An A++++++++++ Christmas in Halifax AND Moncton

Days after McKim-Mas the van took Kristina, Jackie, and me, all to Moncton and we had a lunch there and Franzi drove.

The Christmas tree and decorations were out.

The tree was lit up with new LED Christmas lights.

The Christmas Story decorations, including the Leg Lamp, the Flick’s-Tongue-On-A-Flagpole statue, and Ralphie’s House were on the shelf.

The mini wooden Christmas Tree Dad had made after Molly’s arrival was lit up beautifully.

Mom made some soup, chicken soup for some of us including me and veggie for Franzi, a vegetarian, and one soup blended for Kristina. We enjoyed this and then a little ice cream, some with cookies.

Then we had a chat and while we did it started to snow, so Franzi decided it was time to go so they would not get caught in snow.

Later Mom’s Aunt Pat showed up and we chatted and Aunt Pat gave me an early Christmas gift: A John Denver Christmas CD with one of the songs which he performs on his Muppets CD, but on this CD no Muppets sing.

That night Dad and I went to Irving to get some gas and then Wheaton’s Store to get Mom a gift:  5 foam bath soaps, one of her favorite things which we got last year.

Then we went to the new liquor store to buy drinks for Christmas celebrations.

That night we had fish and chips for supper and then we watched A Christmas Story together.

The next day we decided to work on the pies, so I peeled the apples while Mom made the crust, using the family cookbook with all the nostalgic photos.

Later we went out and did some shopping.

We went to Shopper’s to check the mail and we got the mail.

Then we went to Scholar’s Choice and I saw a small toy Border Collie and I wanted it, so Mom bought it. We also bought a new Scattergories game and a puzzle which would be a gift for Mom.

That night Jennifer had us at her house for spaghetti.

Then I watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

The following morning (Christmas Eve Already!) we packed up the car with gifts for Christmas and luggage, dog beds, our 2 Cotons de Tulear Liza and Lupin (we left our Border Collie Ella and old deaf Bearded Collie Sprocket home and Jen took care of them), got in the car, and headed out to Halifax.

While on the road I gave Stephanie live updates on where we were.

Once in Halifax, we found Stephanie’s house and set up.

I had the same room I had years ago.

Then we watched A Christmas Story on Stephanie’s Samsung TV with HD that made the movie look like a BBC show.

Then we waited for Mary, Glen’s mother, to come and join us for Turkey Dinner. She arrived and gave me an early Christmas Gift: A Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2017 book in which Momo, the hiding-and-seeking Border Collie in the book Jennifer gave me last year makes a cameo.

Then we awaited Turkey Dinner on Christmas Eve, which we had.

They had bought a Ginger Ale in New York that was not pop and did not have the sugar Sussex, Canada Dry, and Schweppes did, and I had and enjoyed that.

After Turkey Dinner came Dad’s Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce and Mom’s Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream, and it turned out to be a success.

Then we read The Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Next morning (Christmas Day) I opened my stocking while wearing the Santa hat which was next to it when I found the stocking.

In it were 2 packages of gum, the toy Border Collie which I saw at Scholar’s Choice, 2 DVD cases (one was a Christmas movie called Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas and the other was a movie called Hachi, [spoiler alert] about an Akita whose owner finds him at a train station and he waits for his master there every day, even years after his owner’s death), a deck of cards and a Crib game.

Then we had Stephanie’s Family-Famous Breakfast Burritos.

Then we sat in various places... and opened gifts.

Stephanie and Glen got me a New York by Subway book.

Erin and Oliver gave me a Holiday trivia game, a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog and a 1981 Remember When book with all the facts and ads from 1981.

Mom and Dad gave me a DVD collection with a bunch of old dog stories, one of which stars Lassie and lots of which starred Rin Tin Tin, a Canadian Dogs Annual, art supplies to used at Creative Connections, a Border Collie Calendar, and a DVD called The Music Man with Matthew Broderick.

Jennifer got me a DVD called The Nut Job, Axe deodorant, shampoo, and body spray, and Old Spice shampoo.

Melody and the family gave me a book called Labrador on the Lawn.

Then the whole family opened the Scattergories Categories game.

Then we took a walk around the neighborhood and through the park and around Citadel, me taking Mo, Stephanie’s Coton de Tulear, Lupin’s Grandson on leash.

Then we came home, and then I watched Elf on Stephanie’s Hi-Def TV, and again it looked like a BBC show.

That night we had Hash with Sparkling Apple Juice and more Apple Pie and Plum Pudding.

The next morning we went to Miracle on 34th Street at Neptune Theatre, meeting Glen’s Mother there, and I got into the story.

Then we decided to head home as they were calling for a storm the next morning.

That night I watched the movie Hachi.

The next morning it was storming for some time, then it cleared up. We stayed home. And we played some of the new Scattergories game.

That night we watched Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.

The next day we took a drive to do some grocery shopping at Sobeys and decided to buy some Sparkling Apple Juice and nacho chips to give to L’Arche to use for our New Years Eve Celebration.

Then we drove to Frank’s Music to pick out a few birthday gifts for my 36th Birthday.

I chose a DVD set of Season 4 of Friends, the CD Much Dance 2017, and the CD Raffi: Singable Songs for the Very Young for nostalgia.

Poetically, the night before I had a dream in which our Mason & Risch Piano came back and I found the goodbye card for Mrs. Weldon and Hillsborough School was putting on an Elf-based Christmas party for 1st Graders in 1987-1988 in which I was Buddy and my classmate Danah was Miles Finch, the small Elf-sized fighting writer in Elf.

Then I watched the movie Miracle on 34th Street, and the lines in the movie were the same as the lines in the play.

Then we got gas in preparation for my journey back to Saint John the next day.

Then I watched Eight Days a Week: a Beatles Movie on The Movie Network.

The next morning I woke up and we hit the road. Then I got back to Saint John and Mom headed home due to a forecasted storm.

She stopped at Chris and Milton’s house in Sussex Corner.

I believe this year was the best Christmas Vacation Ever! I loved everything about this holiday season! 

An A+++++++++++++++++++++++ Old-Fashioned Family Christmas without the Bumpus Hounds or Squirrels in Trees

2 days after McKim-Mas Charlotte, Jackie, Stephane, and I, all went to drop me off at my Mom’s house...and to have a little lunch and had an unexpected visit from one of my family’s old friends, Alma’s lobster plant’s ex-owner Jim Wood and Stephane, Jackie and Charlotte got to meet them while having Dr. Oetker’s veggie and spinach pizza. My housemates each got an SPCA Moncton Pet Calendar. After chatting the rest of the house left and I stayed for the Christmas Holidays! The house had its tree up with the lights on but no presents yet. There was also the small wooden Christmas tree Dad had made me in 1999 after Molly’s arrival, the statue of Flick with his tongue on a flag pole from A Christmas Story, a model of Ralphie’s house in A Christmas Story, a small replica of the leg lamp from A Christmas Story, and Christmas books all over.

I brought a couple New York movies to remember last year: Home Alone 2, and Sleepless In Seattle, in fact purchased last year at the Empire State Building where Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks and Tom Hanks’s character’s son finally meet in the end of the movie! (See full story in New York Blog) We visited Jen, Brian, and the boys Danny, Pacey, Connor, and Brennan who was home from Mount A for the Christmas Holidays, who had their Christmas tree up with LED lights, but no presents under the tree yet. They had their Christmas books out, including Jennifer’s publication Gadzooks the Christmas Goose, a collection of stories including the above story, and a collection of stories including an entry by Jennifer called Of Waiting Rooms and Russian Blues.

This year, unlike past Christmases, I not only peeled apples for Mom’s Apple Pie, but I also made the crusts AND reminded her to use the extra crust for Christmas-shapes on the top of the pies.

Mom also made her traditional shortbreads with the red and green cherries on top.

As a tradition we watched Christmas movies like Elf, (also set in New York­) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story.

When Christmas Eve FINALLY arrived, (one more sleep till Christmas!) Stephanie, Glen, and Mo, (their Coton de Tulear, Lupin’s grandson in fact) arrived at noon hour and we had Lasagna tonight, which Stephanie called “Fa-la-la-la-la la-la la Lasagna!” After supper we watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Stephanie asked for my e-mail password and changed it. 

On Christmas Morning, I opened my stocking. In it were Old Spice Timber deodorant, a DVD that had 17 Again and Hairspray, an Herbal Essences travel-sized shampoo, Olay vanilla-scented body wash, Orange San Pellegrino, and cheesies.

We had our traditional Breakfast Burritos, which we have every year on Christmas Morning.

Then my family started looking for and calling Ella and thought she had wandered somewhere, got lost, and/or gotten into some kind of peril! I thought it was flyer time. This continued while I was downstairs, and somebody got me to look downstairs for her, and though I didn’t hear any dog crying sounds or claw scratching sounds, I looked into the room next to Dad’s workshop with the laundry sink...and there she was.

When the presents could finally be opened, I opened Stephanie’s 2: a set of fizzy drinks and a book created by Stephanie about last year’s New York Christmas.

Then I opened some of Mom and Dad’s to me: DVDs Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy, Mist: The Roundup, Mist: The Great Challenge, Mist: A Helping Paw, and Project X starring Ferris Bueller’s Matthew Broderick at his teen age. Among the traditional gifts were a Dogs Annual and a Border Collie calendar.

Mom also conducted a treasure hunt leading to a small keyboard which I kept seeing in stock at Shoppers Drug Mart when getting the mail with Mom. The first song, seeing as it was Christmas, was the Charlie Brown theme. I also played My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.

Erin got me another subscription to National Geographic Traveler Magazine.

Melody got me a novel called Understanding Border Collies.

Jennifer got me a cool book, called Finding Momo, about a Border Collie who travels across Canada and the United States, and it’s like Where’s Waldo because you have to find him because he likes to play hide and seek.

As an added bonus, Stephanie got me to come up while I was watching Hairspray... and gave me her I-Pad! Her office gave her a new one and she gave her old one to me along with its charger. Now I could use Face Time and Scrabble against the computer, email, and instant message.

When suppertime came Jennifer’s family, including Brian’s father Ron (who had lost his wife Loretta and I went to the beautiful funeral mass near Halifax), all joined us, including Mom’s Aunt Pat, who had lost her husband Bill. I had the turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce (which dad sometimes dubs “Cranberry Sarce”), turnip, and Jennifer’s Sweet Potato Casserole, which I make several times at McKim House, using the family cookbook with the pictures. I also had one of my sparkling drinks with supper.

When dessert finally came I announced that, as previously stated, unlike last year, I not only peeled the apples, but made the crust as well.

I had even peeled the potatoes and the carrots for the Turkey Dinner.

Some had plum pudding with hard sauce, but, as a tradition, I chose Mom’s Apple Pie with Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream.

I went to bed looking forward to seeing the new Star Wars movie now in theatres with the Kents and Stephanie and Glen...

But on Boxing Day morning Stephanie, Glen, and Mo, had to go back to Halifax as they were forecasting most of Atlantic Canada to get a huge snowstorm.

Nonetheless we saw Star Wars and it was gripping and tense.

I was both preparing to jump and wishing Stephanie and Glen were there to watch the movie with Glen wearing his Star Wars shirt.

Next day it started storming, but my Mom and I took a walk in Mapleton Park, Mom with Sprocket on leash, and me with Ella on leash, and it made me think of the time I carried Linus in that park during that storm (Remember that, Erin?).

When we got back to the car we were just about to go from the park to Sobeys and Shopper’s Drug Mart...when we ran into our friend and dog-sitter Caroline, now taking care of a coonhound, and Ella started crying excitedly and started licking Caroline’s face.

After a long chat we got in the car and went to Sobeys to get a few groceries and to Shopper’s to get the mail, and noticed on the way home some cars had the wrong tires, making the common misconception that the term “all season tires” means the tires cover all 4 seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter, and were spinning and having trouble down the now snow-covered roads.

I played Scrabble with Mom and won by playing a J on a Triple Letter Score, an X on a Triple Letter Score, SUQ on ZAGS for a Triple Word Score, and a few 3-, 4-, and 5-point letters on Double Letter Scores.

When I got home I continued Hairspray...when Mom came down and invited me to come with her and Dad to a Miracles’ home game at the Moncton Coliseum, though it was still storming, but this was one of few early birthday celebrations for me. Though they lost by turning the ball over and making poor shots, we had fun. 

Early Birthday Gift

Next morning Mom went to the gym...while Dad and I went to Champlain Place, not only to find a battery for his now 30+-year-old Swiss Army Watch, but to find me an early birthday present, and I was surprised that he took me not to HMV...but to the watch department of Sears...and bought me a Timex Analog watch with 3 dials, date, and chronograph.

I took a picture with my BlackBerry and shared it with my sisters and later Victoria at my house.

That afternoon Mom and I AGAIN took Sprocket and Ella to Mapleton Park...and ran into Caroline and the Coonhound AGAIN for the second day in a row and Ella started crying and licking Caroline’s face again and we chatted again. We proceeded with the walk and went home.

That evening we had an early Birthday celebration supper.

Next day there was another storm and Jennifer joined us for a Scrabble game and I beat her!

The next day I packed, headed to the bus station...and headed home with my I-Pad, new watch, new movies, and new books, magazine, and calendar to bring home. And I got home safely!