Making memories: A Christmas adventure
The Christmas season is special, a time spent with family and friends that always leaves me feeling warmed. Now in my golden years, my memories of Christmases past arrive with the first snow.
I recall that when still quite young, we set the chimney alight by tossing too much shredded wrapping paper on the fire. Ever after that, it had to be carefully removed and neatly folded.
On clearing out my parents’ last home, I opened a closet door and was all but buried by an avalanche of the stuff.
Then, there was great Uncle Jock, he used to seed the chair he sat in before dinner with loose change for us kids to find. Invariably, he also spilled a glass of red wine on Mum’s best damask table cloth.
When in my early teens, something happened that I will never forget. It took split seconds and the memory never fails to amuse me.
Dad returned from the kitchen with a ladle of flaming brandy to pour on the Christmas pudding, but stumbled at the head of the table. In so doing, he flipped the fuel towards the foot of it. A sheet of blue flame licked its way towards Mum, stopping short by inches. Her remark “You missed!”, turned shocked silence into nervous laughter. The sheepish grin on Dad’s face was priceless. True, the centrepiece had flared, but immediately failed, so no real harm was done.
Among my fondest memories are those of the day we, as a family, went out to find and cut the Christmas tree. In a way, it marked the beginning of the long-awaited Christmas season.
A thermos of hot chocolate and a hamper of food, sandwiches, and our first taste of Christmas baking, accompanied us into the hills. Consumed around a small fire, the picnic capped the adventure.
Changing times have led to the loss of this traditional search for most of youth and in order to recapture the spirit of this adventure, even making some memories, the Okanagan Historical Society, Kelowna Branch, will be hosting a Christmas Tree Hunt on a large local property (hot chocolate provided).
Take KLO Road east, turn onto Hall Road (first left after crossing Mission Creek bridge) and then follow the balloons to 3130 Hall Road. The fun begins at 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday December 17.
As of this publishing and two generous donations, ALL proceeds will benefit the Okanagan Historical Society.
Come one , come all! A good turnout is hoped in order for this to become an annual event. Merry Christmas to all!
Born in 1948, Don Ford is a third generation member of a family who settled in the Mission area of Kelowna in the early 1920s. In early youth, he spent a lot of time with those of the first generation, and learned from them what life had ben like over the previous 50 years. This article is part of a series submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information would be welcome at PO Box 22105, Capri PO, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9N9.