The Holidays in Montreal with Grandma!

(Cue music to "All I want for Christmas Is You") --> "All grandma wanted for Christmas was a blog post" 

So, as promised, I am posting on the blog. This is for you grandma so ENJOY!!! 

You arrived back in November on a Tuesday just as I was running out the door to work and boy did I not know what the next month would have in store for me upon my return from work that night....

That very night we went on our first movie outing to see Bohemian Rhapsody and it was a riot to say the least! We both loved that movie and played Queen songs at home the whole next week. I adore seeing movies at the theatre, but we all know it is simply because I am such a sucker for buttery movie popcorn and sneaking in "contraband". Sneaking pop and candy bars into the theatre with you ALWAYS fills me with a giddy feeling because I feel like I get to be a rebel and I don't really get much else chance to break rules in life without the fear of receiving a serious consequence. The only other rule breaking I get to do is jaywalking but I never do it in front of the police because I would get in some serious trouble of course. 

I must say, I was so surprised when I got up and put my coat on as soon as the movie ended and looked over to find you still comfortably seated and watching the credits. Honestly, I was not interested in watching the 10 minutes of credits (haha) at first, but I have definitely grown used to it and find it quite interesting to see how many people work to put a film together. It is now the new movie tradition with you. Speaking of tradition, another funny tradition (of sorts) that we have put in place is our post-movie restroom stop. When you drink a full can of soda (sometimes two!!), my bladder can only hold so much. This is thanks in full to my being a tiny adult with an extremely small bladder and I would never want to get stuck on the metro with a full bladder on the way home!

Grandma and I heading home on the metro after seeing
Bohemian Rhapsody

Our next movie outing was only a mere two nights later when we went to see the movie "Green Book". I would never have picked to see this movie as I had no idea what it was about, but it was such a well crafted film! If you are reading this post, go watch this movie. A film about the development of a bond between two unlikely people, the acting was amazing and the storyline, original while exploring the difficulty of dealing with racism in the 1960s in the States. Once again, contraband and popcorn were involved. This time there was a little dissapointment on the part of the popcorn as the bag wasn't filled as generously as it was the previous time. Those darn cineplex workers! I love myself a full bag of buttery popcorn, but it's not like I can eat the whole bag of it in one shot anyway although I like to think I can. My eyes are often bigger than my stomach [not literally of course haha], but you know what I mean. 

The movie experience doesn't end after the credits but continues for the remainder of the night and often the next day as well. Why would one see a movie and not analyze it?! I like to pretend I'm a teacher and find good questions I could ask my hypothetical students if I were to test them or make them write an essay about the film. Grandma, you bring out the english teacher in me and I love it! It is ALWAYS fun dicussing the thematic elements of a movie, recalling our favourite scenes, and comparing it to other films. We'd make a good pair of english/film professors or at least I think so. 

Gosh, I am only on movie #2 and there is still so much more of our holiday adventure to recount! We can't forget about TimePlay. Remember how I have won every single pre-movie cineplex TimePlay game with you by pure luck and good guessing skills? I just loved it when I got all excited the first time I won and people looked back and stared at us in the theatre. What can I say, I like to celebrate when I win something! 

The movie-going was far from over with "Widows", "Lemonade", "First Man", and a second viewing of "Bohemian Rhapsody" still on the way (I hope I haven't forgotten any). All these movies were so unique and a real joy to see in the theatre. Grandma, we certainly have a bond when it comes to seeing movies. 

Movies were a large portion of the adventures I had with grandma, but shoe-shopping, cooking (well you cooking and me eating), and becoming roommates are not to be forgotten. 

Grandma and I went on a shoe hunt for good walking shoes that I could wear on my mission. I don't like to call myself picky, but I like to think that I am a shoe fashionista. I don't just wear anything on my feet! High-heels are what always catch my eye in a shoe store so looking for flats with good soles, but that don't look too bulky was a bigger challenge than I had anticipated. It took two different shoe shopping trips to finally find two pairs of stylish-enough flats with good soles that were comfortable for my mission. Oh how badly did I just want to try on heels, but I held myself back and grandma helped me focus and find some really nice flat shoes.  I could not bear the idea of going on my mission and having to walk around in non-stylish shoes so at least I don't have to worry about that anymore. Grandma, we will have to go shopping for heels one day because I could try on heels for days and you know that!! Remember that huge red high-heel statue in the mall--> well, that is a shoe I would buy in a heartbeat. I took a picture of it of course.

The shoe I wish I could have bought!!!

The 1st shoe I actually bought 

The 2nd shoe I also bought 

I could not have asked for a better roommate!! Even though I actually sleep in the basement and you just use the basement bathroom and have your wardrobe down there, but sleep upstairs, we call each other roomies because that is exactly what we are. As soon as you said we were roomies, I was in total agreement. I don't know if any of my missionary companions can ever top you, grandma. You and I just have too much fun together. I just love it every time you tell me I'm funny, that I'm a "riot", and that you love hanging out with me, my crazy self, and I! 

This post could probably become a book if I keep going, but that is a testament to how much fun we have had and keep having each day we are together. Love you grandma! 

With love, 

                  Catie "your roomie" :)

The Gift Shop at the Oratory

I spent one Christmas looking for nativity sets that I could use with Alice – something cute, and only semi-breakable.

But there was nothing in either category. At least in the stores I visited.

In fact that was the year I thought Christmas had died. I couldn’t find nativities at any store, and I went from Walmart to expensive stores.  In the end I found a Peruvian nativity at One Thousand Villages – and that was all. Oh, I had found one set at Walmart but the faces on the figures were so sloppily painted that they looked more like Halloween figures than Christmas ones.

So this year,  thinking that the gift shop at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal might have something, given they used to have the best collection I had ever seen of crèches, I went there today.

Catherine gave me directions – the metro and then a bus. And a perpetual running shuttle will take a person from the road, up to the main door of the oratory, which is enough steps to do in, even the most fit person.

3 sets, 3 dolls in each set

I wandered the gift shop and then a glass display case by the admission to the church kiosk.

I tried to follow the rule WWWD.

(What Would Wyona Do?).

I could hear her voice in the background – “you have taken the time to come here, now buy what you want, and not just one but two or three".

A set of nesting figures was so cute I could no longer keep my money in my wallet.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow when Hebe and I can open the package and begin to put the dolls together and then take them apart again.

I love this part of Christmas.

Arta

Santa Suit

... a real Santa Suit, lapels and all ...

Catherine, Hebe and I shopped at Winners after leaving the Barbie Expo -- really Catherine and I were helping Hebe look for Christmas presents.

But this turned into Hebe looking for her own presents in the toy department, and Catherine trying to gather board books for infants, for she likes to give those away as gifts.

On the way out of the store we walked around the perimeter of the shop, passing by men's jackets.

I wanted to take a picture of this one, a jacket that should only be worn to church during December, red lining and all.

How could Hebe have found presents for others when the presents she will get at Christmas loom in her mind.

Second floor of shopping centres at Peel Metro
Behind us is the top of a two-floor high
model dressed in a red sequince dress.

Notice that Hebe's Barbie is in our picture.

The model's red shoe was upstairs by a bannister
and was so large that Hebe could climb
inside of it and  have her picture taken.

Will Santa deliver that American Beauty doll that she has been looking for on ebay.

Will it be back ordered for Santa and she won't get it in time.

So many worries for Hebe that her shopping trip was really ruined by those fears of the unknown.

Well, 24 more days until Christmas, so lots of time to work on settling her fears and finding some gifts for others.

Arta

Let It Snow

Hebe is in white in the middle

"Let it Snow Dance Show" is the name of Hebe’s concert at school.

Catherine told me to get there early to have a good seat.

I was ½ an hour early and four rows back, which I consider to be a good seat.

The programme began with someone telling us some history about the two school who would be performing. A signer was there translating with her hands for us.

I was struck by the name of one of the donors toward the programme: “Thanks to the Altman-Nakashima family who supports us in the name of their son Justin who loved coming to school”.

This cannot be said of Hebe.  The part about loving school.  Every morning she is in trauma going out the door. Someone may laugh at her hat. She didn’t do enough homework. What if the boy next to her comments on her glasses. Why can’t she change schools? Would being in a different family help? Who cut the grapes and added them to her fruit salad for that has ruined her day and she can’t go to school because of it.

This is the same school that made some other little boy’s day.

LtoR back row: person in yellow, Hebe with special arm move

She has been talking about this performance for days, working on it, worrying that one of the other little boys in the class will not do his part correctly and so ruin the whole day.

There were 19 numbers, all about snow. Penguins, ice sculptures, a toy train (each wheelchair was decorated as though it were a different train of the car).

Hebe’s class did “The Whos of Whoville”.

She didn’t want to wear the fringed psychedelic hat of the other “whos” in the class, so her hair was done up Princess Leia style with some pom poms added.

The miracle of the show was that everyone got to dance. At some time or another each performer came to the front of the stage for their 5 seconds of fame while the whole auditorium wildly clapped for each – which mean about 1 ½ hours of happy frenzy.

Some parents were cheering wildly, others were sobbing. I was doing both.

Arta

My Christmas Day

I went to Agecare Seton about 9 am. I had told Kelvin ahead, that I wanted to hear him read the nativity out of Luke. In fact, on the phone I told him that I wanted to hear him recite it word for word, no help from the Bible, and I would give him a practise run.

I gave him the first words: “and there were in the same country …” and let him go from there. He did a credible job on the telephone that day. Not perfect, but better than most people can do.

I could prompt him.

That is because when I was the Primary chorister, I took some time to teach everyone over the age of 6, that whole passage, so that we could do it from memory in the Sacrament Service. It was unusual and very cute! And that is the how and why the passage is cemented in my own mind.

So on Christmas Day, Kelvin and I went to Sharon’s room.

He opened up the Bible and found Luke. But he started back at the very beginning where the chapter is setting up with “and I write to you, the most excellent Theopholus,” etc.  I will give you the quote:

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Kelvin was way back in time, even before the angel coming to Elizabeth, and Zachariah being struck dumb, etc. I was fascinated, never having been at a church service that started so far back in Luke.  The two women hadn’t even seen each other, nor had one of the children leaped in the womb. We went through all of that -- 25 lovely verses.

 Then we were interrupted by a phone call.

Catherine and Mary's family were inviting us into their present opening via Skype, so the Bible closed down and we went off to do other family directed events.

On reflection I can think it might be the most unusual Xmas day I have ever spent. A blind woman who can barely hear laying on her bed, a man who knows he is dying of cancer sitting in his wheelchair reading, and me.   Kelvin's lovely clear trained, professional voice.  I was fascinated by the text.

And by  the fact that the three of us, all of us, are in the last 1/4 of our lives, if we live to be 100.  We were gathered together to acknowledge our common hope that someday there will be a happening that will bring peace in the world.

Arta

Merry Christmas from Bonnie and David

... our temporary dog ...

Merry Christmas from Bonnie and David:

No, we did not get a dog for Christmas.

But we are temporarily hanging out with one while her owner is on vacation.

I am hoping someone can tell me what kind of a dog she is besides cute and playful.

David got an NCAA regulation size leather basketball for Christmas.

On Christmas day his Great Uncle Dave found a pin and an air compressor, and his Great Uncle Glen gave him a lesson on how to blow it up and test if it has the right amount of air in it.

David showed each of us how high the ball bounced when he dropped it from the highest height he could lift it with one hand.

He have been practicing how to pass to someone's hand, whether they hand it up high on the right or down low on the left.

David is already good at a behind the back pass.

"ribit"

Heres a photo of me outside the health unit. I got a hand-knit frog hat.

It surprises some people.

The pattern was chosen by a 5 year old who sports a unicorn hat and a hand-knit felted skirt.

We had talked about fashion a lot as we worked on the sounds /b/ for boots, blouse, and Bonnie (of course).

Her mother hand knitted it. 

It is so comfortable.

What an unexpected surprise to have them hand deliver it to me. 

 Our decorations are now boxed up.

We had some old and some new.

... Christmas crafts on the window ledge ...

Here's a stain glass craft David made in grade 2.

And the sock snowman was made by Ramona and left on my desk. 

Another sweet surprise.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is the new view I have from my kitchen window. If you look closely you might see Mount Ida in the background.

I have so many people to thank for making it possible for me to move into Salmon Arm.

Bonnie Wyora

Getting to Know You - Christmas Traditions

Catherine is resurrecting her "Getting to Know You" questions.

I am told to feel free to respond, or not. She will be sending 1-2 questions per week. And, if I want to play along, but would prefer to answer in person, she will give me a call.

That is an offer I can’t refuse. So here goes on this week's questions. And as she says, play along if you like.

Describe a favourite family Christmas Tradition

Having spent so many Christmases, this question just about stymied me.

Do I love the traditions of my parents? Yes.

Do I love the traditions of the family I had. Yes.

When I was discussing this question with Wyona she said that the best tradition is to have no tradition. Just do what works for a few years, and when that is done, pick up something new and go with it for a few more years, and so on. There is more than a grain of truth here.

I used to have my house filled with Christmas decorations. Now just a few are fine with me even though I have more house now, since I am sharing it with fewer people.

I used to fill my home with baking. Now a large tin box of Walkers Shortbread from Costco will do.

I used to make hundreds of pounds of chocolates. Literally. Now a days, few people do the hand dipped chocolates, but when they do, I am glad to have a few that are slipped my way.

I used to help Santa with gifts for children. Now he has other helpers.

I used to teach every Christmas song possible to my little children. Now I enjoy hearing those old melodies on the radio, my favourites coming into this 2016 year will be “Coventry Carol” (Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child) and “Sweet and Low”. But that is not to say that any tune from The Messiah will also do to remind me that it is truly Christmas. Or humming along to Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols.” That is also good. And one of my most precious memories is of taking my children to Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, where one of the songs uses the lyrics, “licorice, licorice”. Even now one of my children will sing those lyrics and it will make me laugh. I can vividly remember sitting in the University Theatre with them and seeing the work performed.

Traditionally, I used to long for framed pictures of famous Christmas art for my walls. Now I have an 8” x 6” piece from Brook Melchin’s series of Christmas cards – mine is black and white though his originals are coloured. Just the right size and I can leave it up all year. I chose the piece where Mary is on a donkey and Joseph is walking towards Bethlemen to pay his taxes. I pay mine in a much easier way – just direct deposit to the CRA. And as for Christmas art, I have a piece of art done by Catherine at Relief Society – “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God …” All of the important words written on a piece of gold lamme. Or fake gold, but it is the same to me.

My singular-to-me tradition has been to go shopping and enjoy the decorations to buy (without doing so, if it is at all possible)  More importantly I fill my soul with the magnificent store decorations that fill the ceilings of stores and hang from rafters in malls. I love looking at those. I will still sit on a bench and do that, adding to it my own wonder at the gift of being my age and still able to see.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

In the past, I loved reading traditional Christmas stories – and how many of them exist. “The Night Before Christmas”, “The Fourth Wiseman”, and maybe the best, the original, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields ….” 

Yes, Wyona is right. Pack the season with the traditions from our culture. Lay some aside.  Take others up.  Pick and choose from the beauty and cultural wealth that abounds.

 And wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Only three months to go.

Arta

Gingerbread Houses

... as is, in the box, ready to go ...

Mary and Leo usually go to Montreal for Christmas.

This year their holiday there was for the coming of the New Year.

Over the years a tradition has developed around gingerbread houses.

The women make the gingerbread, carefully cut the pieces, glue them together with royal icing and then the fun for the kids begins.

... the candy sorted and contaionerized ...

This year Mary happened on a gingerbread house sale, the day after Christmas.

Boxes that were regularly $12 were now on sale for $1 a box.

... royal icing, the glue that never fails ...

There were fifteen boxes in the store.

Mary had a hard time justifying only buying 7 of them, but that is the number of cousins who would be interested in making them.

The kits came with the houses pre constructed, glued, with royal icing and with candy in the box.

Hard not to think this might have been Mary’s best Christmas treat ever.

... all in a row ...

A lot of labour saved in that after Christmas sale.

Arta

Christmas Elsewhere

I face-timed Mary and Leo to see how Christmas had gone for them. A storm that included high winds came to Aylmer the day before Christmas, downing a large branch on their electrical line. Now that is a big downer – Christmas day and no electricity. They cooked their turkey next door at the neighbours so all was not completely lost, but there is an irony in Xavier getting a new computer for Christmas and not being able to use it. Naomi was luckier – she got books and Rhiannon got a beautiful play pony – those old fashioned toys worked well for them in an electrical failure.

Bonnie and David were invited to the Woods house and they took along a gag gift Bonnie had picked up at the dollar store. One of the nastiest presents ever – a gag toilet. When you open the lid of the toilet a stream of something arcs out of it and hits the person who opened the seat.

 Bonnie and David wanted to “get” Uncle Dave with the gift, but Reggie was so excited he couldn’t keep his hands off of it, even though he knew it was his grandfather who was to have the first peek. He was mad and to make things better, Bonnie asked Autumn if she could open it next and take the hit, to calm down Reggie.

Photo: Moiya Wood
... before the snow fell ...

Autumn agreed, but just at the moment when she opened the toilet seat she ducked to the left and the water streamed out and hit Oscar. Now two people were mad. To calm everyone down, the group agreed, the next one to open the toilet seat should be their grandfather. He agreed to try it and when he did, instead of ducking or getting mad, he just opened his mouth and drank the water as it streamed out of the gag gift. That made everyone laugh.

Photo: Moiya Wood
... the larch trees turn orange ...

On the side of having a wonderful meal, Moiya had prepared a turkey, home made cranberries, gravy, a ham, whipped potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh buns and butter, a carrot medley and she brought out Nanaimo squares and other treats. The day seemed calm for only Des and Brandon and their family and Dan and Marina and their kids were there, as well as Matthew and Stacy with their two little ones. The other seven grandchildren were either in Texas or Edmonton – and there is always a certain quietude when everyone is not present.

3 super cool hardy new toboggans from the Farm Store in Kamloops

David grabs his sleigh and runs outside whenever the group go sledding – riding down the hill is more fun with others.

 As an aside as well, and tucked in the house after the toboganning,  David uses his multiple controllers for a game so Joaquim and Bonnie sit down with him and the battles begin.

Arta

Mini Oranges

The size of  the oranges?  
As illustrated.

One of the amazing pieces of living here with Rebecca is going shopping with her.

She stops and looks at the shelves, searching for something new to eat. That is an easier task in a restaurant when looking at a menu.

At the grocery store we have to look at every bottle or can or bag on the shelf.

 But sometimes she just grabs something we have had before – like the mini Mandarins. In the case of the last bag she thought she grabbed, what arrived home were mini oranges, not mini-Mandarins. Until she spoke up, I didn’t know she was having the same trouble I was having. The peeling is hard to take off. Usually I have orange juice all the way up to the second knuckle of my fingers on both hands, before I get the fruit unpeeled. Further, the time it takes to peel the orange is far greater than the time it takes me to eat it.

“Doesn’t seem worth the work,” she said, when there was finally a minute when we were both eating the oranges.

I haven’t been seeing much of her, and neither has anyone else. She has papers to mark – 102 of questions one and two. She could do 3 per hour when she began. Now she can do 6 per hour, which means her speed has been doubled now she knows what she is looking for in an answer, but there isn’t much hope she can go any faster than that. So her time is spent sequestered in her office marking. That is, until Duncan wanted to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens again.

Yes to the sweetness of slicing.

They headed out to see the show last night and were back within the hour – the theatre was sold out. All they could get was tickets for the 11 pm showing. That is a late show for me. All of the treats in the world on my lap, I would still not be able to stay awake, so I stayed home … and ate oranges.

They are sweet and delicious and fun to eat now that I know to cut them with a knife.

Arta

Duncan loves Christmas

... a logo to be desired ...

Duncan loves Christmas. His dad offered to give him the cash that would otherwise be spent on a fresh tree. “So near to Christmas, it really isn’t worth getting the tree,” Steve said.

 That was no argument for Duncan.  He would rather have the feel of Christmas than the feel of cash in his pocket.

He likes to have the outside Christmas lights on and he likes to have the tree lit. When I go to bed at night, I sometimes turn off the tree lights but he is still playing games in the family room.  When I get up in the morning, the lights are back on the tree that is in the front room. It is the last thing he has done before going to bed. Turn them back on. How can anyone love Christmas more than that.

... one of 100's of o2 logos ...

Christmas morning brought two traditions I am not familiar with. 

One is that the presents under the tree come from people far and near, fictitious and real.

 One from Elizabeth May, one from Darth Vadar, one from Steven Harper, one from Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. One from Billy Idol, one from Darth Vader, one from Lucifer, one from Barak Obama

When unwrapped there were lots of electronics and new T-shirts. 

I have never heard of O2, but those shirts were keepers.  I heard words of gratitude all day about those gifts.

... candy bought for the fabulous box ...

As well, though the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, they had been stuffed with newspaper.

 There is no way that the stocking stuffers would have fit in the stockings, had the stockings been long enough to hang down to the hearth.

There was the Kinder Express Surprise Train, a Gingerbread Spice Chocolate Bar, Hemp Heart Bites, a can of Hibiscus Soda, a jar of Simpkins Sweets (Royalty Style).

Simpkins ... for a royalist

When Rebecca saw those on the shelf at the store she said, "I just have to get these for Alex. He is not a royalist and will laugh when he pulls these out of his metaphorical stocking. "

I am just wondering whomever  else has had a CLIF bar: Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch – the ingredients are 70% organic in their loot bag. Even 3 days later, it is hard to to laugh with all of the fun – making it is one of Rebecca’s gifts.

Arta

Merry Christmas - Camps-Johnson Style

Merry Christmas, from us to you

I thought of Arta at 12:12 am, 2:10, 3:45, 3:59, 4:03, and 5:00 am ... the times David woke me to ask if it were too soon to see what Santa brought.

He politely smiled when he opened Le Petite Prince and put it down.

He said "oh, interesting" when he opened his National Geographic Cook Book, and his body straighted up tall and his eyes danced when he opened Super Mario Smash Bros video game.

Yes, Christmas is grande.

Bonnie

A Heritage Nativity Set

... hand-painted by Wyora ...

One day when Moiya was visiting Aunt Lenore, Lenore took her aside and told her that she had something she wanted to give her.

In Relief Society, many years ago, the women had plaster of Paris molds of the Nativity and painted the figures.

Wyora did one for Lenore and one for herself.

... the Wiseman's crown has been chipped away ...

I remember ours well.

When I was young ours sat on the mantel piece and was reflected into the mirror behind it.

I am not sure that we always had a stable for the figures to sit in, but one eventually came when there was money for it.

... the earless top of the donkey's head now showing wear and tear ...

I arranged and re-arranged those Nativity figures with great frequency, not just when I dusted, but whenever I saw someone else had been changing them around – that is when, I am sure, I moved them back to the arrangement that I preferred.

There was the Nativity on one side of the mantel piece and on the other side, a church – a winter scene, painted white and the rooftop glistened with snow.

... the donkey, now faceless on its more worn side ...

This had also been made in Relief Society out of cardboard. Corrugated cardboard was its roof. I knew this church did not have the shape of the one I entered every week. This one had a tall steep and tissue paper for stained glass windows. If I wasn’t giving it a sideways twist to give it just the right placement on the mantel, then I was on the other side re-arranging the Nativity figures.

... played with so much that the blessed child has lost its hands and feet ...

This must have happened at Lenore’s house as well, for you can see by the look of the figures, that they are as well worn as the ones were at our house: lovingly, tenderly chipped by small hands that loved the nativity set.

Arta

Getting Ready for Christmas in Montreal and Spain



Church of the Sagrada Familia

Kelvin began Christmas in Montreal this week, Catherine reminding him to bring his Disability Parking Sticker so that they can park close enough to the holiday season musical and drama venues – like Handel's Messiah and perhaps the National Theatre’s performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

I am preparing to go to Spain. By my side,I have one of the Cardogan Guides, Barcelona & Catalonia, and in my spare minutes I read about public transit or how to take the tourist buses once I get there. As well I picked up new videos about Spain from the Louise Riley Library. I cleaned their video shelves out and have enjoyed the Walks with an Architect Series that took me to the Church of the Sagrada Familia. Since I am watching everything the library had, I have also seen a 2 disc performance called Live in Barcelona by Bruce Springsteen and the East Street Band. I wonder how many Catalonians got to see that concert. I can guess from the 1000’s fans waving their arms and flashing their cell phone lights in the audience.

Merry Christmas from Laurie at Dr. Stonehocker's Office

I was checking out with the dentist yesterday – though the old dentist, Ellis, is now on a mission in S. Africa, something he forgot to do when he was young, he says, so off he and Glenda went.

Richard knows the new dentist, Dr. Holmes, for they met when Richard had an accident with a tooth last year.

At any rate, I was making a cheque out to Laurie, the receptionist at the front desk, and asked how many years she had been there. She said 25. I said, "Well, if Ellis were here I would be bugging him about giving you a gold watch."

"Don’t worry," she said. "At 20 years he gave me this nice watch and one for Marilyn too" and she flashed her lovely wrist watch in front of my eyes and signalled to Marilyn behind the glass window to show me hers as well.

They were both obviously pleased. I said, "You have a long history with Ellis". She said, "I used to be his assistant. How are your kids?"

I said, "You must know them all, having worked on everyone’s mouth." She said, yes, and then could ask about you all by name.

She said, "You may not remember who I was then, but I was the one by his side."

I thought, "Well, I was so full of fear in that office that I had my eyes closed and was gritting my teeth most of the time. So I wouldn’t have known that the woman of 20 years at his side, was now the one at the front desk." I had listened to her expaining something to one of the patients at the front desk previous to my conversation with her and had thought, "My gosh, she is talking like she has a lot more information about how that plaque can get up under a molar and cause decay and it is not the fault of the dentist who put the crown on, etc. – she is saying all of that with a lot more surety than I would think a receptionist would or could." But I didn’t think much more about it as I was sitting waiting for my turn with the dental technician.

"You know Ellis as well as you know anyone," I continued with our conversation.

She said, "Yes, and I have loved my job for all of those years. Besides, he gave me lots of child-raising advice. Good advice."

"What kind?" I asked.

"No nonsense advice," she smiled.

I said, "Oh, Ellis had his beliefs, good ones, but he has had to change many of them over the years. Soften. Accommodate. He has had to move as all of us have."

This time she said nothing. Only stared at me. A look of recognition that we were on a far deeper topic than the casual one with which the conversation had begun.

Then she nodded and said, "Yes. We have all had to change."

I said, "Me, more than anyone else. My kids mostly don’t come around to my way of thinking, and in many cases I could see that it was they and not me who were right."

She nodded again, I stood there for a while. Both of us quietly nodding together.

So I wish a specific few of you reading, a Merry Christmas from Laurie. She would probably add a wish for continued good dental health along with seasonal greetings.

And a grand scale Merry Christmas from me to all of the rest of you.

Best wishes for happiness in the season and for joy in the year to come. Best of the season to all of you: the peace makers, the merry makers, even the trouble makers.

I wouldn’t have wanted to have missed one minute of knowing you.

Love,

Arta

Bates Family Calendar

The ten reasons why we (Wyona, Greg and Tonia) LOVE the family calendar Charise made for the Bates':

10)  Each member of the family has the same number of pictures, carefully planned, counted and orchestrated.

9)  The flashes of Shuswap Lake behind people, around smiling faces, and highlighting the joy of the environment.

8)  The formality of October in comparison to the craziness of every other month. 

7)  The smiles, the smiles, the smiles, and puckery lips, pouty faces, looks of surprise and exposed tongues. 

6)  Family quotes and sassy sayings that highlight the humour that jumps out of our mouths.

5)  Audra reaching out to squeeze a bubble, in which is precariously floating the head of her aunt Lurene.

4)  Charise, pigtails, funny face, large eyes, see March.

3)  February - very sneaky

2)  Heads and bodies all around the calendar doing hilarious things such as floating above a donkey, stuck in a sunflower, hanging sideways off a tree, and resting on someone else's knee. 

1)  Originality, colour and hard work that created such a fantastic monthly reminder of family.  (Sniff!)

0)  Zoe Nicole Bates' birthday and St. Nicolas Day forming one grand holiday - Saint Zoe Nicole Day!

Fantastic work Charinse.  Thank you!!!

Post from Catie - "ping pong table"

When we went downstairs Christmas morning, we looked at our presents and no one could figure out what one of the packages was. I asked my mom what it was but all she would say is to look at the shape of the gift. When I looked again I saw it was a ping pong paddle. I tore downstairs. I opened the ping pong table and got it set up. That gift was a very amazing one!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas in Montreal

The Highlights of Christmas in Montreal--

1. The anticipation of Christmas morning. There is nothing like children waking up early and not being able to get back to sleep.

2. Listening to the children as they waited at the top of the stairs to make their grand entrance on Christmas morning. This is a Jarvis Family tradition. No one is allowed to go down stairs until everyone is awake. So much fun to watch the kid's anticipation and excitement.

3. Spending the weekend with Eric's brother David and his family.

4. Watching the kids try to figure out what Santa had brought them. Santa left a ping-pong paddle in each of the kids stockings. The paddle was still inside its packaging and had no obvious label on it. Each one of the kids examined the paddle and couldn't quite figure out what it was. Finally Catie asked me, "What is this?" I asked her to look carefully at the shape of the item inside the packaging. She said, "it looks like a paddle, a ping-pong paddle" Suddenly her eyes lit up and she screamed, "I know what Santa brought!" The three kids tore down the basement stairs to find a new ping-pong table in the basement. They were delighted.

5. Christmas Dinner with family and friends, although I have to say it wasn't quite the same without Mary, Leo and the Ottawa gang. Hopefully we will see them before New Years.

Oh, Christmas Tree

Anita and the kids spent time on the weekend putting up the Christmas tree.

I got the job of putting the Angel at the top, and placing a few ornaments up in the higher branches, while the kids put the ornaments down low.

Anita did most of the hard work, stringing the lights and setting the branches, but at least she had some musical accompaniment, with one of her Christmas CD's playing in the background.

After putting up the tree on friday night, Meighan ran into our room saturday morning, reporting that Santa had not put any presents under the tree.

We had to explain that Christmas is still 18 days away! It's so exciting to be a kid, waiting for Christmas Day!

- Doral

The Best, Worst and Wierdest TV Specials of the Season

Hi,

We were talking about the best movies of the season, and I just saw a review on the best, worst and wierdest TV specials of the season.

Check it out.

You may already know some of them!

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/blogs/popculture/2009/12/christmas_specials_the_best_th.html

Arta