Everywhere one goes the sounds of the Christmas / Holiday season surround me. For the most part, it’s joyful music, although there are times when a certain song triggers a tearful reaction.
When David was a little boy, he LOVED Roger Whittaker’s Christmas Album, the song “Darcy the Dragon” in particular. One of my personal traditions has been to play that song every year on Christmas Eve, even though David and his family live 5000 km away on the West Coast. It made me feel closer to them. I can’t do that this year; I just can’t. So I am avoiding a lot of the music that I normally love so I don’t drown the cat, the dog or my husband in tears.
I’ve tried to maintain some traditions for us though. I baked a nice Stollen to warm up for Christmas breakfast. Then there were a couple of trays of shortbread cookies adorned with cherry halves. Yesterday I added an Eggnog Bread Pudding to the collection and the final sweet treat will be some chocolate rum balls – perhaps tomorrow.
Still, on Christmas Day I will really miss the annual phone call from David and crew. I can just hope that the grandkids will call anyway.
For a few years now, we’ve been putting out bird feeders and suet in the winter to bolster our feathered friends’ fat stores for the cold weather. Mostly we get sparrows, chickadees, blue jays, a few doves and the occasional woodpecker. Last year, for the first time ever, after Joel’s daughter Samantha died, we had a pair of cardinals arrive and stay for the season. According to old superstition, seeing a cardinal is believed to be a message from loved ones who have passed away. I thought it was a quaint idea until today – when I was feeling sad about my son David’s death – when a new cardinal showed up. Perhaps there’s something to it after all. If nothing else, it does make you feel a moment of hope.
As the month rolls along I’m sending out greetings to friends and family and hoping everyone enjoys celebrating whatever they celebrate. For us, it’ll be very low-key this year. It’s really hard to get into the boisterous part of the season for sure. If you have friends or family who aren’t quite as enthusiastic about the holidays as usual, be understanding and kind. Even if they decline invitations, keep offering. Sooner or later they’ll say yes as they gradually resume their ‘new’ normal version of life.
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays
May the New Year bring us all some joy and relief from sadness and stress.
Capturing Cherished Memories 
Beautiful! Love them so much. We had three pairs here this week. It’s taken 30 years. The only good thing coming out of climate change.
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