“Become a child again at Christmastime….” -Laura Ingalls
Wilder
Best Christmas Day ever. We all agreed. To this very day.
Deep in snow. 1997 . Not just any snow. Edmonton snow. Thick
and lustrous like dry meringue. Cold, cold, cold, cold. Brrrrrr.
We were still in the military.
Christmas Day was slated for visitations.
Lots of people had to
work. We were asked to take goodies and
wish a Merry Christmas at three
work places.
In the cold, cold, cold. Brrrr. Brrr. Brrrr.
I sewed Madeleine coats with Russian hats and muffs for the
girls. They wore them Christmas eve and Christmas Day. Thick blue felt with
black fur. Warm as toast, dressed like their favourite story character
“Madeleine”.
Off we went that cold, cold, cold Christmas day…..-32 Celsius
(give or take). Wind howling. Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr.
The type of cold that froze eyelashes and made your noses frost up like reindeers. We
were sure there might still be reindeer lurking about, we told the girls. They kept a lookout.
Our first stop was at the Firehall. A ton of firemen making
Christmas dinner. We brought treats. We added it to their table laden with xmas
crackers, pans of stuffing, cranberry sauce and a pile of mashed potatoes. There was a huge crock of gravy they took turns stirring.
Nothing to do that cold, cold, cold day, they said. Except
take us on a ride in the fire truck. Just us.
Around the neighbourhood and back again, about four times, siren
blazing. Horn a beeping. We each got to play with the siren. Loud. Loud. Loud.
When we left they
handed out candy and books.
Sticky with candy canes
we toodled onto the next place.
The car was warm, almost hot. Condensation dripped down the
windows.
We came to a remote place. High on a barren hill near the
base.
It was cold, cold, cold. Our breath blew into ice. We
covered our mouths and noses. Our frozen
eyeballs complained about the Brrrr.
Brrrr. Brrrr.
We left more goodies at this silent outpost for the workers who
had to man their station over the
holidays. We wished them a Merry Christmas then headed onto our last stop.
Another quiet place.
Bound in snow. A low building with two maintenance men. With coffee and dinner
waiting. Not a soul elsewhere in the
Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr. They told the girls there were reindeer outside.
We wished them Merry Christmas, and hurried out into the snow.
It was cold, cold, cold. Desolate. Freezing. And yes. There in
the sky the girls were sure they saw
reindeer, flying overhead.
Then it was home through absent streets. To warmth . Fire.
Snow drifts stretching across the windows. Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr.
The Madeleine coats were hung up. Never used again. Kept in the side of the closet, still, some 20 years later.
The Madeleine coats were hung up. Never used again. Kept in the side of the closet, still, some 20 years later.
Not to mention, those pesky reindeer who left jelly beans on our car, as they flew
over…..
Great memories. The girls look so cute in those coats!
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