“O Christmas tree O Christmas tree you stand in splendid beauty!” (Did you sing that as you read it?) This year is a bit different with fewer presents under the tree for many, and the fact that a lot of us also have rapid antigen tests under them as well in preparation for possible yuletide visits. Regardless, everyone has different …
Show respect and keep Christmas frills shelved until Remembrance Day wraps
As soon as Halloween and fall decorations come down, they appear to be replaced overnight with Christmas ones, but not in my house. I think it is only respectful to wait until after Remembrance Day to even consider putting up the Christmas tree. My grandfather, John William Setchell, who was in bomb disposal in the Second World War, deserves that. …
Board/card games sure beat being glued to screen
As opposed to the standard New Year’s resolution column, I’m going with “What I did on my vacation?” In a nutshell, I was focused on maintaining eye-contact with my kids instead of all of our eyeballs being transfixed on electronics, which is, I suppose, resolution-like. For screens, my teens now both have cellphones, then there are the video game consoles, …
Bracing for blue Christmas no piece of cake
Silent Night brought me to tears today. Why? This is the first Christmas that I will spend alone. There is no special someone in my life. My children will be with their father. Frankly, I’m dreading the quiet. I’m far from unique in this situation. This is the reality of many singles, and widows, whether they are parents or not. …
Is eggnog glass half full or half empty?
By the glow of the Christmas tree, before a single present is unwrapped, there is contentment. Before any holiday meal is cooked or eaten, there is fulfillment. Before the clock strikes 12 on Dec. 31, there is hope unfettered for a new and infinitely possible year. Yet we make the holidays so busy, so complicated, so much more than they …
Some advice for Santa to ensure he’s around for another long while
A recent QMI poll stated that men would rather scrub the toilet than go to the doctor. Knowing how many times I’ve seen said toilet scrubbed by a man makes me worry for our favourite men’s health. Those who do see their physician are often told to make lifestyle changes: eat better, exercise more, quit smoking, etc, but fewer and …
Indulgence is allowed at Christmas — now it’s time to hit the gym
All year long, I avoid eating processed dinners because of a food allergy, and it helps keep me and my family relatively healthy. I also avoid baking or buying desserts, because once in the house, they are in my mouth. Inevitably, at least one questionable food group item ends up on my Christmas wish list, and somehow, the rest find …
Don’t go in the red for Christmas, but try to make it green
It’s a colourful time of year and red and green really are the colours of the season — red for our budgetary concerns post-holidays and green for our environmental concerns (and for the money we spend). Retailers kindly started the countdown for us right after Halloween, as storefronts changed from orange and black to colourful Christmas displays. (As if time …
What would I like for Christmas? The spirit of Thanksgiving
Editorial & Opinion, Wednesday, November 28, 2007, p. A10 Christmas is coming and so are the queries from friends and family. What do you and the kids need? The short answer is: nothing. We already have too much stuff. I was looking at a toy from my childhood last week: a Fisher-Price school bus. The bulk of it was made …