Merry Christmas, every one!
As I write this on a gloomy Christmas Eve, there is no snow outside, but the skies are gray and a chill crept into the house. The day began with an early-morning structure fire on Danforth Brook Road but, fortunately, the family was away and no one was injured.
Our family celebrated Christmas a bit early, the previous weekend, when everyone could get together. We had a great time until one in attendance didn’t feel well and a test revealed he had COVID. The discovery caused the celebrants to depart a little earlier than expected. Over the ensuing week, we have all tested negative for the coronavirus, so our individual Christmas observances will go on as usual.
Although we are celebrating the actual day apart from each other, modern technology will allow us to see each other on Christmas Day, and my daughter and I will revive a tradition by making boeuf bourguignon together-while-apart using FaceTime. This is the Julia Child recipe which takes hours to make and which I was sure would be a winner during a pot-luck contest while working at The Citizen. The People’s Choice, however, was Mac’n’Cheese — a decision I’ll never understand.
I was unfamiliar with FaceTime 15 years ago when, living on a 2008 reporter’s salary, I wrote a Sunday column for the paper in which I observed, “We still hope an iPhone is in our future.”
In the column, I said, “Growing up toward the end of the ’60s, we developed an appreciation of simpler things that come in handy today as prosperity hangs in the balance. Our formative years occurred when wealth and prestige had become less important than relationships and concern for our fellow man. Communal living was a viable choice, and ‘back to the land’ was a rallying call. …
“That is not to say that we have anything against accumulating things, living well, or enjoying consumerism’s many benefits. …
“Adversity can be good for the soul. It points out the difference between what is ‘nice’ and what is really important in life. And, while personal wealth and possessions are nice, there is nothing more important than friendship and support of our fellow man. These are lessons that need to be repeated from time to time, and events that can be life-shattering are also events that can be life-affirming.”
There were years when Christmas giving was difficult, but we always managed to make sure there were presents under the tree. More recently, we have been in a position to make charitable donations so others will have a merrier Christmas, too. We wish we could do more.
One of our holiday traditions is to watch Alastair Sim’s definitive portrayal of Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge. There have been many versions of “A Christmas Story” — including one by Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus) — but this is our favorite.
Best wishes to a Merry Christmas to all of you!
Hi Tom, A great post. Merry Christmas to you all. Our Scrooge that we watch every year is the musical with Albert Finney.