Horse Feathers

Another New Year's Eve and once again we respectfully say "Horse Feathers" to all party invitations and outings of any sort, although the invitations are not so forthcoming as they used to be - wonder why? Maybe it's because we prefer to stay home and eat animal crackers and duck soup. Call us coconuts but we would rather spend a day at the races and a night at the opera than set foot outside the door and get up to any monkey business.

If you are not a Marx Brothers fan, then you may not have picked up on the movie references in the previous paragraph. However, if you are a fan you will know that there is a Marx Brothers marathon on TV tonight and that is where you will find us clad only in our pjs. Or as Groucho would have said "I spent New Year's Eve watching TV in my pajamas - how it got in my pajamas I'll never know!"

Since this is the last blog entry for A Maritime Home Companion I want to thank you all for reading my mental meanderings over the past year. It was fun and I appreciated all the comments - some of which were more fun to read than the stories.

A Maritime Home Companion may have run its course but it's only fair to warn that you haven't heard the last of me. So out with the old and in with the new - a Happy New Year to all and be on the lookout for my new blog, Digital Donuts - coming soon to an appliance near you.

Nothing But Nice

This is a nice little story about what didn't happen to me a few days before Christmas way back in 1989. What didn't happen was that I didn't go to jail. I got to spend a nice Christmas with my little family instead of having to prove I wasn't naughty. I have always been thankful and amazed that things did not take a turn for the worse - must have been the Spirit of Christmas looking out for me. As usual, an explanation is required. Here goes...

John was about eight years old at the time and I had gone all out that year, decorating the house inside and out, upstairs and down. I was even so inspired that I trimmed our car - complete with tinsel, silver balls and even working lights strung all around the roof inside. It looked really special if I do say so myself. We would drive around with the lights on enjoying the neighbourhood displays while listening to Christmas music on the tape deck. Nice memories - but like I said, it was what didn't happen that makes that year so memorable.

John had a little friend who lived on our street and her name was Emily. It was a few days before Christmas and John and Emily were playing in the yard while I was puttering around in the garage. It was late afternoon and not yet dark when I asked John if we should show Emily our beautiful Christmas car which was parked in the garage. Sounds harmless enough so far - doesn't it? Well read on...

I guess I didn't notice that John had disappeared downstairs to play Nintendo as I turned on the Christmas lights in the car while only half listening to Emily chattering away in the background. It was still light outside and even in the garage the little lights did not have the desired effect so I thought it best to close the garage door, enclosing what turned out to be only me and Emily in the darkness. It was truly a magical moment as the lights twinkled away in the darkness, but the moment didn't last too long as it finally dawned on me that John was no longer with us. However I didn't have much time to consider the situation as in the distance I heard someone calling "Emily.... Emily". That was when it hit me.

I turned off the lights, pressed the garage door opener and as the door slowly opened there was Emily's father at the end of our driveway as Emily and I climbed out of the car and shuffled out into the twilight. I don't remember what I said at that exact moment - probably stammered an explanation about a special surprise for the kids or something of that sort. Her father was surprisingly calm as he collected his daughter and guided her homeward down the darkening street.

Of course I am using a little creative license here but the story is true. There was never really any problem and it was only in looking back that I even realized what a strange sight we must have been emerging from that darkened garage. I explained the situation and we had a laugh and said our seasonal pleasantries and I am happy to say that what might have appeared naughty was really nothing but nice. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Emily's father was a prominent lawyer and her mother a judge?

I'll say it again - the Spirit of Christmas was really looking out for me that year.

"Christmas Is..."

There is a song called "Christmas Is" and it is a favorite of mine - one of those songs you hear late at night on Christmas Eve with the radio playing low, usually sung by the Percy Faith Orchestra or Perry Como.

"Christmas is children who just can't go to sleep.
Christmas is memories, the kind you always keep.
Deck the halls and give a cheer - for all the things
That Christmas is each year...."

Christmas is many things to many people, but to me Christmas is a feeling that you find when you least expect it. And I keep finding it every year - sometimes it is a little more elusive than other years but it always shows up. I have found Christmas in many places - I have found it in Woolworth's notions department or the drug store counter, I have found it on ski hills, I have found it in church and in the emergency ward while suffering from the flu. I have found it skating alone on a frozen pond and I have found it driving in my car. I have found it late at night on the TV and I have found it in the maternity ward. One year I even found it in the palliative care ward.... that one was a little hard to find, but there it was.

I have found it in run down apartments and I have found it in beautiful homes with fireplaces aglow. It doesn't matter where it is, as long as you recognize it when you find it. It might not always be shiny and wrapped in tinsel, it might even hurt a little - sometimes joy comes at a price. I know what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown, and so do you. My advice at this time of year is to just leave yourself open to all the possibilities.... stay calm, be brave - wait for the signs.

Christmas is where you find it - but don't go looking for it, it will find you. Of course there are places where Christmas is a little easier to find and there are places where it will positively hit you over the head. I hope you find Christmas again this year and if not, I hope Christmas finds you.

Bring Back the Bells

Listen.... do you hear that? No you don't and neither do I. It is the sound of silence; the sound that was left when they quieted the bells of Christmas. I am talking about the bells that the Salvation Army volunteers used to ring at Christmastime as they once again held their Christmas Kettle fundraiser campaign.

And what a joyful sound that was! I can still hear it.... a gentle reminder that the spirit of Christmas was alive and well. It may have bothered some people but it sure never bothered me whether it was outside on a street corner or in a crowded mall. It was for a good cause - the best cause of all; people helping people.

It is quite common now for charities to mount their fund raising efforts around Christmas to feed the hungry and provide the children with toys and there is nothing wrong with that. But the Salvation Army has been doing it for generations and the symbol of the Christmas kettle with the volunteer ringing the bell has become synonymous with the spirit of seasonal giving. My grandmother did it, my sisters have done it and are still doing it to this day. I am very proud of them all.

What a wonderful charitable organization the Salvation Army is - it puts them all to shame without even trying. So I say ring those bells! Make skinflints like me dig even deeper into those lint-filled pockets. Fill those kettles! Make a joyful noise - you have to if you want to be heard above the sounds of the video arcade and Maria Carey warbling over the mall sound system. If I wasn't such a good Anglican I would be tempted to get out there and do it myself!

And for those of you who prefer the modern way of doing things - there is even an on-line version of the traditional Christmas Kettle. It is called the Ikettle and it can be found right here:
Ikettle

Personally I prefer the real thing so I will be dropping by the nearest location with my heartfelt, though meager donation - but hey, it all adds up, right? So make your contribution - and while you are at it ask them to make a little noise and maybe bring back the bells. After all, it's Christmas - a time when miracles can happen and who knows... who knows.