Joyeux Noël

I can't seem to get into Christmas anymore. I know it’s because my parents and brother live so far away now and I miss them terribly.

I have such great memories of Christmas as a child. As do many French Canadians, we celebrate Christmas Eve. We went to bed early, but my parents would wake us up at midnight to open our gifts. As we got older, we stayed up until midnight. Being allowed to stay up was like a right of passage ... we were allowed to hang out with the grown ups, have a little wine, listen to their stories (which weren’t always edited for content!).

It seemed that everyone congregated at our place. And Mom cooked the best dinner! Turkey, tortiere, mashed potatoes, homemade pickles. After dinner, the adults would play cards, laugh and sing. It was such a happy time.

I remember one year, Alex and I were snuggled in bed, whispering and giggling as little girls do. Suddenly there was a noise outside. We were convinced that Santa was on our roof! We squeezed our eyes shut willing ourselves to fall asleep, because, as every child knows, Santa won't leave any gifts if he knows you're still awake. It must have worked, because I remember getting presents that year.

I miss my family, but I look forward to hopefully spending Christmas with them next year.

Until then, Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année! Je vous aimes beaucoup!