North

Watson Lake, Yukon, residents take to the streets to sing holiday classics

A group of Watson Lake, Yukon, residents took to the streets to sing their favourite holiday songs in an effort to spread a little Christmas cheer.

'I just thought it would be a great way to get out to the community and to spread the cheer'

a bunch of people on a wooden trailer
On Monday, 20 Watson Lake, Yukon, residents took to the streets to serenade the community with classic holiday carols. (Submitted by Chris Irvin)

Nothing says it's the holiday season more than a group of carollers and in Watson Lake, Yukon, some residents fully embraced the holiday tradition.

Chris Irvin manages the town's grocery stores and took it upon himself to organize the community singalong with his staff, and anyone who wanted to join on Monday afternoon.

"[We're] hoping to spread some Christmas cheer," Irvin told CBC News. "We have a great, great, great group of staff and they love to sing and I just thought it would be a great way to get out to the community and to spread the cheer."

Irvin said this is one of his favourite times of year, and said fully embracing the yuletide spirit is part of who he is. 

"I have the nickname Chris Kringle around town because of my Christmas lights and my cheer, so I like to partake in as much as I can," he said.

A man in a vest smiles at the camera.
Chris Irvin organized the community singalong. (Sarah Xenos/Radio-Canada )

Irvin said there were close to 20 people who all packed themselves onto a wooden trailer to serenade the town with holiday classics like Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. He said the group went through the downtown core, stopped off at the hospital, women's shelter and the post office.

Irvin said this is the first time he's organized something like this and he thinks it will become a yearly tradition.

"It's just what it's all about," he said. "And hang out with the ones you love, and your family, and your friends, and your co-workers, and just have a good time."

Carollers in Watson Lake, Yukon, spread joy in the most efficient way possible

19 hours ago
Duration 0:53
Watson Lake carollers took to the trailer this Christmas season. Wired up with Christmas lights and hooked to a pickup truck they drove around town spreading holiday cheer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris MacIntyre is a CBC reporter in Dawson City, Yukon. If you have a story idea or news tip you'd like to share you can reach him at chris.macintyre@cbc.ca or @chriswhereyouat on X.

With files from Joseph Ho