Timmins Songwriter Shares Holiday Spirit in ‘Christmas in a Mining Town with Sleigh Bells’

Paul Henry Dallaire, an 83-year-old songwriter from Timmins, recently found inspiration to write “Christmas in a Mining Town with Sleigh Bells” during a downtown walk. He saw a sign that reminded him that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. Using a napkin, he started crafting the song.

Dallaire aims to share the essence of Christmas in Timmins. After years of writing about current events, this song came together with a special touch and help from friends. He has worked in a funeral home, often listening to the radio, which fueled his creativity. He believes that songs should come from the heart, preferring story-based songs over typical love songs.

To capture the Christmas spirit in his hometown, Dallaire adjusted the song’s title. He noticed that many songs already referenced “Christmas in My Home Town.” With assistance from local musician Serge Revard, he recorded the vocal track but felt it did not meet his expectations. Dallaire decided to pause the project.

Months later, he met Revard again, who had enhanced the track. Revard played the updated version for Dallaire, who was pleasantly surprised by the improvement.

Dallaire has been writing songs for many years and recalls submitting a song for a contest in Alberta in the 1980s. The contest was for a song about Calgary, and he received positive feedback from Ralph Klein.

Now, “Christmas in a Mining Town with Sleigh Bells” is available online. Dallaire hopes someone will play the song at the Santa Claus parade this holiday season.