In tornado-torn Arlington Woods, Christmas spirit shines through

Christmas in Ottawa's Arlington Woods neighbourhood used to mean walking in a winter wonderland oftall, snow-dusted pines and twinklinglights.

Not this year. The tall trees are gone, replaced with jagged, jutting stumps. The tornado that tore through here in September also destroyedhomes, displacing dozens of families.

Repairs are underway, but many of those families won't be home for Christmas.

Life goes on, and happiness needs to go on.- Marie Noreau, Arlington Woods resident

Cityinspectorsissued more than 100 unsafebuilding notices in the area following the tornado. Three months later, the pink notices are taped to many doors where wreaths used tohang at this time of year.

Yet despite the devastation all around them, the residents who remain are refusing to abandon theirChristmas traditions.

Nick and Marie Noreau's family of six is luckier than many: during the storm, 31 trees on their property fell, four of them crashing into their recently renovated home on Parkland Crescent. The Noreaushave been able to remain living in the half of their house that wasn't badly damaged.

Decorations restore some normalcy

Once the contractors leave for the day, a snowman family glows in the backyard, all the more visible to passersby thanks to the thinning of theforest behind the house.

Marie Noreau says the decorations help restore some sense of normalcy.

"We're really fortunate to still be in our house, and [even with] all the patches and missing things we're still happy to be here. Life goes on, and happiness needs to go on."

The family planted three new treesand strung lights on them.

"When people drive by it's sad because all the lights are off and it's quiet except for the people working on the roof. But if they see kids playing ... and lights outside and our trees in the backyard that we planted, it's really happy, like a signal that things will get better," said Gabrielle Noreau, 14.

'It felt like an Armageddon'

The dayof the tornado, the Noreau family had just finished supper and the kids were gathered at the large kitchen window, watching the storm.

As the wind picked up and they began hearingthe sound of cracking branches, Nick Noreau yelled to the kids to go tothe basement. Seconds later, a tree torpedoed through the window.

"It felt like an Armageddon," he said, while his wifecompared it toThe Wizard of Oz.

Once the storm had passed, Nick Noreauventured outside. In addition to the damage to their home, toppled white pines had crushed both family vehicles.

It was eerily silent as Noreau clambered over downed trees to check on neighbours.

In a nearby home, hefound an elderly neighbour pinned to her bed by a tree trunk that had punctured herroof. Afraid to cause her further injury, Noreau and the woman's son awaited emergency crews.

When firefighters finally arrived they had to walk in because downed trees blocked the roads Noreauran back home to fetcha chainsaw and scrap wood to shore up the woman's sagging ceiling.

The woman was rushed to hospital and survived the ordeal.

Community comes together

Soon, volunteers arrived to help clear downed trees and hand out sandwiches and water. Someone even offered to babysit the Noreaus' children.

That spirit of neighbourly support survived the storm, and it has endured.

Earlier this week, families gathered in front of the Noreau hometo sing Christmas carols, a neighbourhood tradition.

Xavier Noreau, 10, wishes the tornado never happened. But he saidit taught him an important lesson.

"The lesson I learned is that you have to live life to its fullest, because any second it could be gone."