On Saturday Peter and I struggled into our thermal underwear and headed out to see the Christmas lights downtown. We envisioned ourselves as ambassadors for you, dear readers.
The subway was partly shut down due to track work, so it took us a little planning to figure out a route without too much outside walking. We rode to the College stop and then walked down to the Eaton Centre. Our first mission was to find some name-brand sports shirts, possible Christmas gifts for a couple of grandkids. A security guard pointed out the way to Sportchek which is hidden on the lowest level of the mall. We found the shirts we wanted – at prices that were heart-stopping! Even my new pacemaker was in shock.
Next we checked out the Christmas lights. The tree was in its usual spot, changing colours and rising to the top of the mall. Families gathered around the fountain at the bottom and stared upwards. It was quite a sight. But otherwise, the lights were mostly commercial advertising. Except for this large butt…
We carried on through the Eaton Centre to the corner of Queen and Yonge where animated Christmas windows have been on display for years. This year, after the closing of The Bay, the window project was taken on by Cadillac Fairview and the spaces were leased out to various brand names such as Apple. The windows were described in an article in the Toronto Star a few days ago, and they looked amazing in the newspaper photo. But, as we wandered around with lots of other families, all we saw was this sign:
But when?
Undeterred, we sought out the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square. We had visited this show a couple of years ago and it was magical. This year, the skaters were there in droves, but the lights had nothing to show for themselves.
Except this lit-up sign advertising the FIFA world cup:
FIFA is indeed exciting but it’s not until June. Must we close our eyes to Christmas and all the other holidays until then? Disappointed, we joined the crowds on the subway and went home.
But this morning we found some light to share, just outside our front door:
One belief I’ve held for a long time, as a friend, a parent and a grandparent, is that the gift of time is far more worthwhile than Barbie dolls, or videogames, or even trendy socks! Peter and I were able to put that belief into practice this past Christmas when we took our (Iaboni) family to Portugal.
We launched this idea in the fall of 2023 during an after-dinner conversation. Could we all go somewhere together, and where would everyone like to go? The response was pretty quick – they chose Portugal for Christmas. “As long as the place has a swimming pool,” the kids said. After some weather-related research, we decided on the Lisbon area. In a charming seaside town called Cascais, we found a villa with 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, and 2 above-ground swimming pools. It looked pretty good in the pictures.
Each family made their own travel arrangements, agreeing to meet at the villa a couple of days before Christmas. Peter and I arrived first. As we explored, we had first choice of the bedrooms. We chose one on the lower level, away from any noisy celebrations that might go on past our bedtime. It had only a tiny window and twin beds, but it had a small bathroom which we didn’t have to share. Perfect for seniors.
As the other families arrived, they set out on their own tour and chose their bedrooms. One family arrived with a sick husband and he was quickly diverted to a small bedroom near the front door close to a bathroom, although it seriously needed a make-over. It had a sink next to the shower stall, which was also the passageway to the toilet. The toilet could be flushed by pulling a chain hanging from the ceiling. Thee kids were highly amused but the sick person was not checking the decor.
The other bedrooms were quite nice with large king beds and modern bathrooms, and a couple of them had small balconies too. All the rooms had heaters to take the chill off. The kids chose their rooms far away from the parents so they could stay up at night and watch videos. None of them suggested being near the outdoor pools.
Next up was a visit to the kitchen; it was outdated like the first bathroom. The sink was shallow and made of rough granite. The stove was on a platform under a low ceiling. And the fridge – where was the fridge? We discovered it in a tiny closet. The dishwasher was in a different “area” on the other side of the kitchen. The dishes were in a cupboard in a third tiny room. Any person preparing a meal in here would get 10,000 steps before dessert.
On our tour we discovered another kitchen down a long winding hallway which seemed a little remote and creepy. What secret stew would chefs plan to concoct here? The main dining room, however, had a big table and 12 chairs. It was ideal for our group to play cards and eat take-out food. In the living room we found 3 large comfy sofas and a large-screen TV; lots of space for drinking port and eating chips. Peter and I produced an inflatable Christmas tree from a suitcase, and blew it up. It was the finishing touch we needed for our family Christmas vacation.
During the following days we left our villa and explored the area. We walked to the beach on the first evening and were surprised to find lights decorating every building and the Ferris Wheel. We ordered our traditional Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner of cod, accompanied by beef, rice and grilled vegetables, and a brave son took the local train a couple of stops to pick it up, all packaged in boxes tied with ribbons and Christmas tags. He made this trip even though he hates cod. It was a noble Christmas sacrifice.
On Christmas Day we rode the train to another town and enjoyed a Christmas brunch of egg dishes, salads, more cod, and of course custard tarts. On Boxing Day we went to Sintra, a UESCO heritage village surrounded by castles on very high hills. Everyone, including us, made it to the top.
Sintra from below.
After some lovely days together, everyone packed up and went separately on to another adventure somewhere else. But we can’t help thinking that the kids will not quickly forget our week at the villa in Cascais. The idea of swimming was forgotten as they got into the spirit of the occasion. Whether it’s the chain in the ceiling for flushing the toilet, the winding spooky hallway to the secret kitchen, the dinner that came on a train in boxes, the card games where they beat their grandparents, or the blow-up Christmas tree; we hope their memories of our vacation together in Portugal will live on.
Trees have been a symbol of eternal life long before Christianity offered this hope through Christ. Then, in the 16th century, the German began bringing trees into their homes during the winter and adorning them with candles; a warm but dangerous decoration.
This tradition of indoor Christmas trees spread all across Europe. The trees were decorated with edibles like popcorn and cranberries, or homemade decorations such as chains or baubles. To this day the lighting of the Christmas tree is a ceremony celebrated indoors and out. In Toronto the tree lighting at Nathan Phillips Square, the Eaton Centre, the Distillery District are all special occasions welcoming the beginning of the holiday season.
This year I visited another kind of display – the 4th annual Mississauga Festival of Trees. The trees are designed by local crafts persons and artists, and each represents a particular theme or a belief; something with a deeper meaning than Santa and presents.
The first tree that caught my eye was called Crafting Change. It depictesthe quilting legacy of Victorian women who created beauty from scraps of fabric and patchwork quilting techniques. It demonstrates the resilience of those 19th century women who used whatever resources were available to them to build lives for their families.
There were several tress devoted to appreciation of nature: a wildlife tree with photos of local animals set on a snow-covered tree trunk, other trunks wrapped in culturally significant threads, ropes and twine, and a hedge titled False Cedars, made of 10,000 paper bundles, showing the disparity between the healing nature of cedar and the world of false materials. The Debris Tree, decorated with bits of garbage was a sobering addition to the display.
Another eye-catching display was called Roots and Branches: Dinner Legacies. Created entirely from perfectly-balanced chairs, this installation symbolized the generations of families who gathered around tables to share stories and celebrations and to support one another. The creation is topped with an olive tree representing peace, prosperity and friendship.
My favourite tree shape was created from vintage bird cages surrounded by evergreen boughs with red cardinals peeking into the scene. The inside of each cage depicts part of the Festival Narrative: holiday preparations in miniature: baking, wrapping gifts, decorating the house, and celebrating with friends.
After the tour was over, I headed back home to take another look at our own tree. This year, for the very practical reasons of saving time and space, Peter and a visiting son hauled our oleander bush in from outside, and we decorated it. Tiny white lights, sparkling silver balls and red cardinals all create a festive look. And the oleander seems very happy in its new role. I think I’ll call it:
Real Tree Enjoying the Holiday Season Indoors With Family.
Sue
PS Like the oleander, I will be celebrating the holidays with family. I’ll be with you again on January 7th, 2025
So now that Christmas is over, we can go shopping for next year! Only joking…take at least today off and relax.
After I described our Advent Window activity in last week’s post, several readers wrote to tell me about holiday traditions they have experienced. Some people talked about going downtown to see the Eaton’s or Simpson’s windows, in the “olden days” when such stores existed. The windows always had moving parts: scampering mice, scurrying elves, moving conveyor belts with toys under construction, and a winking Santa sitting in a rocking chair and checking his naughty list.
Then Santa moved inside the store, and kids lined up for a visit and a chance to take a picture on Santa’s lap, while the parents got out their wallets. Next there were the years of Breakfast with Santa. We took our grandchildren a couple of times but unfortunately breakfast was ignored as the kids spent their time checking out the pile of wrapped packages and figuring out which one Santa was going to give them.
A popular neighbourhood tradition – rows of blow-up Santas. We have a few in our area – a Santa with a green parcel in one hand and a candy cane in the other. Walmart must have had a sale. Apparently one street in Toronto, Inglewood Drive, has over 50 of them. Pretty amazing until the power goes off. Then you have a whole lot of “dead” Santas lying on the boulevard. Not a good Christmas look.
Readers reported about several versions of the Santa Claus parade. A friend, who spends the winter playing golf in Florida, wrote about the Golf Cart Parade: Christmas-themed golf carts being shown off by golfers driving around the local streeets instead of on the links. I was reminded of when we lived in the country and the farmers in Schomberg held the Tractor Parade. They would decorate their fork lifts, or back hoes, or manure spreaders, and spread cheer along the main street.
Lots of families share traditional gifts. Sometimes parents buy the kids new pyjamas every year, which the kids open on Christmas Eve and wear to bed. Under any other corcumstances, this would be seen as a cop-out by the kids: ” What? You bought me CLOTHES?” But disguise it as a tradition and everyone is excited.
In our family, my son and I trade an old book that neither of us has ever read; we just take turns giving it to one another. Neither of us can remember how this tradition started. This year it was my turn to be the recipient. The package was disguised as a …Book! Still, I didn’t guess it. Duh
My son is delighted at this turn of events; one year soon he’ll be sneaking into my house ahead of Christmas, taking anything of mine he wants, and wrapping it up for me. And, as my memory fades, I’ll open it and say: “Oh how lovely! I used to have something just like this. It’s perfect.”
Christmas is now just 364 days away. It’s not too early to start planning your traditions.
Peter and I have been snooping around lately, peeking into our neighbours’ windows. It’s not that we are getting kinky in our old age. It’s an Advent thing, honest.
We got the idea from my brother, and he’s not kinky either. He lives with his partner in Port Dover and, during the first Christmas of the pandemic, they got together electronically with their neighbours and planned a social event, following all the Covid rules. They modelled their activity after the Advent calendars which you are likely familiar with if you have grandkids: from December 1 to December 24, open a tiny cardboard window and find a tiny chocolate to eat.
The Port Dover folks called their activity Advent Living Windows. Each of 24 families is given a date/number, from December 1-24. Then each family decorates a front window of their house in some festive way. It can be a Christmas theme or a winter theme like snowflakes or a movie theme such as Frozen. All the decorating is done with the window blinds pulled down, or black-out curtains, or some other secret method. Then each night, beginning with December 1st, the windows are opened, one per night, for all the neighbours to see, from the street or the driveway, or the grass.
I have been intrigued by this activity ever since 2020. But I needed a helper, somebody else who knew our neighbours and had a lot of energy and community spirit. Then I found Mel – a stay-at-home mom who lives next door and has a lot of spirit - for just about everything! She said yes and we were off and running. I mean walking – up and down the local streets, knocking on doors, trying not to act like duct cleaners or window washers. It was easier than we had imagined. In almost no time we had 24 families signed up.
Then Mel found another neighbour, Trish, who is a tech expert, and she volunteered to design a local map with all the home addresses and the numbers/dates on it. Everyone who participated was sent an electronic copy of the map, and we planned a little opening gathering for the first night.
Peter and I had volunteerd to take the first night, December 1st, so we rushed around setting up the lights and putting the finishing touches on our window. Then we hauled out a table and an unbrella, (the snow we had ordered failed to show, and we got rain instead). We plugged in a carafe of hot apple cider, with a rum bottle nearby for emergencies. Mel contributed some yummy cookies - and we were ready.
About 30 adults showed up with their kids in tow – kids who knew each other from the local school. The adults enjoyed a drink together while the kids played tag in the ditch. It was a very festive hour, a great kick-off to our 24 days of surprise windows. And here are some of them.
This window was a product of the son’s input; his favoutite cartoon characters along with some freehand drawings by his parents:
Another family effort, the children’s stuffies gathered around a table waiting for a chance to eat the gingerbread house:
This neighbour used a photograph taken by her father in High Park in the 1930’s (Tracks In the Snow), as the centrepiece of her window:
This window was designed and created by the family’s 12-year-old daughter – all her favourite Christmas treats:
And here’s ours. I gathered up all my reindeer who were wandering around the house, and stood them in the window. So far they seem quite content there.
Seventy In the City 