2015 COUNTDOWN TO A CANADIAN CHRISTMAS WEEK SEVEN

With the presents all wrapped, it was time to deliver them. So all the presents to the girls and families so the  grandchildren can have lots under the trees. Empty spaces in parts of the house again. One grandchild had a holiday concert- can't call it a Christmas concert anymore but at least a couple of songs mentioned Christmas. Let my daughter and husband go to their company Christmas dinner! Adolph will be buying the turkey. Potatoes, gravy mix, squashes are bought for next week's dinner. The Pot luck lunch at work was good with a variety of food and desserts. Colleague presents exchanged with each other. My favourite parts of Christmas- driving down streets and seeing the light displays. Going to some high end neighbourhoods with their elaborate displays is fun. I would not want to see the hydro bill. Everyone takes a string of lights or two and makes an unique display! Just the joy of  Christmas lights everywhere! Love it. My most favourite activity with the exception of course of  having loving family is sitting quietly in my family room by my Christmas tree- knitting, watching TV, reading a book or just sitting quietly! It is peaceful and a reminder of my childhood sitting by the Christmas tree with the lights on. Some new traditions that people do- the Elf on the Shelf. Last night at one daughter and son-in-law's house- the elf named Snowball was playing cards. Such a fun and cute idea! Maybe I'll get an elf for next year too! Cards arriving in the mail- fun to hear from everyone and know people are doing well. At work, everywhere one goes in the building, there is food. Staff bringing goodies for each other. Patients and families giving thank you cookies and chocolates. There is a buzz. Seeing people bringing parcels and presents to each other! Trying to make this a special Christmas as plans could include it being the last year in this house! Maybe went a little overboard but whatever when real retirement hits then time to ease up!  Meanwhile my philosophy is to make it the best Christmas I can to create good memories. The joy is just having each other to celebrate together. One week to the big day! Are you ready? Do you have a little Christmas hangover with all the work and preparations involved or are you just flowing with the mood and enjoying? I find myself singing Christmas carols out loud. Just love the music!  Perhaps it is why I sit quietly in my family room because it is a very tiring season!!

So HO HO HO Santa will be coming to town!

CANADIAN CHRISTMAS IMAGES

Poinsettsa!

Presents!

Table full of Christmas treats!

Wreath on a door!

The Santa Claus Parade!

Keeping Christ in Christmas!

DO YOU HAVE THE CHRISTMAS BLUES?

Amidst all the hoopla of Christmas there can be some hidden feelings. The surface happiness can hide some underlying depression, anxiety or grief. Christmas as the special time it is, can be a reminder of missing the old times, the loved ones no longer with us or perhaps the first time away from home in a different place. Not every family lives around the corner from each other. Often siblings, children, cousins can be spread across the country or even the world. Wanting everyone to be together is just not feasible! If it is the first Christmas after a loved one's death it can bring the blues faster. Recognizing how one is feeling and knowing it is not unusual to have some down times or a low mood let's all the emotions of the season prevail. Pulling out favourite pictures, watching the home movies or videos, putting a Christmas decoration on the tree as a reminder or whatever let's all the feelings be normalized helps with the days of feeling down. If there are family conflicts Christmas can be a time they rise to the occasion. Spending too much time together can exacerbate them. So limiting the time can help. Often everyone comes together to satisfy one family member but it may not be the happy time wanted. There can be a Donny Downer in every family! Stay away from him! The competitive one is another annoyance. My gift cost more than yours! Or the- I was so busy with my life, I did not have time to get anything for anyone! The Blues can be caused by those negative people that exist in families! So what to do! Gravitate to those people that mean more. Maybe say no to a function or two if they have become out of hand! Create your own Christmas season. Do the things that have meaning to you and yours. For your children, make new traditions that will be their memories. With your grandchildren, find some fun stuff to do- less is more so make them simple. Sometimes just a walk in the snow or making the best snowman works for the Canadian child! The time together! Sometimes the blues can be conquered by telling people in your lives how much you love them and just being together is the best Christmas. If you are missing someone, have a good cry! If we can't cry with our grief when can we? Christmas colours are red, green and white but sometimes blue creeps in!
#christmasblues#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara#normalizeyourfeelings#rememberingyourlovedones#seasonalblues

TEN DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Or is it. Some countries and traditions celebrate on other days then the 25th of December. The 6th of December is important to some. Christmas Eve is important to Germans who open their presents on the Eve. Epiphany is January 6th celebrated by some Orthodox Christians and La Befana for Italians. So the next few weeks will be the start of various celebrations for the worldwide Christian community. Taking the time to celebrate and enjoy the festive events as the home stretch is in sight!

CHRISTMAS-A TIME FOR GIVING IN CANADA

Along with all the presents exchanged between family and friends, Christmas gives us an opportunity to reach out to others. So many causes so pick the ones that have meaning to you. The Food Bank in your community always needs items year round but add some Christmas treats like Candy Canes. The Toy drives so any child that needs an item at Christmas gets something. Remembering the child does not need to be Christian to receive a gift or two. It is the spirit of the Christian community to include all people. The local agencies that serve dinners to the homeless or those that simply can not afford a meal can use an extra donation. Toronto had its last turkey and fruit cake giveaway yesterday that was started by Ed Mirvish decades ago from his Honest Ed store. The property is sold. Perhaps someone else will pick up the tradition in the city. Then there are the national events that may need a donation or two. Internationally to help those in other lands with an education, health or agricultural donation to give a hand up and not just a hand out! Inviting someone new to the Christmas dinner table can be a simple way to include others. So pick your cause as it is impossible to give to all charities. Christmas helps us pause and think of others who may need. If you are someone who is needing some extra help, it is on the way. Canadians are a generous people and try to reach out to others.

2015 COUNTDOWN TO A CANADIAN CHRISTMAS WEEK SIX

The excitement is in the air. The traffic during the day and weekends has picked up as last minute shoppers are out in droves. My wrapping is finished. So scheduling the parcel drops at each home will happen soon. Taking the gifts for work colleagues can happen Monday as one friend who is retired will surprise us with a visit. Wednesday is our program Pot Luck so already have the non perishable stuff under my desk, i.e. box of crackers, box of cookies, plates, plastic cutlery. Although someone else is supposed to bring the plates and cutlery, I always bring extra. When I first started on the Surgery Program the first Pot Luck had no plates!! For those of you that may not understand what a Pot Luck is- well everyone that is coming brings a dish of food. It could be a salad, a meat dish, a veggie dish, dessert etc. The Luck part is- one hopes that the dishes will be different and not a table full of salads or just cookies! So the Pot Luck! Actually any Pot Luck usually has more food than is possible to eat at any one go!
Back to the wrapping,I needed to round off the gifts for one grandchild. As I was finishing wrapping, I realized I had 3 boxes for 1 and only 2 for the other. As we know children do not care if the cost is the same, just how many items are wrapped. So a quick walk to the local Mall to buy a shirt and pants, voila another box under the tree for him. Walking was a good thing. The traffic was bumper to bumper going into the Mall. The amount of beeping that drivers were doing to each other points out the frenzy that starts to happen this time of year. The second Saturday before Christmas.

With the wrapping finished for me, the bedroom now looks like a bedroom again. Threw or just moved all the stuff to the craft room to be slowly organized and put away. Why I say slowly is because my husband will need some wrap or gift bag and a tag or 2 for a present for me. Although we usually just buy a joint gift for each other- this year a new camcorder-, we still put a small gift under the tree.
There is a major family event today that will be fodder for a good post next week. A report back on the Pot Luck may another report too.
The local concerts of Christmas music are happening in many locations and churches. The Nutcracker will be performed at our local theatre- wish I had tickets. Of course the National Ballet of Canada has their annual Nutcracker ballet in Toronto every year.
No snow in our area but many parts of Canada have lots of snow. So it will be a White Christmas for them. The Christmas movies continue on TV which drive my husband crazy as some of them are not the classics and rather lame! Good thing for him there are sports to see!!
The picture was taken a couple of years ago at Yorkdale Mall which is a rather large Mall. I thought the Moose gave the post more of a Canadian flavour, eh!!
#christmas#yorkdalemall#mooseinthemall#christmasconcerts#christmas2015#presentswrapped#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara#nutcrackerballet#christmaspotluckatwork#barbaradimambro

HAPPY OR STRESSFUL-CHRISTMAS CAN BE BOTH

As the season reves up, there is a new joy or energy in the air. Those who organize and pace themselves are starting to enjoy the moments of the season. Stress is driving in a snowstorm or fighting shoppers at the Mall but sitting quietly doing whatever by a lit Christmas tree with a favourite beverage is not stressful. Wrapping gifts a few at a time can be enjoyable too. Choices of how to do the gift giving can be varied. With small grandchildren, they need presents under the tree but in a few years it could be money or gift cards. Seeing the faces of children unwrapping their presents is part of the event. As a couple we buy a joint gift- something we would like to have. There is always something small under the tree to open Christmas morning. The parties and lunches are starting to happen. Love it. Receiving cards in the mail. Love it. The small pleasures are happy ones. But some thoughts do creep in. Remembering those no longer with us! Thoughts and memories of other times can be brought to the present moments! Talking about the old times and remembering those loved ones can be part of the Happy!! Keeping those memories alive. Telling the younger generation about those people and what they did at Christmas can be part of the family tradition. Bringing out some old pictures or watching the Christmas movies now on video flipped to digital can be fun too! So your decision- are you happy or just stressed? Try to aim for happy! The season rushes by much too quickly!