Christmas Memories

Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I love everything that goes with the season: beautiful trees, lots of lights, candles, music new and old and tasty treats. The reason I love Christmas so much is that I was blessed with some great memories. Tim, Ruth and I had parents who always made sure that this time of year is special. Of course the hustle and bustle was there, but through it my parents always did things to make it a calm and wonderful time. Her are some of my favourite memories:

• Helping Dad drag in the Christmas tree through the basement sliding glass door.
• Bowls of mandarin oranges and homemade ‘Bits & Bites’.
• Candles, candles and more candles.
• Lots of family constantly coming through the house for parties, dinners and coffee & dessert.
• Visits to and from Uncle Doug & Aunt Millie’s house.
• The Christmas Eve buffet and the friends and family that were always there with us.
• Watching the snow pile up outside, hour after hour from a squall off ‘The Bay’.
• The smell of baking item #34 coming out of the oven in preparation for Christmas.
• The bags of candy we used to get after the Sunday School Christmas program.
• My Mom’s Christmas To-Do list
• Christmas Day walks with anyway who wanted to join (family or friend)
• The smell of the flickering Kerosene lanterns
• The sounds of Christmas: Roger Whittaker, Mannheim Steamroller and many others

I am now all grown and these memories are something to cherish but they have also become traditions that I want to pass down to my kids.   I hope that one day they look back on our Christmas traditions with fondness, whether it be baking a special dessert for Christmas, putting up lights outside in the snow, listening to music while sipping hot chocolate or decorating the tree.

I also think about my Mom a lot more during the Christmas season.  I am pretty sure that is a normal emotion!  It starts every year for me when we place a Christmas poem written by my Mom’s best friend in the branches while decorating the tree.   Here is an excerpt:

I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below
With twinkling lights like heavens stars,
reflecting in the snow
The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away your tears,
For I’m spending Christmas in heaven this year.

I hear the beautiful carols that we all held so dear,
But the songs you sing just can’t compare,
with the angels’ choir up here.
I have no words to tell you,
of the joy their voices bring.
It is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

Mom loved Christmas with her family and we sure do miss her!