Snowy Speculations

If I could paint, I would have tried to replicate the landscape very early this morning. Illuminated by the faintest hints of light and hours before sunrise, the cold, stark landscape lay completely still in its snowy blanket. Naked trees stood proudly and quietly against this backdrop, this palate of pure white an unforgiving place for any creature, big or small, to attempt to cross without drawing attention to its existence at this time. Even our ancient tire swing looked sleepy and droopy, suspended precariously close to the ground, as if the effort of hanging from a tree limb was too much for it. To the east, the only rays of light visible were the ones coming from the across the river, and even those seem hushed and muffled, like a child tired and murmuring not to wake them up just yet. 

The young families down the road have gone all out with Christmas lights this year. Bright colours adorn the night skies and my neighbours even have a Christmas Cat and a Christmas Dinosaur that inflate with enthusiastic Christmas cheer each evening and lie sleeping, flat on the ground till morning is nigh. This always makes me smile and brings to mind the "Christmas Lobster" from Love Actually (2003) that was very much not present at the first nativity scene. Some families have also chosen to keep their lights on all night, their homes illuminated like a giant snow globe with the bit of snow that we have experienced lately. But this morning, these lights are fast asleep, like a blanket of peace has settled all around. 

It's just over two weeks until Christmas and I can't help but wonder at the All is calm, All is bright, even if the latter isn't completely true. In my own life, things this last week have been a bit tumultuous, to say the least. In order of occurrence:  my car getting rear-ended while at a complete stop in Beamsville, the flu running rampantly through our family, and the Amazon delivery man making a turn out of our driveway about 10 feet too soon and having his vehicle suspended on display for half a day while passers-by slowed down and wondered how one could possibly have ended up in his position. Even though I could not help this gentleman out of his predicament, I was astounded how long it took for a tow truck to come out and assist him. I could do nothing to help him out besides offering him a chair in our garage, hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. To his chagrine, once one tow truck showed up, a second one had to be called in to assist because the axle would have broken if it had attempted to remove the van single-handedly. Talk about having a bad day. The poor guy! But my faith in mankind was restored when two guys, one on a John Deere tractor and the other one following closely behind in an older truck, stopped to see if they could help our poor delivery guy out. It was this mere act of checking up on a complete stranger, stopping without having to, that touched my heart.

In the busyness and the stress of people running around in the pre-holiday madness, these two gentlemen, because that is what the truly were, took the time to show care to a fellow human being. What sentiment embodies the Christmas Spirit more than this? This driver had to rush to get his deliveries out. In his job, time was of the essence. Getting stuck in our ditch was not part of his plan.   

The world in silent stillness lay perfectly describes our little corner of the earth this morning. And while the world and the neighbouring inflatable cat and dinosaur are still sleeping, another day is dawning. Peace on earth and good will to men may seem like a sentiment of old, but it still rings true, especially during this holiday season. Go out and enjoy the lights and displays around our beautiful town and surrounding countryside. Savour a bite of shortbread, turn off the lights in your house and turn on the Christmas tree and sit in wonder, enjoying the magic of this time of year!

Lolita Schimann Hale

Christmas Carol References:  Away in a Manger, Silent Night, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day