December 2011 - The Bulletin Magazine

then the women would do the dishes and the kids would romp enjoying each others company. All day, oranges,
bananas, dishes of nuts and candies would be available. Late in the afternoon, leftovers would be put out for anyone
with any appetite left. After it was all over, everyone was bundled up again to head home for evening chores. It was
a perfect day and repeated, without the gifts, New Years Day at a different family home.
Katarina Martynuik is 10 years old with a younger sister
named Payten. They live in Mount Albert. “Christmas trees,”
she told me. “When I think of Christmas I think of a
beautiful Christmas tree decorated with red and green with
a star on top.” She also dreams of snow for Christmas and
Santa. In her family, she told me, the tree goes up near the
beginning of December. This year is the first year that they
will have a real tree and she is looking forward to searching
out the perfect one. She will help her mom with the
Christmas baking, which will include chocolate chip
cookies, shortbread and of course, a gingerbread house.
There will be lots of Christmas music. Her favourite part of
Christmas is the coming of family from all over the country
and sometimes even from Germany. This year they are
expecting aunts and uncles from Vancouver and Powell
River in BC. Opa is from Germany so they open presents
Christmas Eve in the German tradition. Christmas morning
Opa will be in the kitchen whipping up his specialty, delicious, light, fluffy, Christmas waffles.
This year Katarina helped Payten write a letter to Santa and she added her own Christmas wish at the very end. She
only really wants one present this year and she is hoping that Santa, maybe with the help of her Mom, will be able
to manage. It isn't the presents that make Christmas her favourite time of the year. It is getting together with family,
the laughing and the feeling everyone gets being together.
This was a great project for me. I loved being immersed in the memories of Christmas. As I write this, it is still
November but in my heart it is Christmas. I am feeling the spirit in a different way than I did in the toy store at
Halloween. I have realized through meeting Ormand, Katarina and Ramona that although things have changed, the
important things still remain. The gifts might be different but it is the time with family that is important … and the
food. It is the smells of Christmas, the laughter, the oranges, bananas, baking and the nuts. I am still carrying
something Ramona said just before I walked out her door into a crisp, starry night. She had just been telling me how
her whole family gathers in her home for Christmas dinners now and I asked, is there anything that you miss about
the Christmases of long ago? “No,” she told me, “I live them again every year.”
“I live them again every year.” It echoes in my mind still. And so we do, in our memories and in our actions through
the season. So Merry Christmas everyone. I will see you again next year.
Note: Not all of us have the same happy memories from Christmases past. There are still opportunities to help
families who are not able to have an abundant Christmas this year. If you can, share with someone who doesn't have
as much. A small act of kindness can make a large difference.
Vicki Pinkerton lives on a small farm just outside of Mount Albert when she is not driving the roads of Canada.
She is a practicing life coach, a writer and adventurer who wonders about many things.
www.questacrosscanada.com or lifelinescoaching.org
Where do you see community? What makes it work? Let me know.
Email egbulletin@rogers.com and put Circles in the subject line.
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