THE MADELEINE CHRISTMAS (1997)

       “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…..

Photographs 2022