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T Reminiscing on four nostalgic vignettes from Christmases past That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor 23 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com he bustle, the blur and the beauty of Christmases past -- the tinsel, tastes and traditions, the annual gathering of the tribe and all the wackiness that ensues -- tends to get blended in memory into one nostalgic yuletide elixir. Still, there exist evocative memories that rise out of that special mixture: family lore, some tall tales, some true. Four vignettes from so many misty years ago.... I was told when I arrived in Thunder Bay in August, a raw rookie sports writer not yet out of my teens, that as low man on the department totem pole, I'd only be able to take a few days off at Christmas, not nearly long enough to y home. Hearing the news, I stoically nodded: "No problem." But it was a problem. I was homesick from the day I arrived. The prospect of missing Christmas at home was daunting. Alas, a few weeks before the holidays, my typically taciturn editor strolled by my desk and mumbled: "Listen, kid, me and the guys are going to cover your holiday shifts. Go home." That's right: they gave the new guy a week off, ve days more than they were getting.... · · · My father was not religious, but he was spiritual. He accurately predicted the day my sister-in-law would give birth because the universe apparently sent him a sign: something about how the morning sun had shone in a window and re ected so powerfully off a framed picture of the expectant mother, it nearly blinded him. Well, long before global warming reared its ugly head, we approached a Christmas without a single ake of snow on the ground. The anomaly of a green Christmas was all anyone could talk about. On Christmas morning, we awoke early and raced into the living room, as was our tradition. There were stockings to tear through, presents to open. And when the festivities were over, my father walked over to the room's heavy curtains, opened them with a ourish, and voila: a blanket of snow covered the landscape. I'm not saying I believed he'd personally given us a white Christmas, but.... · · · Every year my parents hosted a Christmas Eve party, attended by friends and relatives. One Christmas Eve day, it began snowing around noon. By late afternoon, the entire city was socked in. Our disappointment was huge; only a few people from the neighborhood were able to make it to our house. Around 11 p.m., as we partied quieter than usual -- lacking both numbers and enthusiasm -- we looked out the living room window and saw a lone ashlight making its way up our crescent. Cousin Jimmy. Cross-country skiing. Undaunted by the storm. Unwilling to break with deep-seated Christmas tradition.... · · · Finally, let me take you way back in time. Early December. Three weeks before Christmas. A cold winter night in Toronto, perfect for cocooning with the woman you love and plotting a shared future. So, I dropped to one knee. I said that she'd handcuffed my heart back in high school. I promised I would love her no matter what obstacles life placed in our path. I said I wanted to grow old loving her. For the next three weeks, we walked around like the cat that swallowed the canary, living, loving, luxuriating in our secret. It would be a secret we would nally share with family and friends when we went back home for Christmas. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters. Reduce YOuR Maintenance cOsts (Oil change) Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @OakvilleBeaver or @NewsHooked @DavidLea6 @JuliaLeReporter @herbgarbutt @Halton_Photog Preferred Customer Offer UP TO ON ALL AMSOIL PRODUCTS: OIL, FILTER, GREASE, LUBRICANT, ETC. FOR: CARS, TRUCKS, BOATS, MOTORCYCLES, SNOWMOBILES, ETC. Contact: Claude BestQualityOil.com · Info@BestQualityOil.com 25% SavingS People love AtlasCare. Maybe a little too much. Maybe it's our promises always kept, or our red carpet service that makes you feel like you're on one. Perhaps it's the respect we show for your home, and for your time by giving you a service window as small as one hour. Year after year we're the highest ranked heating and cooling service in the GTA. You and your home are all we care about. Although, the occasional cake is nice too. 647-891-1566 Call us today 905-829-1296 or visit AtlasCare.ca