stop the first week of January.  Throughout the winter months the officers of the Niagara Garrisons would host parties to entertain and influence important local folks.  The food and entertainment would be something that people in the area looked forward to. Queen Charlotte's birthday was another great reason to get together in the winter, although her actual birthday was in May.  The Queen of Great Britain and the Queen of Canada during the War of 1812 was Charlotte.  She was the wife of King George III and the mother of fifteen children.
In fact, winter time was considered a good time to travel in Upper Canada.  Unbelievable as it may seem, winter travel was considered quicker, more comfortable and even enjoyable.  With the roads and rivers frozen, wagon wheels were replaced with sleighs and runners.   Snow acted as a shock absorber on dirt or corduroy roads and unless the snow was more than 3  feet deep, horses could easily make their way through.  Bundled up against the cold, passengers didn't worry about rain or bugs.  travel in a ‘one horse open sleigh' could be quite comfortable, if you bundled up.
Even with all that heavy ‘kersey and serge wool', Canadian winters would defeat European textiles.  Native furs would provide the extra level of comfort.  Water and wind proof, the furs provided by Native traders were converted into hats, boots and mitts.  Unlike their European counterparts Native people were dressed and equipped to work year round.  In peace time this meant working the winter trap lines.  In war time, Native warriors could patrol enemy positions and cut off outposts from supplies and reinforcements.  In the winter of 1813, the 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment marched from St John, New Brunswick to Kingston, Upper Canada (about 1000 km) wrapped in furs and wool with snow shoes strapped to their feet; an accomplishment considered impossible by American observers.  It would have been impossible if not for the hardy Canadian troops and the assistance of Abenaki warriors who broke the path through deep snow and set up camp each night.
In December of 1814, the final touches were being put on a very special Christmas gift.  The Treaty of Ghent would end hostilities between Great Britain and the United States.  The conflict it halted had been raging for 30 months.  Thousands were dead, tens of thousands were homeless.  The last of the fighting would take place in June 1815 as the news slowly spread around the globe.  The Treaty would not solve all the problems it promised.  It did not return land to Native people and it would be decades before African slavery would end on this continent.  The Treaty would be tried and tested over the years but it would survive.  The Peace treaty was signed on December 24th and the significance of the date was not lost on the delegates.
The peace and prosperity we will enjoy this season can be credited to some forward thinking individuals who gathered in the town of Ghent, now in Belgium to end the War of 1812.  We have a responsibility to maintain, and perhaps try to enact, the peaceful intentions of that document.

Jim Hill is Superintendent of Heritage for the The Niagara Parks Commission