Season’s Greetings Everyone!
Well it seems another Christmas is upon us.
I am sitting here completely surprised by the winter wonderland that greeted me this morning and I am reminded of winters past and all the activities we participated in. A white Christmas is pretty rare these days but I grew up in the interior and we often had snow at Halloween.
I remember skating on frozen lakes, neighbourhood ponds and my Dad even flooded our backyard one year to have our own ice rink. We spent many afternoons ice-fishing on those same lakes and warming up next to a crackling bonfire steps from the frozen water’s edge. I always had ‘crunchy’ socks in the winter season having singed them on those fires as they hung beside to dry while we tried to warm some feeling back into our frozen toes. My Dad would shake his head and lecture us girls (yes, the girls) about wearing proper snow-rated footwear instead of fashion forward but flimsy zippered heels. Eeeee, so cute!! Sorry Dad, fashion before comfort. OMG even back then!
We made hundreds of snow forts and snowmen. When I was in elementary, I recall the grade sevens managed to roll a giant snowball so big that by the time they were done, the snow from two fields was incorporated into the monster ball and the entire seventh grade class was needed to push it across the final few remaining meters of snow. The melting pieces of that behemoth lasted into April!
The best was going for night time walks in the orchards around us that were covered in giant meringues of snow. We could practice flips and karate moves falling into the safe cushion of powder. And how come the sound of our voices was curiously muffled and amplified all at the same time? We would trudge into the forest across the street to cut down a real tree but even after very careful scrutiny and comparison between one or two possibilities, the chosen tree always looked less impressive and ‘under- branched’ by the time we got it home. Ah, the ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree. Nothing that about 200 assorted holiday trinkets and a generous, artfully draped coating of tinsel can’t correct.
I could go on and on…but I won’t (you’re welcome). Suffice to say, I am enjoying the trip down memory lane that this wintry spell has summoned but probably only until about 2:30 when I will have to suit up and go out into it to fetch a kid from school. Snow is so much more like-able from the safe and cozy confines of a warm house!
Thanks to all for your great support and friendship this year. As always, I look forward to catching up with all of you over the coming months wherever and whenever time allows.
Have yourselves a wonderful Christmas/celebration and all the best for 2017!!