Last weekend I went looking for Christmas. I often find it a confusing time of year with all the different messages and expectations that are laid upon us whether or not we celebrate it. My family only semi-celebrates it, unclear on what to do and what not to do, so it always feels weird and contrived. And I find the commercialization of Christmas absolutely insane. As a result of these personal feelings, I’ve been known to feel down as the time approaches wishing more for hibernation than celebration. Reflection seems more apt to me, for the end of a year, and it requires quiet time.
Looking back at a couple of ‘positive’ Christmas experiences, I realized they were out of town which allowed me to feel removed enough to actually enjoy them. The Christmas cartoons and movies often show a made-up imaginary experience, and so being away from home allows me to experience it that way. Two of my favourite Christmas holidays took place in England, a place that I seem to more easily equate with Christmas with its old buildings, lights, snowy landscape and delicious mince tarts. A third happy experience took place in Bangkok. How could I not be happy – I was in the tropics!! The hotel I stayed at put on a Christmas dinner and it ended up being a wonderful evening with a relatively small dinner party of guests.
So, realizing that it could be time for me to let go of past unhappy experiences, I decided to go looking for Christmas this year and see if I could turn things around. I planned a one-day trip to the closest place I could think of that would have a Christmas feel and take me briefly away from home. This took me to Victoria, BC. As most people who’ve been there know, it has a strong British look and feel. And it has beautiful old buildings and lots of lights! The downtown is full of Christmas. I actually began skipping down one street as I saw the lights ahead! It was Chinatown actually, but that didn’t matter, there were lots of pretty lights and a feeling of magic.
My friend and I found a few lovely gifts, had tea, and a delicious dinner (the restaurants are fabulous in Victoria). Visiting the lovely “Heart’s Content”, a fun shop down a tiny alleyway, was a treat. The owner was British and had an accent I loved that made me feel I might as well have been in London, not to mention the cool tights, hats, bags and t-shirts that had a strong British rock’n’roll feel. The owners were so friendly and sweet and invited us to return again sometime soon.
Somewhere along the way, I began to understand Christmas. It was as if the idea was downloaded in a way that I could get it. And it was good. It was fun. It was warmth and light and great food. So thank you Victoria for helping me find what I was looking for.
