Christmas can’t come fast enough for my granddaughters. But then again travelling to Calgary to enjoy Christmas with our granddaughters can’t come fast enough for us. Just as four-year old Delsie is counting down the days until that gentle old elf comes sliding down their chimney, Marnie and I are counting down the days until we travel. The anticipation of Christmas is building in our house just as it builds in every home with young children across the country who celebrate Christmas.
One of our discussions on Saturday during our break from playing bridge on Saturday was Christmas traditions and anticipation of family returning home. Parents who have experienced the first year their children went off to colleges and universities can hardly wait to hug their children again. Anxiously, they watch airline schedules.
I remember planning in early October airline flights bringing our sons home at Christmas. Leading up to their arrival, we watched the weather, hoping that flights would fly, and snowstorms would miss us. We seemed to dodge the snowstorms although on more than one occasion, flights had been cancelled or terminated early.
In our early years as grandparents, we hustled in two days to reach Calgary. They were long grueling days of crossing the prairies in darkness at both ends of the day. We could hardly wait to snuggle with our three-month-old granddaughter. Then we decided that three days on the road made more sense until last year, three days in prairie swirling blowing snow followed by freezing rain was not worth the risk.
I will be the first to commend the road crews who worked around the clock keeping the Trans-Canada Highway drivable. For one day, that highway was closed across Saskatchewan as mother nature dropped two centimeters of ice across all four lanes. The result was hundreds of stranded transports, many on their sides. It was white knuckle driving.
We are watching the weather for our trip to catch a flight. It looks like this year will be great for driving. Many will take to the roads this year to join families for this holiday. I wish you safe travels and an exciting Christmas season. Merry Christmas!
