Necessary Joy

Ornaments and lights resting 

in boxes and bins a long year

tumble out in a mix of 

whimsy, sparkle and glitter.

Family traditions rest on 

bright baubles ~ frivolous and

beautiful ~ necessary joy in a dark that seems too dark.

"Let us keep Christmas beautiful without a thought of greed."

~ Ann Garnett Schultz

Wherever We Land

Home ~ a feeling 

surrounded by photographs and recipes

artfully posed or candid surprise shots,

wrinkled pages stained with coffee and cake batter

Home is a feeling

infused by scents and sounds of Christmas

Roasting turkey and apple pie,

Crackling fireplace and carolling.

Home is a feeling

created from our homes before now

blending family traditions

creating new traditions from belief.

“The experience is about how we get there, not the landing place.”

 ~ Bill Buxton

(Canadian computer scientist and designer)

Linked

Traditions are for awhile….

reconnecting each other. Setting aside our differences, we smile and share hugs with those we love and care about. 

Traditions are golden remnants of the past, shaped through years and generations, to become intricate tapestries in the present. 

Traditions bring deliciousness to 

the table from our growing up homes, 

aromas and laughter that 

mingle together in the air. 

Traditions are for each of us 

to practice as we see fit in our lives,

to create new ones with changing times.

Traditions, ever evolving, become

links in the delicate chains we forge ~ 

connections from misty pasts ~ into today  

and planned for whatever tomorrow may bring.

“So strong is tradition that later generations 

will dream of what they have never seen.”

~ G.K.Chesterton

Brown Stockings and Kindness

Not really a St. Nicholas or a Santa Claus!

St. Nicholas, another tradition….or should I say St. Nicholas feast day. A tradition born of a story that cannot be absolutely verified as it whispers to us from the distant past. (And I located it at <whychristmas.com>)  They say that any good story begins with a lie, however I’m not fond of that phrase. Possibly meant ironically, a lie is told with the intent to deceive, and not always kindly. If deception is used to create suspense, ask a question that will be answered later on in the story, that I can accept. 

I like the St. Nicholas story that I read this morning, whether it started with a lie or not. It finally explained to me why it was so important to hang those brown cotton stockings by our chimney each Christmas when I was a kid ~ also in a distant past! Curiously, there had never seemed any spiritual basis or connection in any way with the Sunday school Christmas stories. There were no stockings hung in the manger, were there? But this story does in fact have a basis in a spiritual practice. One that is simple and, unfortunately often, gets lost in our busy day to day lives. Kindness is that spiritual practice. I am fairly certain that some hear the word ‘spiritual’ and recoil from it as though burned so I must be judicious with it’s use. Kindness is a good practice in any human relations. 

This story I read on a website this morning about the tradition of St. Nicholas. I’ve abbreviated much of it, but it offers the nugget of a story about impoverishment and kindness. 

“There once was a man who had three daughters…..One night Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house…..The bag fell into a stocking that had been drying by the fire….”

The tradition of stockings by the fire spread from there. A charitable, kind act for that one impoverished family has endured, albeit with a bit too much glitz and not enough magic, for centuries. Coincidentally, this short essay was already designated before I was aware that December 6 ~ today ~ is St. Nicholas feast day. Nicholas, because of his kindness to children, and oddly to sailors, was sainted as the patron saint of children and sailors. 

“You can always give something, even if it is only kindness.”

~ Anne Frank

This short essay had certain self imposed requirements:

1. Christmas themed

2. First line to start with 'St. Nicholas, another tradition: this line I set for myself regarding the blog post.

3. Another line to be included: 'Every good story starts with a lie...' This line is the group assigned line for this month's writer's group held the first Friday of every month.

Traditional Seasons - CHRISTMAS: Theme for December 2019

Over past Christmas seasons, I’ve written muses, stories and essays, however I’ve never done an actual Christmas Theme. I was raised in the United Church of Canada and those wonderful traditions were and have been mainstays in my life. The traditional stories and parables, the music and carols of this season are welcome every year. (In December... Christmas music in the malls any earlier only speaks to me of marketing. We get marketed enough every day of every year. But that’s another topic.)

Christmas Theme for December 2019

Coming together…….

Hanukkah and Christmas…….

Reality is often……

Inspiration is caught up……

St. Nicholas, another tradition…..

Traditions are for……

Magic and music…… 

Arts and crafts……

Solstice in winter……..

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”

~ Gustav Mahler

Traditional Memories

My gingerbread house - showing only what's best.

This essay is a first for me - not a first essay - but first to be actually written and edited on this blog page. Had things to do before sitting down to write this post. Coffee, reading, yoga and some writing. Checking bus times for getting downtown this morning. (This morning fast disappearing as I write this). There won't be much, if any Christmas shopping, but shopping for a new pair of sneakers. That is another story. What I want to visit about this morning is maintaining the Christmas atmosphere at home that I grew upon with and enjoyed as a child.

The North American culture has wisely embraced many individuals from many, many different cultures with the promise of religious freedom. Over the years, that promise has been questioned, broken, and sometimes just plain ignored. So much so that, my own personal religious freedom and that of many others were born and raised in a Christian tradition. I am no longer a practising member of any church, having developed beliefs that are consistent with the core of many religions. I have chosen not to affiliate myself with any specific church dogma.

But......and this is a big but. I still love all the Christmas music, Christmas trees and all things - except for the shopping - Christmas. Even the windows 'snowed' with wintertime scenes. I am not willing to give those things up as they connect me to a part of my past that is filled with joy, family times and really good books (The Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew come to mind). Fireplaces and Santa Claus. It is all labeled Christmas but the meaning of Christmas is different for everyone. In our house, I recall my dad going to pick up Grandma and Grandpa for breakfast - before church? - and the delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs and sausage (I think) and..............

Now for my personal problem. I am and have lived on my own for many years. Christmas has been a lonely time, a time of remembering what I didn't have and many times a time of working shifts over Christmas. Actually that last has sometimes benefited me as I was with colleagues and patients all in the same boat, celebrating together in our own ways. But I digress. Tired with feeling left out and alone, my home is true to what I enjoy - and without guilt. Maybe with just a bit of passive aggressive attitude.

I put up decorations - smaller but still festive. I play Christmas music - to be more culturally correct 'seasonal' - and love it. I attend Christmas events. And there is one more thing that I was never able to do as a child that I always wanted to - I build a gingerbread house. Granted it's from a kit, but it's fun. 

I'll keep the part of this tradition that I enjoy. If I can will share in the celebrations of other religions, recognizing that the childhood memories for each of still lives.

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire."

~ Gustav Mahler

Movie Review: A United Kingdom directed by Amma Asante

I wanted to get to a movie this weekend. There was not that much on that interested me downtown but decided to see A United Kingdom with a friend - a very good choice. Based on fascinating true events, A United Kingdom showed a part of history that I was completely unfamiliar with. Seretse Khama, a black man in London in 1947 and Ruth Williams, a London office worker and very white meet and fall in love. And then the political dynamics interfere. Seretse Khama is the traditional king of the tiny country of Bechuanaland, a British Protectorate, now Botswana. His uncle, Vusi Kunene has been Regent, since Seretse was age four. He is against the marriage for familial, cultural and traditional reasons. Ruth’s family, especially her father, had pushed her away also citing family tradition. More than once the phrase ‘Have you no shame’ was thrown at each of them. The British government, is also against this marriage for politically expedient reasons. South Africa was bringing in apartheid. Bechuanaland is caught between these two powerful political entities. Seretse, played by David Oyelowo and Ruth, played by Rosamund Pike stood together against all those that would separate them. It was also, however, the love of the country Bechuanaland and the belief that giving in to these political pressures would be the ultimate downfall of this tiny country that pushed Seretse to stand firm. Ruth, played by Rosamund Pike, stood beside and behind Seretse facing racism, both families rejection, and an almost two year separation from her beloved Seretse. In this time, Seretse was banished to London while Ruth, awaiting the birth of their first child, remained in Bechuanaland. Their greatest satisfaction was when they were reunited and the political dynamics were played out in their favour. This movie I would definitely see again.

“No man is free who is not master of himself.”

~ Seretse Khama, A United Kingdom

Director:  Amma Asante

Partial Cast:

David Oyelowo     Seretse Khama

Rosamund Pike     Ruth Williams

Jack Davenport      Sir Alistair Canning

Jessica Oyelowo.   Lady Lilly Canning

Terry Pheto            Naledi Khama

Vusi Kunene          Tshekedi Khama 

Abena Ayivor.        Ella Khama

Based on the book:  Colour Bar - A United Kingdom by Susan Williams

A Viennese New Year's at the Royal Theatre

New Year’s Day dawned bright with a dusting of snow. By afternoon, the snow drained into the grass. The wind picked up as if in preparation for the marvelous Strauss waltzes. Concerts of Viennese waltzes are a New Year tradition in Vienna and now shared in Victoria.

 

Conductor, Giuseppe Pietrarioia charmed us, prior to each selection, with the context and history of each piece of music. The tenor Benjamin Butterfield, and soprano Sharleen Joynt entertained us with amazing talent and vocal range. Victoria Ballet graced the stage for three selections. Their final dance was to The Blue Danube at the end of the performance. All the amazing musicians of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra were centre stage in this beautiful musical afternoon. 

Musical artistry and principles of entertainment opened the 2017 New Year’s package with music, dance and song.

“The object of a new year is not that we should 

have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.:

~ G.K.Chesterton

Traditional Relays

Time honoured family traditions

are to be respected

Ties held from childhood

Threaded through each day and age

A relay altered in substance 

only by progress and technology

Families blending cultures and communities

Family traditions are to be respected.

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.”

~ W.Somerset Maugham

The Roots of Security

On the uncertain slopes of our lives ~
in the mists of morals and ethics
on the edges of job or family
in the midst of community or education
hidden by tangled tradition and habit
experience secures personal place 
by untangling traditions, reshaping habits ~
Creating safety as our roots grow ever more deeply.

“Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.”

~ James Thurber

Are You Ready for Christmas?

“Are you ready for Christmas yet?” If I heard that question once, I have heard it a thousand times in the last two weeks. We all hear it every year and it always conjures up images of shopping in noisy, busy malls filled with reels and reels of Christmas music and racks and shelves of abundance. Other images are of presents to be wrapped and cards to be addressed or e-sent, cluttered living rooms, Christmas trees and grocery shopping filling up the to-do lists. Those days are long gone. Lacking the patter of little feet - whether grandchildren or grand-dogs - shopping has dwindled and cards are practically non-existent. Checking the mail for Christmas cards is not longer a daily event. Admittedly, I have seldom written the traditional, for some, Christmas letter. My traditions, if one can call them that, are limited.

I have been an employee of some health care system for most of my adult life and many Christmas Eve and Day was spent at my place of employment. I am not alone in that part of life. Many employees, not just health care workers, but police, firemen and paramedics are only a few folks away from their families and at their places of employment. Finding spaces to have a bit of the flavour of Christmas, without feeling burned out from working, and shopping, and wrapping and…….well, you get the picture.

So, am I ready for Christmas? Yes, I do believe I am. Sunday I spent the day cooking my turkey, gravy and an array of vegetables. (I didn’t make dessert as desserts and chocolates are in abundance at work). Staff will be having a pot-luck supper at work on Christmas Eve. My contribution? An apple crisp with cranberries, caramels and chocolate chips. On Christmas Day, after work I am taking roasted potatoes and carrots with rosemary out to supper at a friend’s house. And the usual consequence of Christmas dinner? Leftovers for so many dishes that I love, including my little ‘frozen dinners’.

There are so many folks out there unable, for a host of reasons, to have an enjoyable Christmas or to be close to even one family member. Getting ready for Christmas is the farthest thing from their minds, but a tattered fragment of Christmas spirit may have a tiny corner of their hearts. Those of us that are scheduled to work at Christmas can maybe create a bit of Christmas inside the environment of our work places. And if there is great sadness or tragedy, some support and kindness where there may be none available.

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, 

like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.”

~ Garrison Keillow

My Family Christmas

A ferry ride from island to mainland on a rainy Christmas morning

Traditional (sort of) Christmas dinner preparations with my sons: Jason ~ chef; two sous chefs ~ Jeff, Mom.

Unconventional gingerbread architecture by guest architect and guest finishing artists ~ two or three houses in one.

Dinner complemented by a grand assortment of guests, their very delicious contributions and a gentled menagerie of dogs.  

And a precious Christmas puppy - Eva

“As long as we know in our hearts what 

Christmas ought to be, Christmas is.”

~ Eric Sevareid

Traditions......

....grow with us 

through the ages

morphing and evolving within

culture

society

community

family shifts and changes.

Traditions express

personalities

beliefs and

spirituality through

beautiful and significant attire

political stance

religious practice

philosophical ideal

financial barter and trade

language, art forms and music.

Traditions create 

defined comfort zones for

rites of passage through life

governance of cultures within

families

communities and

nations.

Too rigid and we are in danger of

insulating ourselves and our communities from others

becoming arrogant and self righteous.

Too lax and we

become vulnerable.

Gentle, beautiful, but firm boundaries created by 

tradition can become welcoming

opening hearts and minds

weaving a broad tapestry

throughout humanity.

"Tradition is a guide and not a jailer."

~ William Somerset Maugham