15 Days and Counting

A quick glimpse of the calendar sees my weary eyes fall upon December 10. In seasonal disbelief, I make peace with the reality that the Merry Day of Christmas is 15 days and counting. Eep.

Without truly realizing it, I have flung myself from the galactic high dive platform (situated roughly between the Mir space station and the moon) and plunged head long into the glorious seasonal revelry. Craft shows, night shopping, country drives in the snow, indulgent treats that we only ever eat this time of year, more art shows, decorating the tree and the house, playing outside until noses are cold and legs are numb….

I finally hit me this weekend like a swift kick in the rump: I’m in full swing of my seasonal glory and had completely failed to realize it. The traditions that I have fostered and cultivated over the years are holding true for yet another year, even in the wake of a frantic work schedule and my present bout of the sniffles. Nothing sexier than a woman with deep, sultry sore throat now is there? Blah.

November brings a rapid succession of art and craft shows throughout the city and surrounding area; the chance to find something unique that cannot be found mass produced in the malls. One such event takes place outside of the city and every year I go in the evening. The sun has long since set for another day, and the inky blackness of the night is offset by the random stringing of Christmas lights. Fire pits roar and crackle as your breath creates smoky patterns in the chilled night air. The trees are dense on the borders of the property; so much so that the music wafting from the speakers struggles to penetrate them. Coffee with liquor and roasted chestnuts are on the menu and the floor of the largest building on the lot is covered in fresh wood chips; the earthy timber scent mingling with the fresh baking for sale.

A few hours in the crisp country air and I am ready to take on the holidays. A few weeks later and a mind-boggling NINE art and craft shows have been successfully conquered. As well as freshly baked Saskatoon berry butter tarts and piping hot mugs of a German (or Scandinavian) boozy beverage called Glukwine. Fabulous stuff, let me tell you – I am so thankful it is had only once a year though. I can only imagine the woeful state of the morning after too much of that heady brew.

The decorations are going up in stages as I have not been able to commit one full day to their completion. But every day gets them a little closer. The shopping is nearly complete except for my father (yet again). We all have one person who is impossible to buy for – for me – it’s him. Every. Year. I usually don’t have a struggle shopping for men, which in part is why I have never understood why they end up getting socks and underwear for presents, but c’est le vie.

But the father has always been difficult to shop for, and this year proves to be following the trend. But not to worry, it always sorts itself out in the end and he always seems to enjoy his gifts immensely.

The out-of-town packages are nearly ready to be sent, which means I am indulging in one of my all-time favourite Christmas endeavours – gift wrapping. I love gift wrapping. Love. It. In years past I have wrapped gifts for my friends who otherwise loathe the process themselves. I have even volunteered for charity gift wrapping outlets in the malls, and apparently still maintain the record for the only individual able to wrap a wetsuit without the aid of a box….or another person.

Hold tight for a second while I add that little gem to my resume will you?

Now there are still plenty of favourite restaurants to visit and numerous events to take in such as the Zoo Lights and the 12 days of Christmas at Heritage Park. One such event that has become a fast tradition is the annual charity Teddy Bear Toss. The minor hockey team is part of a league-wide challenge in which they ask all of their fans to bring a stuffed bear or animal with them to the game. When the home team scores their first goal, everyone is to throw their animals onto the ice. The plush critters are then gathered up and donated to a wide variety of charities throughout the year.

Last year: (toss)


From another angle:


I was sitting this close THIS year – but the other side of the arena:

This year: (post-toss)



All 26, 919 bears were sailing over my head at some point as I was seated in the first bowl of the arena, about 10 rows from the ice. I’m actually a little surprised that on the last YouTube link that I see can’t spot the shirt I was wearing when the camera pans to the far left. Pillow fluff can still pack a fierce wallop when launched from the vast unknown regions above onto the spectators below. Over 17,000 people were throwing fur at once – and for people seated in my section, for every one critter we would toss over the glass – another 80 would descend upon our heads in mere seconds to be carried forward on their journey to their icy resting spot.

Ah – tis’ the season. It took over half an hour to clear the ice, and the bears were still coming down.

The T.B.T. has become a perennial favourite not only for me, but for the thousands that attend every year. I even saw people who collected new bears on sale all year and came in with multiple clear garbage bags full of fluffy goodness.

A few glasses of draft, a plate of nachos the size of a small mountain and the chance to burn off both calories and stress by pitching things in a public forum…no one has every accused me of doing anything “traditional”, so why start now?

But it raises an interesting point. I have a voluminous cornucopia of holiday traditions that have become my own and that I share with my family. From the food I buy and serve, to the ornaments I hang on the tree – every single one of them telling a story. The Christmas morning traditions are ones that I have come to accept as second nature and that I am delighted to realize I could adapt and replicate anywhere.

What are your holiday traditions?

And in this festive season of giving and sharing…For every one of your favourite traditions shared – I will happily share another one of mine!