Monday, December 26, 2022

Decorations

 The Chateau Laurier hotel has for years hosted a Christmas tree event. Local companies make a donation to the Children's Hospital Of Eastern Ontario, and trees get decorated with their names in the lobby and corridors of the ground floor of the luxury hotel. You can imagine it's a popular event locally, and ideal for the photographer.


Along with the Christmas trees, these halls include a wealth of photographs of the hotel's history. The Chateau opened in 1912. Its official opening date in April of that year was postponed for a few weeks. Charles Melville Hays, the railroad baron who had been behind its creation, had been coming back from Europe with his family and a substantial amount of furnishings bought on the continent.

They were sailing on the Titanic.

Hays of course died in that calamity; it's been suggested that his ghost haunts the hotel. There are other ghost stories connected to the Chateau.


Many others have been here over the years. This photograph of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip dates to when she was still the Crown Princess, and the Royals were paying a visit. Here they are accompanied by Vincent Massey, the Governor-General at the time.


More of those Christmas trees. I'll carry on here tomorrow.

42 comments:

  1. Fascinating as usual, especially the history of the Chateau. Love a good ghost story.

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  2. Beautiful Christmas trees display. The history of the hotel will be interesting.

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  3. It's a great tradition and an interesting way to raise funds for the children's hospital.

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  4. Hello,
    The trees do look beautiful! Take care, have a great day and week ahead!

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  5. Wonderful event, for a noble cause too!

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  6. I love the trees! Look forward to seeing more!

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  7. Fortunately, our own decorations are a lot easier and cheaper.

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  8. These trees look beautiful, William.

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  9. Beautiful!

    I did not know he was on the Titanic.

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  10. Haunting, I believe he is there.
    Beautiful trees

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  11. So many Xmas trees there in this place!

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  12. they were very pastel, no reds. Was there a theme that they had to follow?

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    1. No, just marking a quarter century of the event happening.

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  13. Lovely event and beautiful Xmas trees and photos ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  14. Very interesting and another lovely post.

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  15. Beautiful Christmas trees ...

    All the best Jan

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  16. Beautiful captures of a lovely venue.

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