Finding new ways to celebrate Christmas

Christmas Day means visiting home, seeing family, and snuggling and watching holidays movies.

But not for everyone. This year, some Hamiltonians chose to celebrate their holiday in non-traditional ways.

Here's what it looked like.

Turkey dinner at Ale House

At Ale House, it was a true Christmas spirit.

The Upper Gage Avenue pub was hosting a traditional Christmas dinner for its regulars.

Around 1 p.m. on Sunday, over a dozen people at the bar were seated inside, savouring their turkey meal with mashed potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce and stuffings. All for free.

Kathy and Fred Easlick were among the regulars at one of the tables, enjoying their drinks and the company of others on a Christmas afternoon.

We are here every day," said Fred, and today we're here for a couple of beers ... (and) to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.'"

He said it was his and his wife's second year at the pub on Christmas Day.

Para Ponnuthurai, the restaurant owner, hosted a similar dinner on Thanksgiving this year, welcoming his regulars on the holiday.

Katrina Thorkildsen, who was serving people at the pub, didn't mind working on Christmas Day. She said it worked great with her plans since her grandmother won't be in town until Monday.

We have a bunch of reservations," including a reservation for 25 later in the day.

She said people could also drop in for a dinner.

Ice skating in -7 C

Even a cold Christmas Day couldn't keep some families cooped inside.

Roberto Gallardo and his son, 10-year-old Edward, were one of the few families at Pier 8 Outdoor Skating Rink on the Hamilton Waterfront.

My son wanted to come to skate ... although the wind is a little strong," Roberto said, standing against the cold winds from the waterfront.

Although it was brisk, Roberto said he wanted to get out of the house after days of rough weather. His wife, however, went back to the car to keep herself warm while he kept his son company.

It was Andre and Natalie Barabach's first Christmas in Hamilton after moving to Canada from Brazil earlier this year with their four-year-old.

We're newcomers ... so we came to see if this was open," Andre said. They were hoping to get rental skates but the closed stall and cold winds quickly convinced them otherwise.

Perfect day for a movie

For the Adamsons, it was the perfect day to catch the newly-released Avatar movie in theatres.

We've done our family visit already," said Dave Adamson, and decided to watch a movie while we're in town."

It was their first time at a movie theatre on Christmas Day, which his wife, Kim describes as a relaxing way to spend the day" before they head to Arizona for the winter.

Bowling Alley

Joanna Reierson is the coolest grandma in town, hosting her family of seven at Splitville Bowling Alley for the Christmas celebration.

We do not do this every year but this is the second time in the last few years that we've done it, and it makes Christmas a fun day," Reierson said.

Although not regular bowlers, she booked the Christmas spot for her family back in October. Reierson thinks it's a good way to keep the whole family engaged, and keeps them moving around up and down."

The employees at Spiltville - all in their holiday spirit and outfits - were finding it exciting to see people come in on Christmas Day.

People are much more in Christmas spirit this year, and we're seeing more people make reservations," said Splitville employee Mia Jasnich. It's exciting."

Jasnich had opened her presents earlier on Sunday and didn't mind joining her friends at work. She was simply enjoying the vibe, seeing all the families come together.

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com