I am a huge lover of the holiday season. Plain and simply, I love Christmas. It’s one of my favourite
times of the year. I come by it naturally, inherited from my mother and I have passed the same joy of
the season to my children and grandchildren. I remember the days of my childhood when my mother
would be up at 5:30am sitting in our living room at a little card table writing out Christmas cards. The
youngest of 14 children raised in a French-Canadian family in Montreal, she had a lot of cards to write to
greet family, to say nothing of the cards for friends and neighbours and work acquaintances. My
mother’s joy of the season was infectious, and I certainly inherited that. She loved to decorate the tree and would spend so much time arranging and re-arranging the lights, the ornaments and the little strips of foil called icicles which had to be strategically placed, just two on each bow. 

For me, I love the coziness of the soft lights and candles that dot my home as the days grow short. I love
the music. Yes, even in November, I love the music – the songs, the hymns, instrumentals, choirs and
popular singers. I love it all. My youngest marks our calendars for November 17 th as the day to start our
Christmas decorating and there is a strategic approach to that – it is respectfully past Remembrance Day
and gets our decorating done before another, not so welcome anniversary hits our consciousness.

December 14th is the anniversary of the death of my husband. Dave was a gentle soul, relaxed, laidback, and so caring of his family. His heart was in his home, those in Ontario and those in Nova Scotia. Dave made friends easily, enjoyed his social circle and loved his family. It’s been so many years since his passing and yet, without a conscious prompting such as the date on the calendar, our subconscious is aware. A somberness comes over me and my children a few days ahead of the 14th . Every year, we feel the melancholy, the sadness, the crankiness for no apparent reason. Except that we are approaching the
14th . Come that day we acknowledge it to each other, and in our way internally, and I send my heartfelt
thanks to the man who made my life a joy, even if only for a tragically short time, and who gave me the
gift of the children and grandchildren I have today.

This year, 2023, however was different. November 17 th, we pulled out the Christmas decorations. The
lights, wreaths, and tree first (we’ve moved to artificial again last year…we’ll see for how long) and the
Christmas villages next. The house feels good, looks good and smells good thanks to the a wood fire and
one, well-placed scented candle.

There has been a calm this year. December 14 th rolled around more gently for our hearts. There was a
tenderness rather than a sadness, a sereneness, a restfulness, and a freedom from the pain of loss.
Instead there were gentle smiles at memories and reminiscences. We all passed the day with love and
gratitude. December 14 th came and went wrapped in thankfulness.

2023 has been a good one. Our global village is hurting but 2023 has brought comfort, peace and
healing to me and my family. It is time for a joyful Christmas!