Christmas Time

Christmas Time - Usually such a busy, joyous time – bustling with activity: shopping for the perfect gifts, looking forward to seeing family and friends, searching through family favourites and new recipes to serve at the family gatherings, baking, cooking, preparing, wrapping, decorating, getting caught up in the excitement and the stress of the holidays and enjoying some downtime after the festivities are over! And every moment filled with love. This is usually how our Christmas is.

This year has been much quieter with the global pandemic – online shopping for a few gifts, having them shipped directly or dropping them off to front porches and saying hello from a distance, wearing masks, not as much baking or preparing or cooking since we all understand there aren’t gatherings of family or friends this year. Still, every moment is filled with love.

My heritage is Swiss Italian and I am married to a wonderful Canadian man. We have continued my European tradition of celebrating on the 24th, Christmas Eve, with my side of the family. We have had both sides of the families for Christmas morning brunch and then my husband’s tradition of Christmas dinner with his side of the family. These traditions have evolved over the years as family members pass on, some family move further away, children grow up and start their own traditions with their partners… yet we still keep Christmas Eve sacred for our family. We read the story of the birth of Christ on the 24th as Grace before dinner, he IS the reason for the season after all, and we say a Christmas prayer on the 25th as Grace at dinner. Every moment is filled with love.

Christmas Eve this year will have zoom or skype calls with family and friends overseas and close by, in place of being together. I’ll cook a festive meal and we will toast to those we love and care about deeply and those who have gone on ahead. We will read the story of the birth of Christ. We will ask that those who are struggling be blessed and that their burdens are lightened and not so heavy to bear. We will reflect on the Christmases past in the different seasons of our lives, grateful for every loved one, including pets and their special antics, and every Christmas experience that has brought us to Christmas present. Every moment was and is filled with love.

Yes, the holidays look different this year. Remember that we aren’t alone, we’re all in this together and if we do our part now, next year’s holiday will hopefully be more of the fun and chaos of what we are used to.

My wish for each of you: may your Holidays be healthy, may you stay safe and strong, may you be content and may you take time to reflect on those you love and keep them close to your heart this Christmas Time and always. And may every moment be filled with love.

Merry Christmas!