IqaluitSA国际影视传媒檚 Titiqqaniarvik Qaqqajaami Canada Post location had a sense of humour about the erstwhile national postal strike that full-time assistants Maggie Kanayuk and Paul Power turned into a positive creative outlet in the mail room.

SA国际影视传媒淲e started making the decorations because we heard that the other post office [in Iqaluit] has a little fireplace,SA国际影视传媒� explained Power, 17. SA国际影视传媒淗aving finished everything since the strike started [on Nov. 15], Maggie wanted to make one for here, so we took a lot of the empty boxes... and put some together, covered it in paper, coloured it a bit, then put cardboard bricks on the outside and finished it up. That took a week and a half, I think, on and off.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淪ometimes people leave their cardboard boxes [from deliveries],SA国际影视传媒� added Kanayuk, SA国际影视传媒渁nd thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what we used to make the stands and fireplace... Paul likes to make things.SA国际影视传媒�

The residential letter cubby has artwork all over it, including little qajaqs and other small free-standing structures that the two postal workers made in their spare time.

Typically, Kanayuk and Power are in charge of sorting letter mail in the back. However, over the last month or so, there had been little to do with strike grinding mail service to a halt. The Iqaluit locations remained open for business as they are not part of the same union as the hubs down south in Ottawa and Montreal, which send the vast majority of mail to be processed in Nunavut.

SA国际影视传媒淲e still had to come in every day,SA国际影视传媒� said Kanayuk, SA国际影视传媒渟o we made time fly by doing stuff... YouSA国际影视传媒檝e got to get creative with eight-hour shifts... ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 lots of paper here... half-printed on and going to to be shredded... it started with just the fireplace.SA国际影视传媒�

There was a meme circulating on Facebook with the poster for the cartoon version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' that someone redesigned as 'How Canada Post Stole Christmas' during the strike. That inspired Power to suggest having the Grinch stick out of the fireplace to get in on the joke.

SA国际影视传媒淲e didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know where to put the Grinch at first, so [Paul] said to put him in the chimney because we stole Christmas,SA国际影视传媒� said Kanayuk.

SA国际影视传媒淎fter [finishing the fireplace], Maggie was bored having finished her big project, and so I suggested she make the Grinch coming down the chimney, and so she did with some help from me, then we put the fireplace in the lobby with the Grinch," said Power.

SA国际影视传媒淲e were bored again, and so after the Grinch came, naturally, Max the dog, and after that we made Snoopy and the dog house with the little bird as well, and then Charlie Brown. All of them are just cardboard cut outs with paper on them, so thatSA国际影视传媒檚 easy.SA国际影视传媒�

Kanayuk credits Power with the details of the designs, and there are practice pieces and extras all over the mail-sorting area that show just how much time and thought went into the projects.

SA国际影视传媒淭he paper tree,SA国际影视传媒� said Power, SA国际影视传媒渨as our last big project we rushed before the strike ended. Maggie made that with very little help from me.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 wanted to make Rudolph and the abominable snowman,SA国际影视传媒� said Kanayuk, who has a three-year-old son she watches the cartoons with, SA国际影视传媒渂ut the strike ended."

The cutouts were then moved to the lobby in the front of the post office.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I came out [from the back], everyone was taking pictures with it,SA国际影视传媒� Kanayuk recalled. 

Acting superintendent of Iqaluit post offices, Mathieu Beauchesne, is proud of his employees' efforts at turning the long strike into 'Grinchmas' fun for the community.

SA国际影视传媒淚 love it,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚 couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 believe it when I saw the Grinch... it was amazing! I read the Grinch stories growing up. My other manager and her staff all want to see the pictures.SA国际影视传媒�