Saturday, December 12, 2009

Christmas Caroling



Walking for the first time in down town Vancouver, happened to be around the Christmas period for me.
What made it special, was seeing Christmas carolers, dressed in costumes of days of old .
They were just like my Christmas cards I had tucked away for safe keeping, treasured memories of days gone by,
when people used to go to ice rinks and live in small towns with small churches and horse drawn carriages.
Looking at these cards allowed me to dream about how pleasant, kind and nice life could be.

It reminded me of days in Montreal on St Catherine Street when all three of our biggest stores,
Simpsons, Eatons and The Hudsons Bay Co.behaved like a big family,
filling their windows full of wonderful winter scenes, elves, trains, Christmas trees and boxes and boxes of presents.
Those windows were always packed with people, who just couldn’t get enough of these displays.
I was one of them.

In Vancouver, suddenly, snow flakes began falling on quiet empty streets because families
were all at home enjoying a few days of long awaited rest.
I was a visitor, far away from home, looking for the hotel with the “big green roof” to have my Christmas meal in.lol

It was a lonely time of year for me that year but inside the hotel, the buffet was great and the people seemed to be quietly enjoying it.
During the week of my visit, I frequented many an establishment and saw people singing carols in many different ways.
They turned them into rock and roll and today into rap.

It seems that every generation has a love and a use for them.

Our heritage traditions are unique and they are what makes this country a special place to live.
Christmas is just as important as the Thanksgiving Turkey on our table.

Granted, some people just don’t care about holidays or celebrations of any kind.. They sit like Uncle Scrooges and Grinches complaining,
feeling they are doing this country a favor by getting rid of the past, which reminds people of colonialism, emperialism and the world wars.

They seem to think that by getting rid of all the memories, people will heal and have nothing more to gripe about.
There has never been a day in history where people didn’t complain and there never will be.
Some just live to complain.
Historians believe we cannot run away from our past.

We can learn from it, celebrate it, understand it, share it,
try not to repeat it but it is never healthy to keep it hidden in a closet
like it never happened, because it did.


Some people may not like Carolers or Christmas or the Bible but like it or not, this country was built on these institutions
and they are things all Canadians have, to be proud of.

These are things I will tell my grand children about and they will tell theirs and one day
maybe they will become just stories to remember written in some musty history book.

One day some one will pick up a book of Legends and read it and say Hey! Now there’s an idea.

Lets do a Carolers Day or a Christmas Day because it brought peace and joy and comfort to a lot of families and while
we’re at it maybe the idea of FAMILY should be revived as well and Thanks giving.

Now why do you think they got rid of all these things? They’d ask.

Because……………. Good things …………….never die.


Brenda Lee Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.

11 comments:

Nessa said...

Gosh, I hope these traditions do not go away. That would be very sad indeed.

Unconscious Mutterings

Vicky said...

Lovely sentiments! I too love the "tradition" that comes with Christmas and long for it to remain the way it was while we were growing up! Thanks for sharing your memories!

GMG said...

Hi Lady! Lovely post! Wonderful painting and beautiful quote!

Blogtrotter, which is always with one year delay in posting, headed to London December 2008. Enjoy and have a great week!

roughterrain crane said...

The history of every country is "UNIQUE" as you say. It has unique joy and sadness on its long winding road. A person who well understands the uniqueness of his country will have respect for other countries with different cultures.
Please take care not to catch a cold.

alady'slife. said...

Thanks guys. I too hope our tradition stays because this is what makes us a wonderful continent.
At my home I have a tradition with a christmas tree because I never want to take it down.
After our christmas comes the chinese new year and deepavali and easter and then others pop up and all I do is change decorations along the way so the house is always festive.
So we have many traditions of many cultures in this home.
All unique and all special.
But some belong to the country of origin and they should be kept because then my tree will have every one elses decorations but none signifying the uniqueness and tradition of North America
Our national holidays are being slowly picked away at. We are taught to be ashamed of them.
but they will never be destroyed
The USSR today has all its churches back and all the traditions inspite of all they tried to do to change them.

George said...

This is an absolutely beautiful post. I think you have really hit the nail on the head. I hope our children and grandchildren can enjoy the traditions we grew up with.

SandyCarlson said...

I love these songs, too. I don't much love them modified, but I love to hear them--even though the modifications keep them alive and the message lives.

Melli said...

And they never WILL die... but they do change. Trends change. Each generation takes some of the past and adds something new... eventually the several things from the past have been dropped and the first new thing becomes the old thing! And that's why the saying... Everything that goes around, comes around! Eventually we do it again! But the young folks think it's all brand new! :)

My church is going out caroling next Wednesday night. Me and my lousy voice will be with them! I can't WAIT!

A Free Spirit Butterfly said...

This post is so appropriate for me. This Saturday my Church family and I will be singing Christmas Carols for our local nursing home. This will be my first time and I'm so excited. I'm no singer, so I'll be in the back (smile)

Love you and wishing you and your family the most beautiful and warmest Holiday ever!


Peace and continued blessings!
Thanks for the comment about my cards. I'm in the process of trying to sell my home, so I packed up China's Creations.

I loved to make you one and mail it after I'm done with the whole process!

juliana said...

where i grew up, christmas had no tradition. we had new year's eve and farher cold instead. still, it was a time full of expectation and excitement and tree decorating (even if on new year's eve) and presents on new year's morning...

A Lady's Life said...

George: Thank you I think people need to keep talking so future role models have something to read and be inspired by

Sandy: I agree. I enjoy the old Christmas songs but they are slowly being replaced as people need change.
As long as the gist of it is there I guess it ok lol

Melli :I agree I have conversations with my son. I tell him you are living with a fad that comes and goes but the basics, the great things, never change Its like the classy black dress that is always in style. Every generation wears it.

Butterfly: I love old people and I love babies because through them you see the beginning and the end and you are the in between looking at innocence.
The innocent empty headed at one end and the innocent wise ones at the other end. Both ends are feeble weak but have so much still to give man can learn from.

Juliana: I am so sorry you did not have a Christmas experience. It's the best.
Some places do not exchange gifts for Christmas but only at New Year and that's fine.
I don't think God minds Santa helping Jesus spread the word.
After all St Nick was a very private old man who saw poverty, suffering and did things not for personal rewards but because it was the right thing to do and this is what our religion teaches us.We call him St Nick because he was a Saint and now we call him Santa. lol