Eaton Centre Christmas Tree
Dear Readers, earlier this week we accidentally came across the ‘magical Christmas Tree’ at the Eaton Centre in Toronto. It looks pretty impressive in its ‘normal’ state, a huge twinkly red and gold edifice that sails past three floors of shops. But on the hour all sorts of exciting things happen – it changes colour, snowflakes shimmer against the walls and ceiling, and occasionally a Canadian Maple Leaf flag appears.
And if you have fourteen minutes to spare, you can watch the whole lighting ceremony on Youtube here including a children’s choir singing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, possibly the most long-winded of Christmas songs, but still something to mark the season.
And there’s the Christmas reindeer, of course….
Photo by Sikander Iqbal, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
So with all this going on, I wonder why I don’t feel more Christmassy? I’ve mentioned that I’m in Toronto on family business, and this week we’ve been doing a lot of house clearance, which always makes me a little melancholy, though there’s something very satisfying about making order out of chaos. What gets me most, though (and this has been a theme in every house that I’ve ever cleared, including my parents’ little bungalow) are the things kept ‘for best’ that are still in pristine condition, sometimes even wrapped, because the owners were waiting for a special day to use them. I’m determined to find a way to use the things that I’m lucky enough to have, even if it means that they get broken or spoiled. The bulk of my belongings will end up in a skip if I don’t find a way to use them, or to pass them on to people who need them. And how much easier it would be to start on this soon, when I get home! I will let you know how I get on. I think I might feel much lighter, and clearer, if I wasn’t so bogged down with ‘things’.
Photo by Juliescribbles, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
I empathise with the house clearing and am on the same page when it comes to ‘the best’ things kept for a special occasion, hence I decided years ago to use what I have for the purpose for which it was made. A very special milk jug my father gave me broke and, instead of the tears I had imagined would flow, I stuck it into my flower garden – where I have a couple of ‘precious’ teapots and mugs too. My mother used to say these are ‘just things’ and that the memories associated with them are far more valuable. Enjoy using your precious things once you are home again!
So glad you were able to think about the damage to your Dad’s milk jug in a creative way, Anne – it’s all about the memories that we have of people I think, rather than the ‘things’…
Hi at pushing ninety I am trying to pass on many things, trouble is that as you get older everything becomes a memory,difficult to let go , but good luck
Thanks Evadne! I think if I can whittle things down to just things that have a memory attached, I’ll be doing ok….
Yes, we wonder what will happen to all our ‘stuff’ when we’re gone. There are some useful things, which will be quite obvious to those who come to sort things out but what about the sentimental things? We inherited a silver plated cutlery set from my parents. When I was very young, they saved up tokens on Kellog’s cornflake packets, (in case you remember that?) They paid a nominal sum (I presume) and it duly arrived in a wooden presentation box. Each piece has a curly ‘H’, for our surname, at the top of the handles. For years I thought it was a K for Kellog’s! I think my mum and dad used it only about 5 or 6 times, so I’m determined to get it out this Christmas (especially as we have 12 people and one baby coming for dinner). Trouble is though, it needs cleaning!
That’s the trouble with silver…..
It’s taken me years to realise that it’s not the crockery or cutlery that makes a meal special. 1980’s wedding presents of fine china and crystal glasses are lying unused and now, sadly, unloved in my cupboard. What pretensions we had back then!
I know! The whole idea of the ‘best China’ only coming out for dinner parties. I think people were much more concerned with doing ‘the right thing’ in those days…