Christmas decor banned until after Remembrance Day at Manitoba store

Store shelves are already brimming with wreaths, festive lights and fake fir trees, but one Manitoba shop is banning all things Christmas until after Remembrance Day.

"We want to respect our veterans," Ginette Maynard, manager of Bigway Foods said. 

As soon as Halloween is over, the grocery store in the village of St-Pierre-Jolys fast forwards to Christmas but this year, staff are keeping several shelves empty, except for signs that read "Lest We Forget."

"I think it's very important. I mean some of [these veterans] gave their lives for us, they went to war for our country and for ourselves, you know," Maynard said.

The idea came from one of the staff members whose grandfather was a Second World War veteran. She said while Christmas is important, gearing up so early takes away from an important day.

So far, the community response has been fantastic, Maynard said. 

"People [have] started bringing in their stories," she said. "They have pictures of ... their uncles and their grandparents and their parents themselves you know, and they have stories behind it and it's pretty interesting."

Maynard said veterans' photos are being shared on the empty shelves.

"Hopefully we'll have more stories. We just started this last night," Maynard said.

 "We're going to do [this] every year."