More Christmas Thoughts

As you finish decorating your home for the holidays, don’t forget to put red or green food colouring in the toilet bowl, to give your bathroom that added festive touch.

Only Joking! Sorry! I was just trying to take your attention away from the deviant virus strain and the impending lockdown. Despite all this bad news, there are still lots of worthwhile things we can do to celebrate. Readers pointed out that I had neglected to mention some important ones in previous posts:

First of all, giving to charity. This is an annual tradition with many readers, and one that is especially important during these pandemic times. One thing I missed this year was putting $5 into every Salvation Army drum I came across while I was Christmas shopping. It always made me feel less guilty as I was buying expensive and sometimes frivolous gifts for friends and family This year donations can be made online, if we remember to do it.

This year too it’s good to remember the extra effort from our essential workers: the clerks arriving at our favourite grocery store an hour early to welcome seniors; the technicians working overtime in our medical labs; the waiters at our local take-out restaurant who are trying desperately to stay afloat. A bigger tip, an extra thank-you; both go a long way these days.

Then there is Christmas music. Some of it is religious, some secular, and some, like Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, downright tacky! But it all lifts our spirits. Since we can’t join others to sing this year, we can turn on Alexa and sing as loudly as we want. There’ll be nobody to hear our wrong notes with the kitchen windows closed.

One of Toronto’s long-standing musical traditions, the Star’s Christmas Concert at Yorkminster Church, is always sold out. Patrons line up a couple of weeks ahead to get tickets. This year the concert was virtual. Since choir singing is definitely forbidden during an airborne onslaught of germs, the choir songs were taped from previous years. But there were two well-known Canadian musicians, Jim Cuddy and Measha Bruggergosman, to spread holiday cheer. It wasn’t as good as being there in person, but we could sing along in the privacy of our homes.

And don’t forget the Christmas light shows. Check them out with a casual stroll around your neighbouhood, wearing your thermal underwear of course. People this year have gone overboard with outdoor lights, trying to bring a little brightness into our dark world. And we see a new trend this year – larger decorations on front yard trees. It seems that many people have traded their indoor trees, which nobody will see anyway, for larger outdoor ones instead.

Finally there are our traditional indoor gatherings with friends and family, which are strictly forbidden as the covid numbers skyrocket. Last week my husband Peter and I decided to try a park party with some friends. We chose a big park with tables and washrooms, and agreed to meet mid-day, before the dark and cold set in. The tables had attached metal sets which were so chilly that most of us stood, and nobody dared venture into the washrooms. But we managed to exchange Secret Santa gifts from a distance, and to have a Christmas toast with our water bottles. It was the shortest Christmas party on record!

As the big day approaches, I wish all my dear readers the best possible Christmas under the circumstances. Sing out loud in the kitchen as you prepare your tiny turkey, go for a walk in your neighbourhood to admire the lights, and call your family on facetime or zoom. And definitely try not to get run over by a reindeer.

Sue