How Wade MacLauchlan celebrates the holiday season

The holidays are known as a time to get together with friends and family, open presents around the Christmas tree and eat a large turkey dinner.

But P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan has a few additions to the standard holiday season traditions.

"I love Christmas for friends and family and an opportunity to get together,"said MacLauchlan on CBC Radio's Mainstreet P.E.I.

St. Andrew's Day

For MacLauchlan, the holiday season begins on Nov. 30, or St. Andrew's Day, and continues to New Year's Day.

"So, we make a month of it,"he explained.An important day during the month ofDecember is the winter solstice on the 21st.

MacLauchlan gets up early and puts on three coffee urns and makes a batch of muffins. Then, he and his partner Duncan McIntosh wait for guests to arrive.

Solstice sunrise party

"We call it the solstice sunrise party. We open the door at 7:30 a.m., the sun rises around 8. And, this year, there were approximately 100 friends and neighbours and family who came and, some dogs."

MacLauchlan said he has a traditional Christmas Day turkey dinner with his mother. But the largest gathering is the Boxing Day potluck brunch.

Seafood pies

Another MacLauchlan tradition is to make his "industrial scale batch"of seafood pies P.E.I. mussels, scallops and bar clams.

"In particular, it's the potatoes and green onions that probably most determine how well that turns out," he explained.

MacLauchlan keeps the juices of the seafood [except lobster juice] and incorporates them into the "rich concoction"that goes into the pies.

"It's a great enterprise and people are always interested to have a taste of something other than the traditional at Christmas time," he said.

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