"The merry family gatherings, the old, the very young. The strangely, lovely way
they harmonize, in the carols sung. For Christmas is tradition time, traditions that
recall, the precious memories down the years, the sameness of them all."
- Helen
Lowrie Marshall
Good Day EWI!
I must tell you that as I write this I am hearing in my head Tevye (Topol) from Fiddler on the Roof, sing "Tradition"! It is one of my favourite movies that I love to watch at this time of year, along with Dr. Zhivago. Why the fascination with Russia? My maternal grandparents and two of my Aunts immigrated from there in 1923, (well, actually one was born on the way to Canada in England), so it always fascinates me. I am determined to take in the new movie Anna Karenina this holiday too.
For the first time in about ten years I am making the trek home to Saskatoon for Christmas. My Mom is not able to travel here anymore and her dear sister, my favourite Auntie, is about to have her last Christmas as she is in stage four cancer without treatment. This Christmas will be bitter sweet for all of us, to be sure. What makes it bearable is that I know she will take comfort in seeing us continuing on with a lot of the traditions she enjoyed as a child and in turn helped our Mother recreate for us. One of which is the fact that "Santa" always placed a mandarin orange in the toe of our stockings.
I would hazard to say that this coming week, over any other week in the year, is where we each lovingly embrace our individual traditions to the greatest degree. Maybe its your Grandmother's recipe for shortbread cookies, turkey stuffing or the way in which you decorate your tree; traditions become ingrained in us and passed down through the collective experiences we share with our loved ones.
Your favourite Christmas recipes filling your kitchen with those wonderful smells of fresh baked cookies, the scent of pine from your Christmas tree, or maybe even the smell of wet woolen mittens, it is those sights, smells, tastes and feelings which help imprint those memories we hold dear and help us to create traditions.
EWI is full of our own traditions, collectively gathered and cherished throughout our 75 years of history. How blessed are we to be members in such an amazing organization? We impact lives each and every day and that, in and of itself, is so heartening! As we turn the calendar soon to 2013 and officially start the countdown to our 75th Anniversary on April 20th, it is my Christmas wish that each Chapter can take a moment to truly celebrate their efforts and the impact they have made in the lives of their member representatives and in the communities in which they live. Let this be a joyous year for EWI!
In closing, I leave you with this Christmas blessing:
"With faith, courage and hope, every dream is achievable. If you dream, dream to succeed. May this Christmas, God bless you with determination, honesty and happiness."
- Anonymous
I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
-K
Karen, that is truly bittersweet. So very sorry to hear about your Auntie. I am sure it was a very special Christmas.
ReplyDeleteWe, too, always had a mandarin orange in the toe of our stocking! And usually a banana. Maybe it was my mom's way of fighting scurvy when we lived in Alaska and fresh fruits and vegetables were expensive..ha..also a Matchbox car and a little wrapped something from my maternal grandmother. I especially loved the thrill of the tiny wrapped present.
One of our local EWI traditions is to host our scholarship winners at our December meeting and hear from them. We always laugh and cry as they impress us with their courage and determination. They are such an inspiration.
Happy New Year and it will be a wonderful 75th anniversary!