I Am Sometimes Dreaming Of A White Christmas - December 25th, 2010

I am sometimes dreaming of a White Christmas.


And I have included here some photos to remind us exactly why.

Christmas here was warm. After dinner Christmas Eve, which was also Shabes with all the blessings and singing and dancing we went downtown to the Catholic Church.

I had never seen the inside of the building before and I barely saw it then because it was packed, and mass was celebrated by most of the congregation outside on huge screens.

Mostly, the place was like a carnival with balloons and games and cops making people pay for street parking.

Mass and the readings were said in every possible language: French, English, Lao and Vietnamese. The Bishop’s main subject and obsession is the spiritual downfall of France, fille ainée de l’église.

The flock was of every race and face: Vietnamese and Lao, of course, as well as Europeans and Indians.

And so, do I miss the snow? Well, yes. Today I missed the snow and tobogganing in Bickford Park and shoveling the damned stuff while joking with my neighbours on Montrose Avenue or watching Crazy Maria shovel while sitting in front of my fireplace and the smell of oak logs burning sweetly. And yes, I miss that feeling when your cheeks are so red with cold you can barely feel them, and the nice warmness of good winter clothing. I miss the cold when there is no wind and only the brisk dryness in the air. I miss hearing the muffled sound of freshly fallen packing snow underfoot.

I don’t have to tell you what I don’t miss – you are probably in the middle of it right now!

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year. May all your dreams come true. Remember, some of them are only a jet-lag away!