No stress this Christmas
So many times in the past Christmas has come and gone and I have collapsed into a pile of gift wrap and swallowed the last of the fruitcake.
The holidays were always a rush of preparation followed by the letdown of family come and gone too quickly and I was left remembering all the things I didn’t accomplish.
The present aftermath is an experience of warmth and wellbeing.
The decision to spend Christmas at home was the best thing I ever did.
Here are some of the highlights I will reflect on in the days to come, starting with the Moose Milk I served to my pole-walking friends.
We walkers have decorated a tree on the Mission Creek Greenway for years and an open house here has become a tradition.
I baked Morning Glory muffins and decorated early to prepare for these special friends, all beautiful, young women who inspire me to get up and keep moving.
Mike and I took my adopted Kelowna grandsons to bowl and establish the first tournament of Christmas Champions.
We shopped for gifts for their parents after a vegan dinner at Lake Tai Restaurant. I have fond memories of these big handsome lads as little boys playing computer games under the Christmas tree.
The Solstice celebration at the Haley farm was magical as we gathered in front of the fire to share memories of years past when our children were young and we camped on Kootenay Lake in the summer where we shared tents and canoes and created stone sculptures on the driftwood.
Books & Friends Since ’77 says it all. We old girls have shared a dinner and gifts for a lot of years. Our friendships have survived good times and sad.
Betty Ann told about catching her nightgown on fire trying to save her turkey from burning down the kitchen one year.
Teresa laughed about the organic turkey whose wings and legs fell off when she lifted it from the roasting pan.
Nancy had a power outage and met her neighbours asking to roast her turkey in their oven.
My best memory recalls the time we put the bird in a paper bag, popped it in the oven and left to spend hours skiing at McCulloch. When we returned, the house smelled of sage and the turkey was done to perfection, all by itself. To think of all the times I basted and fussed, because my mother did. Seniors line up for the Christmas program at church. We love the traditional story and music, and smile at the contemporary creatures like dinosaurs who now show up at the nativity.
The Kelowna Unitarians staged a production directed by Catherine CunninghamHuston titled A Holiday Lawsuit that pitted a pagan Mother Earth with Santa Claus and featured a life-size mistletoe.
Elizabeth Wocks’ Adult Student Christmas Recital introduced artists like Sue Goodwin playing Mozart. A small, intimate afternoon with enough desserts to treat a hundred. I played Jingle Bells and was too fast and too anxious but I loved being part of the program.
When I consider my new piano and the new lessons I am reminded of the Zen quote about “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
I got smart and prepared the Wifesavers Breakfast for Christmas morning. You simply layer bread slices, Canadian bacon, onions and grated cheese in a baking dish and pour over two beaten eggs for each serving. Add a cup or two of rich milk and season to your liking.
Then cover and place in the fridge and when you awake it is ready to bake while you make the coffee.
Mike’s brother and sister in-law came by to help shovel and consume leftover soup. It means so much at this time of year for family members to make the effort to spend time with each other. We were grateful for their visit and sent them off with the last of the “hostess gifts” from our kitchen. “Hostess gifts” this year were individual cakes from Bliss Bakery.
My granddaughter brought Moon Shell Ice Wine for New Year’s Eve. This sweet treat was a riot of jasmine and lavender.
We played the Game of Life (I was a farmer, she was a movie star) and so life goes, on and on, whether you are naughty or nice. Let’s just love every minute. I know 2018 will be wonderful for all seniors everywhere. Email Jeanette Dunagan at jd2399@telus.net.