And the decorating gurus are…

Left to right: HMCS Regina’s winning entry in this year’s Formation Christmas Tree Competition is displayed at the Fleet Club. HMCS Ottawa won an honourable mention for dressing up their Christmas tree like an Ottawa Senator’s hockey player. The Dental Unit Detachment’s entry is displayed at the Chief and Petty Officer’s Mess. Formation Safety and Environment’s winning entry in the Best Charlie Brown Tree category.

Once again esprit de corps was evident through the creative decorating of 21 Christmas trees distributed among each of the messes (Pacific Fleet Club, Chiefs and Petty Officers’ Mess, and Wardroom) and at Naden (Nelles Block and MPU(E) Esquimalt).

Innovation and fun competition among units continues to be most evident across the Formation! Participating units competed for prizes in three coveted categories:

1. Most Festive (traditional/seasonal);
2. Best Griswold Design (outlandish); and
3. Best Charlie Brown (valiant effort or lack thereof). All of the participating units are listed below, along with last year’s winners.

The contest was judged on Dec. 15. The panel included myself, the Base Administration Officer, Cdr Lessard; the Base Chief, CPO1 Spinelli; the Formation Master Seaman, MS Clarke; and PSP Special Event Coordinator Christine Farrington.

Given that the holiday spirit is alive and well in the Formation, it was a difficult process to choose the winners for each of the three categories. Nevertheless, when the scoring sheets were tallied, the judges awarded the title of Most Festive Tree to HMCS Regina, who regained their previously-held title from two years ago by fully embracing their unit’s motto, theme and colours.

A new entrant to the competition, HMCS Chicoutimi unanimously won over the judges for Best Griswold Tree with their take on duty watches, request forms, TRANREQs and materiel challenges.

Finally, Best Charlie Brown Tree went to Formation Safety and Environment for their creative, sustainable efforts to draw out the spirit of the season.

Though the unit did not capture any of the categories, HMCS Ottawa deserves special mention for somehow making a Christmas tree look like a Senators hockey player.

Overall, a strong performance by Fleet units this year.

Congratulations to this year’s winners! Prizes for each of the three categories will be awarded upon return from leave in the New Year.

On behalf of the panel judges and organizers for this year’s holiday program, I would like to convey a sincere thank you to all of the participants in the Formation Tree Decorating Contest. All the best for 2017!

Capt(N) SM Waddell
Base Commander

Participants in the 2016 tree decorating contest were:

• 1 Dental Unit Detachment
• Base Accommodations
• Base Administration
• Base Executive
• Base Foods
• Base Logistics
• Base Orderly Room
• Canadian Forces National Investigation Services
• CFMWS Personnel Support Program (PSP) Services
• Formation Safety and Environment
• HMCS Chicoutimi
• HMCS Ottawa
• HMCS Regina
• HMCS Saskatoon
• MARPAC HQ
• MARPAC Health and Wellness Strategy Team
• Military Family Resource Centre
• Military Police Unit Esquimalt
• Naval Fleet School Pacific – Seamanship Division
• Port Operations and Emergency Services Branch
• SISIP