It's amazing what that one little call did. I'm telling you, I went up north to visit my family in a totally revived state of mind and had an incredible visit with them. I found that spirit I'd so been missing and enjoyed myself immensely, drinking in all the sights and sounds and adding them to a mental tapestry of holiday memories that I have in my mind's eye for safe-keeping and remembrance.
This year was not one to disappoint. There was much in the way of big bold laughter and many special memories. Dinner was less a meal than it was an experience that lasted the whole day, from the smell of it turkey cooking to the pouring of champagne for our guests, to the yams drizzled with a sweet syrup to the the brussel spouts (and my thinly veiled threats to our guests about eating all of the brussel sprouts so that there were none left over for my mother to send home with me). Conversation spun from every subject from a "drag-em-out and take 'em down" contest between the elders of how many pills each of them had to endure in their daily regime of medicine, to a discourse of the merits (if any) of our current government to a sharing of admittedly weak but oddly funny jokes from our Christmas Crackers, or perhaps it was just the champagne talking.
The excess off the day was highlighted by my family dog throwing up in the living room after enjoying too many treats as well as the sincere enjoyment of a symphony of choral music, laughter and candlelight. Dinner was topped of with Trifle, coffee and the ugh, mandatory Christmas Cake (I still don't get it), and a chance to consider my own excesses in the enjoyment of too many "treats" just like my dog before me.
I'm not sure where my love-affair with the season started, but it's probably around the time that this picture was taken with two of my closest, life-long friends, David & Karen. Karen, as usual is looking just a little bit anxious as she critically analyzes the situation and tries to figure out exactly how Santa will logically come down that chimney. David on the other hand, again true to form, is looking a little bit like a deer in headlights. He's always been a superstar achiever, but he's never been one for the limelight or attention, no matter how often he seems to find it. Then there's me. Lay the camera on me! Lights, Action, I'm a Star. Santa who???? It's all about me, and how cute I'm looking with my entourage behind me! And if you ask really nice, I'll even show you how special I am by doing a little pirouette and curtsy for you! :) Who needs a big, tubby guy with an overgrown beard when there's a cutie-patoottie like me in the room. Plllaaaesse!
But I wizened up somewhat as I grew. (Perhaps it was the classic bowl cut that i sported...thank you Mom...that helped me to feel as those I'd aged a little beyond my innocent, but narcissistic 3 year-old ways)
In any case, I realized that I could be cute AND get gifts. Here I am, the obvious object of jealousy from my brother and cousin Michael, as they dearly wish that they could trade in their respective Spiderman WebGun and Superman Action Figures for my Uber-Cool No-Name Wannabe Barbie! My cousin Nikki on the only hand is blissfully oblivious to my major score of loot, because she too just can't help but get caught up in how cute she is. I'm mean seriously, who could blame her? Look at those eyes, and that smile. Absolutely brilliant. It's a family curse and our cross to bear! ;) Thanks Grandma! We loved your multi-million $$$ smile and we're all grateful that you shared it with each of us in your gene-pool and every day that we saw your happy face! Except for my brother of course. There's no explaining what happened there. Perhaps I shouldn't have dropped him on his head so often when he was a baby, but how was I to know that would have a permanent effect! ;)
Christmas' came and went and what it meant to me changed a little bit each year. After a misplaced attempt at mercy, my cousin Andrew tried to soothe my green jealous heart over the fact that my beautiful cousin Sheila got to be one of Santa's Elves one year, by telling me that the man posing as Santa in my living room was actually his father, my Uncle Jim, the things that once made the holidays magical began to morph into a deep appreciation of the lengths that our family and friends go to make us smile or feel special. Well that and a deep appreciation of turkey too. A little less fanciful perhaps, but absolutely no less magical.
Then after a while, the holidays started to take on a different kind of meaning to me. They meant I was coming home to visit with my family after surviving my exam period and many sleepless nights cramming away for them. Coming home meant a chance for relaxation and to regroup for the coming term. It also was a time in which new traditions began to form and new participants began to be included. It was around this time that I had the first pleasure of meeting the amazing girl who would one day become my sister-in-law, as she fussed over her knitting to keep her busy and distracted because she too missed her family over the last semester. Dad fussed of course over the turkey. It's quite a thing to watch him in action, but if you watch,...make sure it's at a reasonable distance. Otherwise it's a full on contact sport. He needs a lot of space and takes no prisoners. But is it ever worth the wait, as he's an artist at work.
The other thing I've come to love is how my parents decorate for the holidays. Part of the festive magic that I feel each year has a lot to do with the atmosphere they create at home. I haven't attached any of the pictures of the plethora of trees, garlands, wreaths, candles, nativity scenes and festive characters within the house, but I wanted to add a picture here of the type of light show they'd put on outside as well. It's perhaps not spectacular by Hollywood's standards, but it was all we needed to feel like home was the only place to be for the holidays.
Then there's the B Family. Cannot forget the B's as they have been an integral part of the holidays with our family over the years. Sometimes we'd celebrate together in Hawaii (which has given me a whole new appreciation and love for how they celebrate the holidays in the tropics) and sometime in California where the rest of them live. It got a little harder to get together each year as the kids grew and got jobs that didn't allow extended holidays, but every Christmas it was as if we were all there together in spirit. We may be the only household this side of the left coast that continually plays the Honolulu Boys Choir Christmas Album over the holidays, but it just wouldn't feel festive anymore without it.
But don't worry, it wasn't all music and sentimentality either. The B's were great at keeping things fun and festive and here we all are, a motley crew together in our own National Lampoon's moment together. My mom must be the one taking the picture...smart lady! :)
And this one will never be forgotten.... Boys will be boys, and were they ever being loud, obnoxious and absolutely hilarious boys at this memorable Christmas dinner with our lifelong friends, the H's. And it was all over a salt and pepper shaker that made a sound of a dolphin that drove my dog crazy.
And more and more, I've learned how very special our own traditions are with our friends. Each year I celebrate the holidays with old friends that I used to work with at Midland Walwyn (Merrill Lynch Canada Inc afterwards). Pictured below at this year's dinner, are from left to right, Teena, Deborah, myself (looking just a little less glamorous than when I was 3 years-old) and Franca. It seems that each year that we get together, the more important it was that we are there to laugh together and to help us from keeping from crying alone. I'm lucky to have friends such as these to share such special memories with. And everyone one of them have been special, except for the time that they told me Deborah was pregnant (and worried about it given that she's no longer in "prime" birthing years) and they let me stress about it for a whole day afterwards. They often to abuse my naturally pleasant, but gullible and worry-wart ways, but I'll forgive them for it on the grounds that no one else will put up with my corn-ball humour quite the same way that they do.
But if I were to be honest, while the holiday's have truly come to represent special times with friends and loved ones, deep down inside, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that at times I'm still a dorky kid, craving the magic of the season and a big ol' holiday window display at the Bay on Yonge St. Those were special times. And yes, Smurfs were very cool at one point. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. C'om, at least it's not Barney!!
And that dorky kid has always craved magic and special moments, it's only that the things that I craved changed a little. Which is absolutely why I had to add this little keep-sake. Okay, so this wasn't taken at Christmas, but I'm pretty sure that I asked Santa for a moment like this, so I had to include it, because it sure felt a whole lot like Christmas to me! Thanks to the L family for making this particular holiday dream of mine come true! It almost makes me want to forgive you all for being a bunch of Haughty Hab Fans, but then again,...I might need a do-over of this moment before I decide for sure.
And if you're lucky enough, just like my God-daughter pictured below, the magic of the season can take you by such a hold that you just can't help yourself except to celebrate the fury of your festive excitement by putting on each and every one of the 3 Disney Princess' dresses you received that year and insist on wearing them like that until you drop down into the kind of deep, deep, sleep you can only achieve after a fun-filled, joyous holiday and supplemented by a sugar crash! Now that's living!
Of course, not included here are all the pictures I have in my memory (and in my mother's photo album, far-to-far from here to be able to share them) of Christmas' past with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that I cherish so much and always look forward to with great anticipation. I am also very blessed to have a few close friends who I share time-honoured traditions, including the observation of a strict and mandatory library of movies that must be watched, appies and steak that must be devoured and wine that must be uncorked and enjoyed. Without these traditions that I've built with the "Family I've Chosen", I've learned I just can't get my festive groove on. For instance, I've been known to mope around each year, just a little, until one friend sends me a voicemail of her "Texas" Santa singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" for me. (Honestly, I just don't think you've really lived until you've heard that sung with a Texan-twang).I may never be very good at remembering exactly who gave what to whom, but I'm more than certain that I will one day leave this world, with these memories close in my heart and as crystal clear as the day they occurred. Thanks Mom and Dad, for starting me of with a love of the seasonal magic at an early and and delivering it to me each and every year since.
Merry Christmas! Hope you have all had a special and memorable holiday!
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