Making Traditions

You know how it is--some traditions are worth keeping and some just fall away. I have made our homemade family calendars a yearly way of organizing my photos and keeping up on making hard copies of the digital files worth keeping and filing into a project or an album. I often do some collage projects at this time of the year, making little books and gifts and cards. Today we made peppermint bark and pipe cleaner snowflakes and candy canes. We made our gift lists and checked them twice, putting tags on all the bags of Shaktea's finest that we bought for our friends, family, and for each other.

We finally put the tree up last night and Ules has already performed the annual ritual of shaking and feeling his presents to try and guess what's under the wrapping. Every year I vow not to use new paper wrapping and every year I succumb to at least some shiny happy crinkly paper. I am glad I finally posted my Christmas cards--some I did though snail mail and some through e-mail to keep it economical. There's something special about sending those cards off, knowing that they might create the same thrill you get when a Christmas card comes in the post. I like the ones that come with at least a bit of news or a photo.

The collection of snowmen is out, the tiny Christmas village and ornaments old and new. This year I bought some vintage chenille ornaments from the most senior lady on our block. I will think of her each Christmas and I value the memories she gave us. Some ornaments are glamorous and glittery, some homespun, and my favorite are the ones with just a touch of homely pathos. I appreciate those ornaments with a good helping of wabi sabi or the je ne sais quoi of the bittersweet melancholy that this season is tinged with. This is the time of the year when we count our blessings and think about those events and news stories which really touched us this year. I am thinking about the local family whose two daughters were involved in a (thankfully non fatal) car accident and I wish them healing and rest. This year there were two stories of women trapped in Saudi Arabia without the ability to leave abusive situations which really touched my heart. The first story, a woman whose family would not allow her to be with her lover did have a good ending, I believe, thanks in part to at least one CBC radio interview. The second story, a woman trapped with her children in an abusive relationship is still ongoing. I wish and pray for an ending to her pain and suffering.

It is with fatigue and sadness that I hear rumors that once again the short-sited conservative government is going to try to shut down the CBC. Bah humbug and a one finger salute to Stephen Harper. The CBC radio is one of our family traditions. I listen to it almost every morning as I do the dishes and prepare breakfast. It's one of my tiny windows on the world and a very important agent for tolerance and change in our country.