Holiday memories from the NFB Mediatheque
The following is a guest post by Tanya Koivusalo.
The Sweater, Sheldon Cohen, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
The holidays tend to be a time for reflection, when we remember past events spent with loved ones and try to regain a bit of childhood whimsy. To get into the spirit, I asked my NFB Mediatheque colleagues to share their favourite holiday-themed NFB memories.
“When I was a Customer Service Agent (CSA) and worked during the holiday workshops, there was just a great feeling in the air… that warm feeling, with families coming in and out of our spaces. I also loved the year when a colleague made a life-sized gingerbread house out of cardboard boxes and construction paper to display in our window – it was great!”
– Merrill, Team Leader
“My favourite memory is of Leon in Wintertime – it is such a fun, entertaining and wonderful film for both kids and adults alike!”
– Olivier, Team Leader
“When I was a kid I always would look forward to catching screenings of the NFB classic, The Sweater, whether it was in school or on TV. I first read it as a book and did a book report on it when I was quite young. A couple of years later I realized there was a film and really enjoyed seeing it come to life on the big screen.”
– Desiree, CSA
“There’s nothing like the rush of happy and excited children and parents coming in and out of our space. And also seeing a few children who come every year and remember the facilitators.”
– Amery, Customer Service Agent (CSA)
“One year, on the snowy last day of Christmas shopping, I was able to provide a frantic last-minute customer with a DVD copy of The Sweater. He’d been looking for it high and low to give as a gift, not realizing that the Mediatheque was right near his office. The NFB saved his Christmas!”
– Jacques, Promotions Assistant and CSA
This will be my first holiday season at the NFB Mediatheque, and I look forward to creating memories of my own – we have plenty of activities going on throughout the holidays.
The NFB Mediatheque is offering Winter Wonderland! animation workshops for families, suitable for children ages 6-13, from December 27th to January 2nd, twice a day. Each day at 2pm, we’ll also be offering a screening program of winter-themed animation favourites for the whole family, including acclaimed films The Sweater, Christmas Cracker and Léon in Wintertime. We also have holiday-themed guided viewing lists for our Digital Viewing Stations, to help you select from over 5,500 NFB films at your fingertips.
Come in from the cold and join us!
