Many things have been written about this time of year across the ages.
Every year, many of the same standards of the season are trotted out, both in song and in writing.
“Rosy-cheeked children,” “snow-covered rooftops,” an old guy with “a nose like a cherry.”
Recognize those images? I’m sure you do. Of course, one of the reasons they are easily recognizable is because they do go with the season so well.
You went out in Prince George earlier this month, and it wasn’t hard to find rosy-cheeked children (well, at least the parts of the cheeks you could see). Snow-covered rooftops? No problem finding those in Prince George. The old guy with a nose like a cherry? OK, that one may be a little harder to find, but if you camp out by your Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, I’ve heard there’s a better chance.
Carolling is something my family used to do on Christmas Eve. Well, I call it ‘carolling’. It was usually four or five people somehow managing to sing in more different keys than there were people. It was fun, though.
Having family around is one of the most important things for me at Christmas. I’ve been remarkably lucky, since no matter where I was working, I always was able to get back to Prince George for Christmas.
Riding the bus from Kamloops one Christmas Eve, getting in about 6 a.m. Christmas morning, opening the presents and having Christmas dinner, then hopping back on the bus Boxing Day to go back to Kamloops. That’s the closest I came to missing being with family.
I remember one other Christmas when my sister and I were both working in northwestern Alberta. We drove home for Christmas in my car through fairly miserable conditions, passing a number of vehicles in the ditch, but we made it with no trouble.
Some time on Boxing Day, Dad asked how my car was running. I said I wasn’t having any problems with it. He came out to take a look at it and verify my statements.
Took a few minutes looking it over, then bent down to take a closer look at the tires. He straightened up, looked at me, and said, “You realize you have summer tires on?”
My sister was less than happy to be informed of this, but hey, we made it.
As we head into the holiday season for 2021, I realize I’m almost finished my column without wishing my readers the best of the season.
So I’ll just say, read my column again and see how I started each paragraph.
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