For a few days last week, snow and ice storms brought us all hope for a white Christmas here in the Lower Mainland.
And though that hope has been dashed by recent weather forecasts – rain is expected Christmas Day – the soggy conditions haven’t dampened the spirit of the season.
This is the time of year for families and friends to gather and enjoy each other’s company, even if the mittens, toques and toboggans stay packed away for now.
It’s a time for children’s eyes to alight with wonder and magic. It’s a time for parties, with much laughter and fellowship, and perhaps too, a few festive cocktails (consumed responsibly, of course).
The holiday is a celebration, both religious and secular.
It’s also a time of year when many of us connect with our roots, whether it means traveling to visit far-flung family members not seen often enough, or blowing the dust off old holiday trinkets and traditions from generations past.
That’s especially true in Canada, a nation of immigrants.
For many, Christmas is an amalgam of Western traditions like turkey and colourfully wrapped presents under a decorated tree and their own cultural celebrations – a piñata hung from the ceiling, a feast of spicy sauces and flatbread or polished boots placed in the window awaiting gifts left in the night.
Some, of course, don’t celebrate Christmas at all. They gather a couple of weeks later according to the Julian calendar, or for the new year, or for Eid, the festive conclusion to Ramadan.
In our ever-changing world, filled with so much uncertainty, it’s these traditions that ground us and keep us connected to where we came from, who we are.
They also weave the tapestry of our multi-cultural country.
Celebrating the season and creating new traditions is part of the magic of Christmas.
Here’s to a joyous one, however you celebrate.
Merry Christmas!