Christmas in full voice for family raising funds for cancer research

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The sun is setting late Sunday afternoon in a new Manotick neighbourhood. After throwing a few snowballs at each other and engaging in some light wrestling, the cousins are prepared to hit the high notes for their end of a weekend ritual.

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All six of them are sporting their bright yellow “Cancer Fighter Scarves” as they round the corner with their parents, aunts, uncles and grandmother, walk up a driveway, ring the doorbell and break into song.

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At the first house, it’s a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells. Moving across the street, they work together on a colourful version of Deck The Halls.

For this family, the holiday season is in full voice, part of a spirited fundraising exercise for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The carolling serves as a renewal of a cherished family tradition started by Mike McCann, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2019.

McCann and his wife, Gloria, turned Christmas into an unforgettable experience for their three daughters, Ashley, Jordie and Alexandra.

All three now have two children of their own.

On this Sunday, Ashley and her husband, Pascal, are here with Livia, 11, and seven-year-old Wesley.

Jordie and her husband, Miguel, have wrapped up eight-year-old Noela and four-year-old Nicola for the cold.

Alexandra and her husband, Chris, have nine-year-old Sienna and seven-year-old Adrian ready to go.

It’s a crowd of 13, with it all about remembering Mike McCann.

“He was Mr. Christmas and always tried to make it special for the kids and he just loved Christmas,” Gloria said of her late husband. “Magical. It was very magical for them and it’s nice to bring it down to the grandchildren.”

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Mike, who owned Velocity Media, raised more than $3 million for local causes through the Ron Colbus Memorial Golf Tournament over a 20-year span. He hand-delivered Christmas trees to the homes of his employees every December.

During the holiday season, he also routinely took his daughters for door-to-door carolling around their Hunt Club neighbourhood.

Mike and Gloria were also renowned for having large Christmas trees and flashy light displays to toast the season. Mike started looking for the best trees, often 18 feet high, in October. Come December, the singing started.

“When Dad took us out to the neighbours, we were carrying a yogurt container around to collect,” said Jordie. “We would then take the container to CHEO at Christmas. Dad definitely had an impact.”

After the sisters brainstormed ideas on how to best pay respects to their father following his death, they opted to add the next generation to the seasonal tradition, adding their own children into the mix. So, every Sunday in December, they go singing door to door.

“It’s what my dad stood for: Christmas and giving,” said Jordie. “We wanted to pass on the feeling of giving to charities.”

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In five years, they’ve raised close to $30,000.

All money raised will go towards the fight against pancreatic cancer.

In addition to the doorstop collections, a fundraising page has been set up with the Canadian Cancer Society for online donations at fundraisemyway.cancer.ca or cancer.ca/holiday .

“It’s a wonderful story,” said Larissa Morrow, a fundraising communications spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society. “It’s a story that has really inspired us and people can support it in different ways.”

When their late Sunday afternoon/evening December ritual is done, family members return home for hot chocolate to reminisce about good times.

In the beginning of the door-to-door carolling back in 2020, with newborn Nicola then bundled up in a stroller and COVID-19 concerns still in the air, it was a tricky exercise.

“When we first started, people were a little hesitant,” Jordie said. “We were singing with masks on and we had a big boom box with us, but it did lift spirits during a difficult time for everyone. It brought some people together and created some hope and a sense of community.”

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She acknowledges that sometimes people are caught off guard when they show up on the doorstep.
Once the moment sinks in, however, and people see that the children are wearing Canadian Cancer Society scarves, they recognize what it’s all about.

“For the most part, people like to see little kids singing and we receive a lot of positive feedback,” said Jordie.

“One time, we showed up at the door and a woman was bawling her eyes out, tears everywhere. She was really touched. It was really personal, because she was going through cancer treatments herself.”

Jordie recognizes there’s no singing superstar in the group, no one to rival the classic Christmas song singers such as Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby or Brenda Lee.

“Well, we’re not a choir,” she said. “We have mediocre voices. We’re not trained a cappella singers. Usually, we stick to songs the kids know and maybe sing at school, like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

Ultimately, it’s not the really the song that matters. It’s the message.

“We’re also carolling for everyone who is going through cancer now and in the past,” said Livia. “It’s a really hard thing for people.”

kwarren@postmedia.com

X: Citizenkwarren

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