Merry Christmas to You

The older I get, the less caught up I am in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

In fact, I get more annoyed (and earlier every year) when the flyers appear in my inbox from Black Friday to Boxing Day.

I'm not religious at all but I like the holiday season for a couple of reasons. First of all, cookies. Second, it's so great to have a reason to get together with friends and family when the days are dark and cold. Seriously though, it's so easy to want to just hide away and hibernate and some folks will do just that. Third, mini lights.

I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from beautiful British Columbia. This is the first time I'll be celebrating Christmas outside of Ontario, away from my family. I'm sure the day is going to be a little bit different from other Christmas days but I'm excited about spending time with some very special people and experiencing the holiday in a different place. This year, I did almost no holiday shopping and have focused my attentions on spending my time with some wonderful people.

As is now my custom, on December 25, I share with you my favourite holiday song.  Here is what I posted last year about it.

The final song in my holiday top 3 is no surprise to folks who have been reading my blog for years.  Of course, in my opinion, the very best Christmas song ever written and recorded is, was and forever shall be "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues with the namesake of this blog, Kirsty MacColl.  Originally released in 1987 (can you see a theme here, I'm such a child of the 80's), this song, with it's accompanying video (beautifully shot in black and white) instantly appealed to me.  I wasn't the only one, in the UK, it is apparently the MOST played Christmas song of the 21st Century.

Some folks find the lyrics offensive.  Those folks can just fuck off.  It's art, it's a song, it's a story about a messed up couple, trying to drag each other through the holidays when they are down on their luck and not too sure what the future will hold.  I think it's a lot more honest portrayal of what some families go through at Christmas than any Norman Rockwell picture might.  Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas just as much as the next person (although I really just like the acts of charity, the spending of time with loved ones, the lights, music, food and fun stuff, as you know, the religious elements are lost on me) but it's a really tough time for some people and we shouldn't forget about that.



Happy Christmas to you and yours xo