Children's book celebrates the Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop
‘He took to the sky and never stopped,’ says author Linda Brandt of pilot Johnny May
Nunavik has its own Santa Claus.
Every Christmas season for the past 50 years, Inuk bush pilot Johnny May has flown over Kuujjuaq in Northern Quebec and dropped candy and other goodies for the children and other residents in the community. Now his story has been told in a children's book by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
The Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop is based on interviews with May and photos from his family albums. It chronicles his holiday tradition of dropping candy, toys, warm clothes and furs out of his plane each year. The book is available in both English/Inuktitut and French/Inuktitut.
"This guy's been doing candy drops, it'll be 50 years," says Linda Brandt, the book's author. "It's an amazing milestone."
"He took to the sky and never stopped," added Brandt.
Brandt says it was May's service to the community that captured her imagination.
"He's a great Inuk (role) model," she says, "it's a happy story and a great story to share with the youth across Canada's Arctic."
"I remember him telling me, Linda don't send big candy because they get frozen and when people don't catch them it drops on their head and it could be dangerous."
The candy drop is ahead of schedule
"That book is real nice," says May, who at 70 years old shows no signs of slowing down. "Real neat due to the fact that it's not fiction."
"Preparations are actually ahead of the other years," he says of this year's candy drop. "I already have most of my load up in the hangar… we're just about ready for the candy drop already."
"I might have to do two loads because from what I see, there's more purchased this year," says May.
The candy drop has also meant that for the past 50 years, May's family has postponed Christmas dinner until after his delivery is done. But May has made these sacrifices eagerly.
"I've had a lot of fun doing it," says May. "I like flying and I like to see all those people having a good time, it's been quite an experience."
'Apparently I was breaking a few rules'
Playing Santa for Christmas is in May's blood.
"I remember when I was young that my father used to get on the roof and throw candies to the people that had come in by dog team," says May.
"When I got my pilot's licence I thought it might be fun to try that from the airplane."
Today he is the only pilot in Canada who has a licence to do this.
"For many years I was doing the candy drop and nobody ever says anything," says May.
Then 15 to 20 years ago, an internet connection came to the region and people started sharing photos and videos of the candy drop.
"Apparently I was breaking a few rules," says May. "Flying too low in a populated area and throwing goods out of an airplane."
"They phoned me up and were a bit rough on me at the beginning until they realized the whole of Nunavik was on my side so they changed their tune," says May.
"What they came up with was that each Christmas they'll grant me a waiver which permits me to break the rule of flying below a certain altitude of people and also throwing goods out of the air," says May.
For nearly two decades, May applied for a permit each year, and waited anxiously to see if it would be approved. But last year, things changed.
"My file was moved to Ottawa and they gave me a five-year waiver," says May who had always planned on retiring on his 50th year, but with the waiver in hand he's hesitant to stop now.
"This should be my last but we'll see next year."