"Garfield...it's Christmas Eve morning!"
Well, late afternoon anyway. Christmas is the time of year where our family spends many precious hours together, sipping fattening drinks, eating fattening food, and watching ridiculously cheesy and oh-so-much-older-than-you-were-born Christmas movies. I don't mean the old classics, It's A Wonderful Life or White Christmas - although those are ranked among my favourites - I mean the wonderful era of the 90's, when Garfield, Flinstones, Muppets, and Fraggles still roamed tv land. Among their Christmas specials (which we recorded years ago on those ancient things called tapes), are also those of Family Matters, Home Improvement, and Mr. Bean. Ah, such precious memories!
But hey, our lead-up to Christmas isn't only about watching tv. The first Sunday of advent begins with setting up the manger (on top of the tv...that's the only place it works!). After that - well, after I come home from school last week, in time for Mass for the fourth Sunday of advent - the week is made up of a plethora of gingerbread houses, baking, Christmas music, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, hockey, skiing, food, food, food, FOOD. There's SO much food here I can't handle it! And even more for tonight...ah, let me tell you how we celebrate Christmas!
My parents are both French, to begin with. They grew up in the same tiny French village in southern Saskatchewan (drive fifteen minutes and you hit the U.S. border). Naturally they have the same traditions in celebrating Christmas - a Reveillon. Don't know what that is? Google it. Most of France and Quebec don't do it anymore, but Saskatchewan French people are...well...different. Special. We still do it. Mass is never at midnight anymore, but tonight it's at 10pm. As soon as it and the festivities at the church are over, we'll drive back home, sit through a toast given by my parents, while one of the younger siblings (who are well into their teen years, might I add?) will sneak to the tree and let out a little "rrrriiip". That's when the gift opening begins - so joyous! My hands are shaking just thinking about it! After that's done, we'll go back into the kitchen. Mom pulls out her tourtiere (French meat-pies), and we all sit down to a real feast - tourtiere, butter tarts, nanaimo bars, fudge, truffles, food food food! And wine. So much wine.
When we were younger, we used to stay up till the sun came out, playing with our new toys while the adults would play cards. Now that we don't get toys for Christmas anymore, and many of my siblings are unfortunately not passionate about cards at 3 in the morning, we usually go to bed between 2 or 3. This year I hope to get a good game of ramoli or something started before everyone goes to bed.
The next morning we all sleep in. Christmas and New Years are two days out of the entire year we are allowed to sleep in past 9. However, most of us are up by then, because while we were sleeping, our parents will have stuffed our stockings we had laid out the night before! We each get oranges, chocolates, candy canes, and many other little gifts. After Mass (which is always at 11am - our church never changes), we'll go home again and sit down to the best treat of the season - homemade crepes (pronounced "creps", not "crapes", you easterners!)!! Mom's crepes are always amazing. Paper thin, we slather on some peanut butter, and spoonfulls of brown sugar, then roll of the delicious pastries. There are never leftovers, even though mom makes enough to feed an army.
The rest of the day is filled with visiting and card games or a hockey game outside, until supper time. This is where the turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, cabbage rolls, ham, etc., etc., comes in. And tens upon tens of pies for desert!
I hope this helps you see why I get so excited for Christmas each year. It isn't the food, the gifts, the music, the traditions. Well, actually, yeah, it is.
Merry Christmas everyone.
