Here we are in December once again. This is the time of year when we think of family and friends as we approach the holidays. There is an urgency at times to buy the right gifts and to get that baking done all in preparation for the big day, ‘The birth of Jesus’. Many familiar Christmas Carols are sung and the radio plus all the Malls gets flooded with all the past Christmas music and some new ones as well. I know that I have already watched ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. This particular movie I can almost quote it scene for scene as I have seen it so many times. It was a tradition when my kids were growing up. We would have hors d’oeuvres Christmas evening and watch this. It would be a quiet time together.
As a child growing up I remember my brother and I planning a way to quietly sneak out of our rooms to see what Santa had brought us. We looked for every squeaky board in the hardwood so we could avoid these ones. We thought we had made it past them when inevitably our parents would tell us to go back to bed! How did they know?? Except for the giggling we were very quiet!
It was such a long night for everyone! The stockings were the best. My Dad always got some coal and a mouse trap in his. I guess he had been naughty. I remember one year sitting amazed in front of a fish tank. I would watch the fish for hours. Another year my brother and I both got watches. There were many clues from my Mom on how it ran on wheels. My watch was in a home made package that looked like a little car with wheels that actually turned. I still have this tiny watch though it no long works.
Christmas Day was a time for my Aunt, Uncle and Grandmother to come over for dinner. It was a fun time with plum pudding with custard sauce infused with rum. Yum… The turkey was pretty awesome as well. Everyone over ate. That too is part of the tradition of the holidays. This is the time of year when I miss family members no longer with us; they will always be a part of our lives as they helped to form who we are as adults.
I am blessed with 6 Grandchildren who are a delight to watch as they grow. Two more little ones are about to be born into my brother’s ever expanding Grandchildren family. Who would have known all the joys to come as an adult? I can remember as a child wondering what I would do in my life, who I would marry etc. Life has been pretty good for the most part on all these fronts.
We all have ups and downs in life. It is inevitable. It is how we choose to react to them. One can be bitter at what life throws us or we can look for the best in most situations.
- What can I learn from this?
- Who stood by me through these processes?
- Did it make me stronger, or did I retreat from life?
- How can I get back on track?
- Do I need professional help, or a good ear from a dear friend?
Our life is our journey. We have no guarantees that it will all be wonderful. It is what we make it and it can be pretty darn good!
As the holidays approach I would love for you to be kind to yourselves and also to others. We have many new immigrants coming to this wonderful country called Canada. We were all once immigrants. If you can, and are able, welcome them. Even a smile can make someone’s day! Don’t let fear overtake your own sense of values. Consider how difficult it must have been to leave a country they loved, a home that may have been destroyed. They are risking their lives and their children’s lives to find a place of peace where their children have a chance to actually live. Would you be so brave if this happened to your family?
So from my family to yours may you have a very happy holidays that brings you great joy and peace! May the New Year 2016 be equally blessed.