Merry Christmas

The little tree twinkles bravely against the window frosted with freezing rain. I'm twinkling bravely too. Christmas has changed, as it probably has for you. With the passing years, family growing and shrinking, moving and returning, Christmas changes. For some people it is for the better, however, it doesn't seem better to me. This year was the first that there was no Christmas morning at my parent's house - I'm not gonna lie and say that this was joyous. It does show me that we have to work hard at making new traditions - I have a few ideas.

On Christmas Day Carm and I spent the afternoon at his sister's house with Maria, Jack and their sons & wives and our three grand nephews. It was fun. When we got home we recovered from all the feasting and finally by 7 felt ready for our bottle of champagne and a few nibbles, while we watched 'Sound of Music'. We should have gotten home earlier so we could have gone to Montreal for a couple of hours, but with the dogs it didn't seem possible.

Today Environment Canada is calling for heavy freezing rain so we are stuck at home again. The planned trip to Montreal has been cancelled and instead we filled buckets, bathtubs and bins with water in case the power goes out. The 1998 ice storm is always in our mind when freezing rain is in the forecast. Nine days without electricity makes one a little nervous for a repeat. At this exact moment it is pouring.

We did have a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with my parents and brother Graham. It was a very adult time with no kids to leap around with. We all grow up, even when we don't want to!

I flung open the curtains in the bedroom Thursday and was greeted with a winter scene straight from a Christmas Card. The trees, including the ones right outside the window, were piled with snow. I should have gotten out to get a few photos but was too lazy. It wasn't just the tree branches that were covered with snow. Oh no, the decks and laneway had several cm piled on as well. It was warm and even inched above freezing which made the snow heavy, perfect for snowmen.

It didn't take me long to get the deck cleared though - I've got a method now. At least for when there isn't a foot of snow - that will require a different approach.
Friday night we snuggled up on the sofa to watch 'Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer', a tradition that goes back several years. We've seen this 1965 production for years and it never fails to delight. I like it better than 'Charlie Brown Christmas' (but the music rocks - I have the soundtrack).

Well, I feel better now that I've gotten all that off my chest, so, with a smile on my face and love in my heart, I wish you all a Merry Christmas :-)