It’s hard to explain, but for a few weeks, the Christmas season seems to make everything a little softer, kinder and more beautiful.
Charles Dickens touched on the secret of Christmas when he wrote Scrooge’s line, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year,” since Christmas is clearly an aspirational time when we all wish that we could keep the tenderness for the past, courage for the present and hope for the future alive all year long.
You see, Christmas isn’t just a season, it’s a feeling and it gives us all a chance to pause and reflect on what is truly important in life.
When we recall Christmases past, we usually find that it isn’t about expensive gifts or elaborate celebrations. It’s the simplest things – not the great occasions – that give us the greatest Christmas memories.
Those memories are held in our heart as a bit of Christmas magic and they’re the part of the season that no one can ever take away.
To illustrate the point, we spoke to a few Saanich Peninsula residents about their favourite Christmas memories.
Morgan Shaw, the executive director of the Sidney Business Improvement Area Society, recalled how the lights of Sidney helped to lift her spirits and set the stage for her future and are brought to mind every Christmas season.
She wrote: “In the winter of 2017, I was eagerly (and not-so-gracefully) waiting for my twin daughters to arrive. By then, I was housebound, thoroughly uncomfortable, and sporting a belly so big it could’ve had its own postal code.
“Still, my daily highlight was an evening walk with my husband to see Sidney’s Christmas lights,” she said.
“That holiday magic made every waddle worthwhile, even if I moved at the speed of a festive parade float. That Christmas was our last as a family of two, and thanks to Sidney’s sparkling streets, it felt like the perfect send-off to a new chapter in my life.”
Dr. Misty Watson, a chiropractor in Saanichton, wrote to describe a memory that remains a part of her holiday season.
“For me, Christmas has always been – and will always be – about family,” said Watson.
“My dad was a member of the RCMP, and we were often posted to some remote, end-of-the-road communities. But no matter where we were, my grandparents travelled to see us every year at Christmas.
“I remember the thrill of picking them up at the airport each Christmas, and every single time seeing two very large boxes arrive on the luggage belt, wrapped in twine and our name and address written on every side. One contained our Christmas gifts, but the other – equally as large as the gift box – was filled to the brim with my grandmother’s baking. She’d baked for weeks before they came to see us. Thanks to her, the holidays were filled with plates of goodies, breakfasts of cinnamon buns and mandarin oranges on Christmas morning. Best of all, though, were the hours we spent with them, making up for lost time with us living so far apart.”
Sometimes, Christmas memories can be formed in the most unlikely places. Take the recollections of musician Kim Cook.
“My husband and I had just moved to Victoria from Vancouver and as a transit driver, he had to work on Christmas night,” recalled Cook.
“I surprised him by jumping on his bus at one of the stops and bringing along turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie. I don’t think he picked up more than two people the whole evening, but it was really special riding past all of the houses along the route and seeing the families in the lighted windows. They were sharing their Christmas dinners, while we ate our sandwiches on the bus. But still, we were happy.”
Those memories, like the Christmas memories that we all hold in our hearts, are what makes Christmas special. They remind us that, no matter what the world may throw our way, those memories are ours. They have the power to let us act a little nicer, smile a little easier, and, for a little while, be the people we always hope that we can be.
Have a merry Christmas.
