A Week of Memories

 

In no particular order thanks to Blogger this morning, a few memories of Christmas week. Enjoying Cardamom Buns and coffee/tea while we open gifts in the morning has become a recent tradition. Not too sweet and fragrant with cardamom, the platter disappears in a hurry. 

Early on Christmas Eve morning Tim and I drove to the beach to catch the sunrise. We were not expecting much due to the cloud cover, but WOW, what an amazing gift to see Mount Baker and other peaks across the Strait of Georgia glowing in the light. Intense colour and form. 

Twinkly scenes at home with angels proclaiming the good news of Christ's birth. Soft lights gleaming on the mantel. A host of Christmas memories seen in the various ornaments on the tree. 

Evenings with hot chocolate for two. A Christmas feast of various appetizers and goodies contributed by all of us meant that no one had to do a lot of work. Gales of laughter. Shining eyes of littles and bigs as they opened their gifts.

Dinners with friends. Glow of candlelight sparkling off crystal. Walks on beaches and hills. Memories of Christmas to tuck away. I've been pondering some of the moments in these quiet days between the years, and I hope you are enjoying yours. 

Off today on a ferry for another celebration with my parents and siblings. 

The Eve of the Eve of Christmas Eve

 

Friday evening. No snow at all this year, rather, it's been unseasonably warm. Some rain, and I'm glad for the fires that keep us comfortable indoors. 

My teaching gig ended today around noon, and I handed over my keys, skipped out of school, and headed out to finish the last little bit of shopping. All done now, other than a quick grocery run early tomorrow morning. 

I spent a few hours this afternoon wrapping gifts. They are stacked on the dining room table and tomorrow I'll pretty them up with tags and embellishments. That's the fun part. 

There comes a point each year when the lists are set aside and what's still undone is left undone. I sent off Christmas cards to a certain point in my address book, but ran out of cards, purchased more, but never got back to writing them. I'll send notes in the new year. It's time to enjoy. Preparations are mostly finished - there will be a final tidying up of the house and some last minute cooking. Then, Christmas Eve, full of quietness before the joyous hullabaloo of gathering on Christmas Day. 

And so, I wish you all a most merry and festive Christmas. 

It Comes and Goes

 

I love this season of the year. Advent, with all its heart-focused preparations for Christmas, is deeply meaningful. Then there are the physical plans - considering gifts to make or buy for loved ones, filling the freezer with cookies and other treats, and decorating the house with lights and festive greenery. All this can add up to overly busy days.

On top of all the preparations, I want to feel Christmassy. I want to be excited about the season, to revel in the glow of lights, to find myself smiling throughout the day. I've learned, however, that feelings come and go, and to be okay with that. Christmas doesn't mean that frustrations, difficulties, and sorrows disappear. Indeed, sometimes hard things are magnified by the expectations of the season. Walking under the stars (or in falling snow), sitting quietly by the fire, hearing Christmas music in the stores, or just being content puttering away in my home are moments when that elusive "Christmas spirit" fills me with a measure of happiness. I am learning to be content with those moments, knowing that they will pass, but also that they will come again. 

This week I made Almond Crescents, a recipe from my mom. Not too sweet, but nutty and buttery - a lovely treat. Last night I packaged up cookies and treats and put them into small tins to share with friends. What fun that was!

We decorated the Christmas tree this week, always a real one. It's on the small side so I chose the most meaningful ornaments to hang on it - "Remember this one," he or I would say?

I'm mindful of the BeeGee's song lyrics 

"When I was small, and Christmas trees were tall..." 

"Now we are tall, and Christmas trees are small..."

And so the years are counted in stories told and memories cherished. And the happiness comes and goes. And that's just fine.

Christmas Inside and Outside

 

A recent walk took us to Tod Inlet where fog crept wraith-like along the shore, swirling up into the forest and down again. Sparse light filtered through the clouds, just enough to make silvery reflections on the old moss-covered pilings in the inlet. 

Nature's decorations - red berries touched with crystal-like water droplets. 

The new fireplace surround and mantel

Inside, a little bit of decorating is happening. We are having some work done on the house this next week and I don't want to put up a tree and other decorations only to have them coated with dust or have to remove them. By Wednesday we will be able to put the house back together. 

The old fireplace surround and mantel, last year at Christmas

Tim finished the fireplace update, diminishing the profile a little and putting in a more neutral porcelain tile in place of the black marble. Just now, as I sit in my chair, a fire glows and the lights shine in the gathering darkness. Red velvet cushions on the sofa add colour and coziness. 

It's a busy time of year - students are becoming restless, eager for the Christmas break - and teachers are not immune, either. School goes late this year, right to the 22nd. 

Here at home the baking has begun, with rugelach, shortbread, rum balls, and marshmallow roll in the freezer. Every day I read a little - this week I finished SJ Bennett's All the Queen's Men, a cozy mystery that takes place at the royal estate in Sandringham at Christmas. A great way to relax in the evening. 

And with you? How are things? 

Between the Years

 

Outside my window all is grey and dull. A few chickadees flit about. Inside, I have a cup of tea (English Breakfast) to hand, and the tree lights twinkle. It's very quiet. 

I took few photos this Christmas, but wanted to document a few aspects of the quieter, different celebration. Our dessert on Christmas Eve is often a Buche de Noel - a chocolate version. This year I tried a white one, with vanilla cake, a thin layer of lemon curd and then tart raspberry filling all rolled up and covered with a white chocolate mousse. Candied orange slices and pomegranate arils added a festive touch. It was delicious, not-too-sweet, and refreshing.  

I confess that my bravery and determination to celebrate well with just the two of us failed me on Christmas morning after we had opened our lovely gifts. The hours ahead seemed dreadfully empty. So we went on a long walk - several hours in the fresh air, including a stop by our son's house for a short sidewalk visit. That cheered me up and by the time we returned home we were very hungry! The table for two is a good sum up of this Christmas. 

On Boxing Day we had a number of video calls with family and friends. Here is our family photo for the year. Such dearly loved faces. 

We're all agreed that we can meet for walks outside one family at a time. On Sunday I walked alongside Witty's Lagoon with our eldest daughter and her family. It was another grey day, with a teensy bit of drizzle. 

Tim was planning to join us, however, work interfered. I wish these Covid naysayers and rule-breakers knew of the efforts health care workers (including administrators and managers) put in to ensure the system works well under the weight of this virus. Of his 10 days of scheduled vacation, only two were free of conference calls, emails, and texts. 

On a dull day the forest is somber and dark, but everywhere is the sound of water. Sometimes it trickles in hidden rivulets, then it rushes over rocks and along the shore it laps quietly against the sand. 

Here we are on the cusp of another year. 

cusp: the dividing line between two very different things

During these in between days life is slow. We ate Christmas Day leftovers for a few meals and yesterday I made lasagna for the two of us with a shredded cabbage, carrot, and beet slaw, and some pan-roasted broccoli. Hearty and simple and very satisfying. 

Today I'm tidying a little, and I've sorted some fabrics for a red and white Christmas quilt. Every year, round about December, I wish I had a Christmas quilt, but it's too late by then. So I've decided that will be a project for now. 

Wishing you all quiet days of joy and love. How do you spend these days between the years?

Two More Sleeps

 

For a child, the few days before Christmas are fraught with excitement and anticipation. My brother and sister and I counted down the "sleeps" until the big day, and my own children did the same. As an adult, I count down via my list. Is everything done that needs doing? Now, just two sleeps before Christmas, everything is well in hand. 

The cookies are baked and plates of them delivered to driveways across town, with short, chilly visits at a good distance. Gifts are wrapped and delivered. Since we can't be together for Christmas this year, my daughter-in-law had the great idea that we could all exchange a food item that is "Christmassy." Hot crab dip, a savoury cheesecake, gluhwein and cardamom buns - doesn't it all sound delicious? For my part, I made Tim's mother's fruit salad, some chex mix, candied pecans, and plates of cookies. A mother can do a bit more, can't she?

Since it's just the two of us, we won't be using the dining room table for our meals, but sit by the window at our breakfast table. We'll watch the birds eating at the same time. I bought a piece of fabric and hemmed it to make a new tablecloth to gussy things up a little. 

The linen napkins are ironed smooth, softly folded, and stacked ready for use. As I ironed this little pile, I reflected on years when the pile was much higher. It will be again, God willing. 

A pearl bead garland encircles the dining room light fixture and from a certain angle, frames the wooden nativity set. On Christmas Eve we'll watch our church service on line. These past few days the sweet old Christmas carols have rung throughout the house as I cooked and wrapped. 

Tomorrow I'll do a quick tidy up of the house, and finish a few things in the kitchen, including a Buche de Noel. I normally make a chocolate one, but this year I'm doing one with vanilla cake, lemon curd and raspberries. Plus lots of whipped cream. 

On Christmas Day we will open stockings, then have breakfast and read the Nativity story from Luke, and open other gifts. Perhaps a long walk will follow, then dinner à deux, perhaps a movie and reading. There will be texts and phone calls and a lovely sense of contentment and joy. Different, but still celebratory. 

I wish all of my readers a wonderful celebration of Christ's birth and much joy. Merry Christmas!

It's Almost Christmas!

 

Sunday afternoon and dusk is falling. The tree lights cast a soft glow in the quickly darkening room. Soon it will be time to draw the curtains and turn on more lights. Then I'll think about a light supper. 

My husband is ostensibly on vacation until after Christmas. However, he's been on the phone dealing with some health facility staffing issues related to the pandemic, and the weekend has not been very restful. Hopefully the next few days will be easier. 

I love setting a tea tray and carrying it into the living room for my husband and I to enjoy in the afternoon or evening. I usually just serve the teacup and saucer, but a tray makes everything just a wee bit more special. 

I'm so enjoying all the lights and decorations around the house just now. The little scene above was created for our grandchildren a few years ago. Most of them won't be able to play with it this year, but over the weekend young Iris came over to give her parents a break. I had so much fun introducing her to the three little mice and one hedgehog and their houses and toys. I must look for one more woodland creature to represent Cora in this scene. I've not spent a lot of time in stores just looking at things. 

The birds visiting our garden are so plentiful just now. I watch them alight and lift off as I work in the kitchen. Over the days of Christmas I do want to eat well, but I don't want to spend much time preparing. It's different when there's a crew of us pulling a big dinner together and there's lots of visiting while working. So I've made the turkey dressing and a braised cabbage dish and have them ready in the freezer. This afternoon I made 7 half-pints of cranberry sauce. The sweet potato dish can be done ahead, leaving not much to prepare for our dinner for two. 

On Christmas Eve we traditionally have a dish from Ecuador - ceviche - a sort of shrimp cocktail. I've prepared the sauce for it, and will share some with our son, who also enjoys it. Our eldest daughter is making some on the other side of town and will share it with her sister there. The children-in-law are not as fond of the dish as we are. 

Our weather continues wet and mild, although there is a drying trend towards mid-week. Not really any chance of snow, which I always long for. Instead, we have roses forming buds. 

The baking is done, most of the presents are wrapped, and I'm enjoying the last bits and pieces of Christmas preparations. There will be a house-cleaning this week, some more babysitting, and some arranging of gifts and food. All lovely, puttery delights that I so enjoy. I've crossed some items off my list as unimportant at this stage. Such a freeing gesture!

I wish you gentle moments of joy these days before Christmas. If you're feeling frazzled, make a tray of tea and a treat, and cross something off your list, too!

Linking with No Place Like Home hosted by Sandi. 

PS

One commenter from my last post asked for the scone recipe. Here it is, an easy-to-make recipe from Jean Pare, who published an extensive series of books in the 1980s. This recipe is from Muffins and More.

Rich Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour (450 ml)

½ cup white sugar (125 ml)

1 Tablespoon baking powder (15 ml)

½ teaspoon salt (2 ml)

½ cup butter, cool (125 ml)

1 egg

2/3 cup milk (150 ml)

 

Additional milk or cream for brushing tops

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

 

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. 

Beat egg with fork in small bowl; add milk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to make a soft dough. Do not overmix. Pat into two 6-inch (15cm) rounds. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. 

Brush tops with milk. Sprinkle with sugar. Score each circle into 6 pie-shaped wedges. Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 15 minutes until golden brown. Split and butter, or serve with strawberry jam or preserves, and whipped cream. 

December Days

 

The days slip by one by one. Now, just eight days before Christmas, they slip faster and faster. Are you looking forward to celebrating this year? Will you be celebrating differently? 

This past weekend we went for a walk to Tod Inlet where steep forests line the shore. Each year someone hangs a few baubles on a tree - this year shiny red balls catch the rain and sparkle in the sun. I wonder who does this, and why? Does this place have a special meaning?

How green it is. When the water is still I admire the reflection of old concrete pilings covered with moss and now purposed as perches for birdhouses. It's a peaceful place.

Most Christmas activities are cancelled, but we discovered that downtown carriage rides are still going on. On Sunday evening we bundled up and rolled through the James Bay area behind Tucker, our horse. Our guide, Brianna, gave us tidbits of information about some of the heritage houses and buildings we passed. 

The Legislature building is beautifully lighted year-round, and more-so at Christmas. On top of the dome is a two-metre, gold-plated statue of Captain Vancouver, one of the earliest European explorers of this area, for whom the Island is named. 

Our ride left us a bit chilled and we were glad to come home, make hot chocolate and warm up by the fire. 

This is one of my favourite Christmas books - a tale of a small mouse who becomes (against the advice of his family), a church mouse, because he loved the music of the organ. When famine strikes the little mouse nibbles away on the leather bellows of the organ, with disastrous effect. No organ music for Christmas; instead, two men compose a song accompanied by guitar and Silent Night is the result. 

Miss A celebrated her 10th birthday this week. No parties, but her parents made it special. I dropped off an afternoon tea basket on Sunday and heard that it was most enjoyable. 

Rainy dark days are interspersed with some sunny moments and I captured the bright rays in the entrance hallway one day. The paperwhites are just beginning to bloom with a sweet fragrance. As the spaces on the Advent calendar fill, there is much baking, stitching, and preparation going on. 

We will be celebrating Christmas with just the two of us, but we're arranging present drop-offs, food exchanges, and video calls. How are you celebrating this special season? 

Making Christmas - No Place Like Home

 

Late Sunday afternoon Tim and I walked down Oak Bay Avenue, a part of town that has old-world charm and lots of Christmas lights. This is a wordy post, so maybe get a cup of tea and a cookie to nibble on as you read.

As a child, Christmas always involved lots and lots of family - aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins galore. It was merry bedlam. There was a huge dinner, carol singing, presents, and bags of nuts and candies containing a single mandarin orange from Japan handed out by my grandparents (on both sides). 

When I was 13 we moved further away and trips to visit extended family were much fewer and far between. However, one or two of my mother's sisters and their families also lived in the northern interior of BC and we celebrated Christmas with them. After dinner, the adults visited and we cousins played. For a number of years we organized (I was probably very bossy) a little nativity play and performed it for our parents. Christmas was more than a one-day affair. We alternated Christmas Eve at one home and Christmas Day at another. Delicious food, lots of laughter, and a lovely sense of satisfaction to end the day. 

With minor adjustments, these traditions carried on after I married. Tim and I alternated Christmas Day and Christmas Eve with his family and mine. 

In 1981 we moved to a small jungle town in Ecuador. The climate and culture were all very strange to us, and to me particularly. Nothing felt familiar. It was Christmas pared down to bare bones. On Christmas Eve Tim and I sat in front of our ugly little tree and we both cried. We cuddled our 8-week old daughter and wept with loneliness. And I vowed then that the next year would be different. 

I learned that I couldn't rely on the culture around me to evoke the meaning I wanted from Christmas. As a child and young bride, I relied on my parents and extended family to prepare and lead our Christmas celebrations, and they in turn were guided by society and by our faith traditions. 

The next year was different. I took the time to prepare my heart and my home. Our home was the centre of our celebration of Christ's birth. Advent calendars, reading the Christmas story from the Bible or from children's story books, lots of music, baking, and a big dinner to which we always invited lots of people became our family traditions. 

And Christmas was good. It was beautiful and fun. But always, there was, in my heart, a turning towards home, towards my parents and siblings gathered so far away. As I dressed for the day, thoughts of home filled my mind and a few tears fell. I learned to acknowledge the grief even as it eased over the years. And then, hair combed, make-up applied, I tucked away the sadness, and went out to celebrate Christmas with my beautiful children and husband and had a perfectly wonderful day. 

This year is going to be unlike any other Christmas. Our Provincial Health Officer has said that we are restricted to our own households and we are not to gather in an effort to flatten the curve of coronavirus. It is hard to imagine. The news doesn't surprise me, for cases have been much higher recently. Once again, I will acknowledge the sadness and grieve a little over not being able to be with our parents, children and grandchildren. Tim and I are talking about how we will make the day special for just the two of us. It will be a good day. There will likely be gift deliveries and Zoom calls. And through it all, we will remember the reason for our celebration - the birth of the Christ Child. 

We'll be at home a lot. On Saturday we decorated with lots of twinkle lights on the mantels and piano, and around the kitchen windows. The tree lights reflect in the window and across the room onto the glass of a large picture. Home is a good place to be. 

Linking to Sandi's No Place Like Home. 

Christmas Reading List and Some News

 

Shall we hear the news first? We welcomed a new little granddaughter into our family on Saturday. More details will follow, but everyone is well. We had Big Sister Iris (almost 18-months) stay with us for three days and had so much fun with her. However, having children is definitely for the younger set. 

Christmas decorating was set aside while I sang songs, played games, and cuddled with a sweet little one. I'll get back into it later this week.  

A few weeks ago I wrote about books and stories I like to read at Christmas time, and asked for your suggestions. I've compiled a list for your reading delight. I've not read everything on the list, but on your recommendation I found a copy of Christmas at Fairacre (includes No Holly for Miss Quinn, The Christmas Mouse, and another story), and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Christmas at Fairacre - Miss Read

No Holly for Miss Quinn - Miss Read

Miss Read's Christmas - Miss Read

Shepherds Abiding - Jan Karon

Winter Solstice - Rosamunde Pilcher

Debbie MacComber - Angels books about Shirley, Goodness, Mercy

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

A Redbird Christmas - Fannie Flagg

Snowflake - Paul Gallico

Miracle in the Wilderness - Paul Gallico

The Night Before Christmas - Jan Brett

Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old - Plough Publishing House

Papa Panov's Special Day - based on a Tolstoy story

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Barbara Robinson

The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas - Madeleine L'Engle

I Saw Three Ships - Elizabeth Goudge

God is in the Manger - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

An Irish Country Christmas - Patrick Read

A Christmas Memory - Truman Capote

A Star for Christmas - Trisha Romance

I Spy Christmas, A Book of Picture Riddles - Scholastic

A Pussycat's Christmas - Margaret Wise Brown and Anne Mortimer

Christmas with Anne and other Holiday Stories - L. M. Montgomery

Christmas in My Heart: A Timeless Treasury of Heartwarming Stories - Compiled by Joe Wheeler

Christmas Classics from the Modern Library - 1997 Random House

Christmas Not Just Once a Year - Heinrich Böll

Letters from Father Christmas - J. R. R. Tolkien

Hercule Poirot's Christmas - Agatha Christie

The Mistletoe Murder and other Stories - P. D. James

Skipping Christmas - John Grisham

The Christmas Chronicles - Nigel Slater

Linking to No Place Like Home, hosted by Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage. 

Beautiful Days

The house is quiet just now. My parents left for the ferry this morning after breakfast. Our youngest and her little family are visiting with our eldest across town. Our son is up island with the in-laws. 

There's a jigsaw puzzle not nearly completed on the dining room table. Turkey bones simmer on the stove and the whole house is filled with delicious smells. Tree lights twinkle. Outside, a great swath of dark birds, too far away to identify, wheel and turn against a grey sky. I nibble on a piece of candied orange peel and a few pistachio nuts. 

Tim and I took a long walk late morning, then came home for a bowl of turkey soup. I decided to transfer my photos to my computer and see what I took. 

Above, Auntie Katie holds Iris while the cousins surround her with lots of talking. Iris took it all in stride and responded with smiles and giggles. 

Food is a big part of our Christmas celebration, and there was lots of it. Christmas dessert was inspired by my cousin, who posted a very similar looking plateful a few days before Christmas. Stacks of stars cut from angel food cake sit in a puddle of creme anglaise, with raspberry compote, a cardamom-infused orange slice, and a scoop of whipped cream. It was light and delicious. 

I'm very glad to live in Canada and get Boxing Day as a holiday as well. It carries the festivities onward. I always feel that the entire week between Christmas and New Year's is a time of celebration, of a time when family and friends get together, of cozy evenings of laughter, or quiet pursuits, and plenty of cookies and warming drinks.

Last night we watched Little Women (the Susan Sarandon version) at home here. I cried, as I always do, when Beth dies. Afterwards, Tim made us hot chocolate. 

This morning before my parents left, we took a few photos. There they are with their newest great-granddaughter. Iris is truly the star of the show this year. 

Then I remembered that I wanted a four-generation photo of the women in the family, and although some of us felt a bit scruffy, we took this one. How special it is. 

And here's Grandpa Tim with Iris. She's such a pleasant baby and we're all so happy for her parents (and for ourselves). 

There's more feasting and celebrating to come. I relish it all. The quiet days of January are near, but for now I revel in a full house, and the closeness of family. And I revel in the continuing message of Christmas - God is with us. 

Friday Five Before Christmas

This is me right now. School ended around noon, with the staff serving waffles to the students. Two weeks of being mostly at home lie ahead. Hooray for home! l have a long list of small tasks to accomplish over the next few days, but I'm taking an hour or two this afternoon to sit, think, and write this post. 

What a grey, grey day. On my way home from my shopping trip I stopped by the beach for a quick look and a photo. There is much log debris in the water, likely from the wild wind we've experienced recently. Rain is falling as I write and it's cozy to be inside with the twinkling tree lights and the fire.

Several years ago I stitched four cream silk hearts and beaded them with tiny gold beads. When I bring them out each year I remember the four little babies lost by one of my daughters. Time eases the pain, and it's good to remember, even when tears prick my eyes. 

This year, the pain is eased even more (not just for me, but for the whole family) by the arrival of another baby, to another daughter, last June. I talk with Iris on Skype frequently and she talks and laughs with me. I can hardly wait to cuddle her in person. 

Three years ago I posted about a cluster of three houses inhabited by three mice. This year a young hedgehog has joined the group since I couldn't find another mouse. The names of these woodland creatures are the middle names of our grandchildren who enjoy playing with the scene when they visit. 

The baking is almost done. I love being able to pull cookies and treats from the freezer. Yesterday I made Chocolate Cherry Biscotti, and I just have to dip them into chocolate. A few gifts to finish, some wrapping to do, and soon it will be Christmas! 

If I don't post before the 25th, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading my rambling thoughts throughout the year. I appreciate the friendships made through blogging very much.