Head Tale

Entertainment Weekly has a poll on which of the many inter-connected couples in my favourite Christmas movie, “Love, Actually” actually stays together the longest with Jamie and Aurelia (the writer and his assistant) currently with a comfortable lead of 40% of votes cast.  They did independently decide to learn each others’ language so that’s some pretty big commitment anyhow!

I watch “Love, Actually” every Christmas season and that’s one of my main traditions.  We recently had friends over for supper and the conversation turned to other Christmas traditions we had – either as kids or now that we’re adults with families of our own.

Here’s a few…

– in my family growing up, one person (usually one of the kids but not always) would hand out the presents one-by-one with everybody taking time to watch each present being opened.  (It was a shock to the system to take in my first Christmas at Shea’s house where they do much more of an “every man for himself” approach!)

– Santa presents are left in front of the tree already opened/assembled/batteries installed.

– when I was a teenager in Indian Head and for a few years after I graduated, our neighbour across the street (who had two boys of his own) would organize a road hockey tournament that would draw 20-30 people on Boxing Day.  Afterward, we’d go to their basement for food, hot chocolate (and after a few years, beer!) and to watch the latest Don Cherry video one of them inevitably received for Christmas followed by a screening of “Slapshot”.

– I’m not sure when the Christmas Day nap in the afternoon became a tradition but probably sometime after “having Bailey’s while opening presents” also became part of the tradition.  😉

– I listen to “Fairytale of New York”, pretty much on repeat, through the whole month of December (although “White Wine in the Sun” is quickly replacing it as my go-to melancholy/joyous Christmas favourite.)

– speaking of music, a big part of my childhood was visiting my grandma’s house where she always had a great collection of classic Christmas-themed records that were fun to listen to.

– Christmas stocking contents varied each year but you could count on a Christmas orange, the storybook box of Lifesavers and a pair or socks.

– Growing up, my sister and I were allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve though, hand-selected by an adult, it usually turned out to be pyjamas, some other type of clothing or a very simple toy.

– Grandma T.’s got a new one going with Pace that blends Christmas, Thanksgiving and uhm, poop.  Her Christmas/Thanksgiving turkeys seems to magically leave chocolate “droppings” around the house in the days leading up to Christmas for Pace to find and eat.

– I always loved (and still do love) any Christmas parties leading up to Christmas – whether it was through the service clubs my mom and dad belonged to or other community ones or whatever.  I have especially fond memories of the ones where there was carol singing (and if you ever see me at a church during Christmas, the chance to sing carols will pretty much be the only reason I’m there.  In fact, a highlight of my life was taking in a carol service at the York Minster when I was in England in 1995 right before I came home for Christmas.)

I feel like I’m missing lots but those are a few off the top of my head…