The snow is gently falling. It clings to branches like cotton balls. The white Christmas lights on the shrubbery have become muted as they light the snow surrounding them. The snow is clinging to the trees and the evergreen branches are bent.
Our neighbourhood is a Christmas postcard picture. The temperature will drop into the minus twenties. Winter is upon us and Christmas is but one week away. Homes and yards are lit with twinkling lights of all colours and decorated with blow up characters from Christmas movies past.
It is a wonderful time of year. Our grand daughters are filled with excitement of the magic of Christmas and as grandparents we are filled with awe and wonder as they celebrate the mystery of the season. They fill our hearts and minds with joy.
One of the major conversations at the Senior’s Center is of families travelling to be with one another. If children and grandchildren are not coming home to the district, grandparents and newly arrived residents are travelling to be with family. It is a story as old as time. It is good that we call it the Christmas season and not just a single day.
As I reflect in my life, one of the most memorable Christmas Eve’s was going out to my cousin’s farm and walking from the house to the barn where the cattle were kept. It was a snowy evening, and the stillness of the night surrounded our families with peace. When we reached the barn, the cattle seemed to feel that there was something special on this night. It was an eerie feeling that may have harkened back to the birth of Jesus centuries ago in a stable.
Christmas is a time for sharing memories. I have been blessed with memories of all the people I have worked with across the district. They have enriched my life. I have been fortunate to have worked with publishers from across the country bringing the history of communities large and small to their readers. From them, I have a greater appreciation of how great Canada is.
Swimming has opened the opportunity to work with swimmers and their parents from across the northwest. They too have enriched my life.
I have been fortunate to have had the support of family in all my activities. I appreciate that I can continue to write my column for the paper.
Thank you to all and to all I wish you a Merry Christmas and a healthy bountiful new year.
