SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — It’s getting so that Nancy Quinn can see it coming.
It’s usually signaled by a sad or whimsical little smile.
“Yeah, you know I don’t have any family here so it’ll be pretty quiet and I thought I’d get some books to read for Christmas.”
Quinn, owner of Seaside Books on Water Street in Summerside, has been hearing that statement, or ones just like it, quite a bit over the past couple of weeks. Mostly, she said, from customers who, for one reason or another, will be spending Christmas alone.
She has heard it enough that she recently decided to do something about it.
“I thought, I can do something about that. I can welcome people and be quiet with them or give them company, pour them a nice cup of tea – and just have a nice day. I could sit at home and do the same thing … but I just thought it would be nice if I did this,” she said.
Quinn has decided to host an open house on Christmas Day, from noon until at least 3 p.m. She won’t be doing any business. The store will just be open for anyone who wants to drop in, look around, have a hot drink and partake in company for a few hours.
Ty Dunham is a regular shopper at Seaside Books and was checking out the store offerings Tuesday with his young son, Hendrix.
Dunham had previously heard about Quinn’s plan to open on Christmas Day and thought it was an inspired idea.
He’s had Christmases himself where something like this would have been nice, he said, even to slip away from the house for a half-hour.
“I remember times when it was a little too stressful and it would have been nice to get out and have a little break. And this seems like a perfectly comfortable place to just kind of unwrap your brain,” said Dunham.
Quinn is hoping the event mark a new tradition for her family. Her children are grown now and starting to make their own way in life. Which means a quieter house for her and her husband.
“We’re not going to have a normal family kind of Christmas, it’s going to be different this year. So, if it’s going to be different, what can I do to make it good,” she mused.
Opening their shop for some community togetherness on a special day seemed like the right step forward.
“I feel that I’ve put my heart into this place. I feel that this is a real reflection of who I am. So, when people come in and say that they love it, I feel very personally lifted. So, if I can share that kind of feeling I want to do that. It’s a very simple thing to unlock the door and pour coffee and tea.”
