Rose Fyleman - Poem About Winnipeg

Poem About Winnipeg

In December 1929, Rose Fyleman was invited to Winnipeg, Canada, as the guest speaker at a couple of women's clubs. She was staying at the Fort Garry Hotel, near the Manitoba Parliament Building on Broadway Ave. One evening, Rose and the president of one of the clubs decided to take a stroll to the parliament building, so that Rose could view the statue of Queen Victoria, located on its front lawn.

It was such a beautiful winter evening that when they got back to the hotel, Rose was inspired to write a poem entitled "In Winnipeg at Christmas." The poem appeared in print soon after—on New Year's Day, 1930—in the British magazine Punch. This poem is familiar to many inhabitants of Winnipeg, who were first exposed to it in school, and is often cited during the Christmas season. Fred Penner, a children's entertainer from Winnipeg, included it on his 1990 recording for Christmas, entitled "The Season."