Look what my husband did to surprise me for our outdoor holiday lighting this year! I have hinted every year how much I love the Butchart Gardens Display tree at the corner of West Saanich and Keating that we drive by every day during December. So after many, many packages of lights and a few long evenings of wrapping with the kids pitching in too, we have this fantastic display in our front yard. Of course with this process the house lights are not up yet but you know, I’d be happy with just this! He added the snowflakes, silver baubles, spot lights and voila our garry oak trees make us smile every night! Don’t you love it? All we need is a dusting of snow on Christmas Eve and it becomes magazine cover photo opportunity! His deadline for completion was yesterday so that we could share this display with our dinner guests- I’ll explain!
Many of us have friendships that are special with a long history of memories but everyday life gets in the way of nurturing these relationships and fitting regular visits into our busy schedules. Does this happen to you and your family? Then along comes Christmas and suddenly we feel the urge to connect with those whom we haven’t had the opportunity to do so in a long while. I think this is one of the most wonderful things that the holiday season encorages us to do. Don’t you think? How nice does it feel when you can make these kinds of catch up visits with friends and family happen during such a festive season?
That’s exactly what we did this past weekend-thus the deadline for a pretty front yard! For the past 19 years our family along with 3 others gathered for a lovely meal. We started with 8 adults and now there are 23 of us (seated at very long table indeed at my house) and we had an evening to remember! We poured over past memories with photos of us all in the 80’s with “big hair” and giggled at our wardrobes! At the table each of us commented one by one at what we were most grateful for and it was our long lasting friendship and special memories that topped the charts. We were reminded that for our 4th year, 3 of us gals thought we didn’t need to have these big elaborate dinners together and that we could simplify with other small visits but thank goodness the 4th gal absolutely insisted that we do. We have created such a wonderful tradition that we and all the many kids look forward to each and every year. At the time we didn’t realize the significance of our gatherings but now, looking back and listening to the comments from our teens,we recognize they really appreciated having these friendships nurtured. I hope we have inspired our kids – I love imagining the possibility of all our kids carrying on this tradition once they have children. It warms my heart!
It’s still early enough in December, so there’s still lots of time to plan a gathering or even just have a nice hot apple cider with friends. If it’s too hectic it would be wonderful to plan something for January to ring in the new year and lift your spirits after the holiday hoopla has calmed down. Have you already planned something? If not, give it some thought and catch up with a friend with whom you have been meaning to do so!
On a side note I wanted to share our visit to the Saanichton Community Christmas event on saturday- It was a bright, sunny and crisp afternoon for a horse drawn carriage ride! What a treat it was! We enjoyed complimentary hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies, photos of Santa Claus and visits by Jack Frost, The Grinch, Cindy Lou and The Ice Queen with live music and lots of Christmas Spirit all for generous donations for the food bank! Thank you to the organizers. Well done!
Here is Amelia enjoying the horsey! And check out the gingerbread village on display at Fresh Cup Roastery in Saanichton! Have a merry, merry week!
“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.”
~ Peg Bracken.
Your tree looks awesome! I’ll have to see it when I take in my annual Butchard Gardens evening stroll over the holidays! I love your blogs, puts a big smile on my face and makes me think how precious time really is! Merry Christmas to you and your staff!