Category Archives: Happy Holidays!

Boxing Day

Here in Canada it’s Boxing Day. It has nothing to do with boxing gloves or rings but rather with an old tradition that came down to us from the U.K. and through our Commonwealth ties to that country.

On Boxing Day, you are supposed to box up the leftovers from your Christmas meal along with presents you don’t want or other items you no longer require and give them to those who are struggling. As a small child, I remember vestiges of this old tradition when my parents made sure there was a box of goodies to give away to a family we knew. Another aspect of the day was to provide time to a charity.

The charitable origins of Boxing Day now seem to be completely lost in an overload of after-Christmas sales that are akin to a shopping orgy, mostly for things many of us probably don’t need.

Too bad. A little selfless charity is a good thing, and especially in this tight economy. I won’t be spending any money today, but maybe some time.

Happy Boxing Day.

Summer Fun

With school holidays drawing to a close, I decided to post a second photo of this lovely sculpture on Lake Okanagan’s shoreline in Penticton. (The first time I posted a picture of this sculpture was about five years ago.)

I remember well those seemingly endless summer breaks when all you had to do was play intensely and be sure to arrive home – during my childhood, at least – when the streetlights started to come on. I think this sculpture captures well the childhood sense of freedom that many of us were able to enjoy and is perhaps gone forever, replaced by caution and organisation.

Happy Monday.

It’s not Easy Being Green

Today is St Patrick’s Day, and although I don’t have any Irish antecedents, my husband does. He, in fact, is half Irish.

Photo courtesy of Paige Morris

I don’t really understand why St Patrick’s Day has become so popular (is it the green beer? the riddance of green snakes?), but since I’m a half French frog, I do understand the green background and that it confers a certain ability to stand up to the preconceived notions of others.

So here’s to the Irish! May they live as long as they want, and never want as long as they live.