Constant as a northern star
“On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
And your face sketched on it twice…”
-Joni Mitchell - “A Case of You”
I’m really leaning on Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” this holiday season. With Christmas nearly upon us, “A Case of You” has been getting nearly as heavy rotation on the iPod as the more blatantly Christmas-y “River” ahead of our trip to the Old Country this weekend. Many of you may know that I am a first generation American immigrant, the son of Canadians who came to the States in the 1970’s looking for options. Ironically enough, I may be a last generation American as well - having left the States in the 2000’s.
Most of my extended family still leaves north of the border, a number of them in Timmins - one of the northernmost outposts in Ontario. And this Christmas, we’re headed for a family reunion of sorts back to the northern woods. We’re headed across the Atlantic to one of the coldest places I have ever had the misfortune of being in the winter. The glass half full attitude is that we’re almost guaranteed a white Christmas (there’s a lovely coating of snow from what I can see through the Timmins webcam). The glass half empty outlook - the current temperature in Timmins is -15C (about 5F).
Despite the cold, I’m looking forward to our Christmas in Canada. It will be time with family that I rarely see these days at a place that is filled with fond memories. It’s the getting there and back that fills me with dread. I’ve always looked at harried families with young kids and all the accoutrements with mixture of pity and superciliousness. Well, if you see me on the way to Canada - spare me those looks. Any tips from folks that have traveled on long haul flights with an infant would be gratefully received. I’m particularly worried about the ascent and descent.
Oxford’s a wonderful place to be in the lead up for Christmas - a mixture of the beautiful (Magdalen’s Christmas Tree) and the macabre (the market butchers). It’s a beautiful place to wander in a festive mood. But in the past week I’ve been reminded a few times about the darker side of Christmas. I ran into a friend of mine earlier in the week - a woman just on the back side of middle aged - walking down Cornmarket. As I approached her I saw that she was in tears. I stood and talked to her for a quarter of an hour or so and let her spew her frustration with the holiday season and her loneliness. She did so with a vigor that attracted the curiosity of a number of passers-by. Another friend I ran into as he was escaping our work Christmas party. He was finding the carols and the mulled wine and the jollity all a bit much and needed to escape to a quiet place. A third friend phoned me after his work Christmas lunch left him feeling self-destructive . The thing is that these are normally pretty sane folks, there’s just something about the holiday season that can really drive people around the bend. I guess it’s probably a combination of the crowds, the commercialism, time with family and that ersatz festive feeling that is thrust upon us. I can certainly relate as I’m usually one of the people that responds this way to the holidays.
In comparison with my friends, though, this holiday season has been a piece of cake for me. Christmas is for children and now that I’ve got one of my own, I’m finding it easier to drum up some holiday spirit. Of course, you may not want to talk to me after a trip through the world’s busiest airport with an infant on what is sure to be an overcrowded Air Canada plane to the… well butthole of northern Ontario. But today the holiday spirit is flowing warmly through my veins. Today.
I’ve been collecting Christmas tunes this season - in anticipation of Christmases future when Z may enjoy a good cheeky Christmas tune. With the holiday season upon us, I’m in a sharing mood, so in addition to Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” here’s my Christmas survival playlist:
- “Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)” - Alan Jackson (The Decemberists do a fantastic version of this song - it’s worth $1 on
.) - “The Little Drummer Boy” - The Dandy Warhols
- “Mrs. Claus’s Kimono” - Drive-By Truckers
- “Rudy” - The Be-Good Tanyas
- “Fairytale of New York” - The Pogues
- “Christmastime in Washington” - Steve Earle
- “O Tannenbaum” - The Vince Guaraldi Trio
- “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” - Jimmy Smith
- “Lonely Christmas Eve” - Ben Folds
- “Suddenly It’s Christmas” - Loudon Wainwright III
- “River” - Joni Mitchell
This will be one of the last posts that I do before the new year - so happy holidays to all my readers!
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I hope y’all have a safe trip and enjoy the time with your family. Sorry I don’t have any airline tips for you, but you may ask Kailani at http://www.islandlife808.com She’s and her husband are both flight attendants in Hawaii. She’s sure to have some good advice! Grayson was two when he flew the first time, and it was a short flight, so I’m no good!
20 Dec 2007 at 4:01 pm
Make sure you pack a large dose of patience for yourself and Sinead. Be prepared to receive dirty looks if Zach is fussy. Be prepared to be shocked at how kind and helpful people can be.
Oh, and try to feed him or give him a pacifier during the takeoff and landing. It’ll help with the pressure change.
Have fun, and enjoy the snow!
20 Dec 2007 at 4:09 pm
Chris, enjoy being back on the North American continent for Christmas! Enjoy your holidays!
Come visit me for some friendly Christmas hugs.
20 Dec 2007 at 4:19 pm
I hope you guys have a safe trip and a Merry Christmas! I enjoyed “A Case of You”!
21 Dec 2007 at 1:43 am
Great post — there so much there, including that awesome photo at the top (from the ass butcher - ha!)! I agree that having children can really put one back into the xmas spirit. I had a wonderful time trying to make the season magical when my daughter was little — in a lot of ways, those years were even more fun than the absolutely perfect christmases of my childhood.
As far as travel goes, give the kid a little credit — he might be just fine. We flew with the daughter for the first time (of many) when she was just a month and a half old and she didn’t even blink. As long has she had something to suck on to get her through the pressure changes, she was happy. She did just as well in the many long car trips through her childhood, too. I know part of it was just plain luck — getting a kid who was such a great traveler — but I suspect that also mixed in there was a bit of expectation and projection. Maybe some parents just get so worked up over the prospect of traveling with a kid that their own anxieties rub off on the kid. So just relax and have fun and maybe the wee one will follow suit.
Oh, and Timmens sounds like a great place to spend Christmas! Have a wonderful holiday!
21 Dec 2007 at 6:18 pm
Whoops. Timmins. Doy.
21 Dec 2007 at 6:20 pm
Those carcasses in Cornmarket…I go out of my way to avoid those, and here they are on your site! I love the photo of the cows, though. I’m always in search of picturesque cows.
22 Dec 2007 at 12:13 am
Alice, you sound like my kind of girl! My daughter has always been a great traveller. Her friend, whose mother fussed non-stop, threw up on every journey and forced everyone in the car to listen to story tapes and kids music to ‘keep her from throwing up’. Same on a plane except she had her own headphones (hooraaaaay). I’m sure Zach will be fine. As everyone says, feed on ascent and descent and pack a spare set of clothes for you guys in your travel luggage in case he throws up or has nappy failure…on you. I loved your list of Christmas songs Chris. The Drive By Truckers was my fave. I tried to find my own little bit of Christmas cheer to leave you as a gift, Tom Lehrer’s ‘Christmas Carol’ but I couldn’t find a download or stream to it anywhere. I did however, find this
http://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html
which I thought you, as a scientist may appreciate….so……have a great trip and a wonderful Christmas all of you. I look forward to tales of your journey on your return.
22 Dec 2007 at 12:46 am
Hello, look a bit harder next time A!!
http://www.matthewjamesyoung.com/sbt/TomLehrer-AChristmasCarol.mp3
22 Dec 2007 at 12:56 am
btw is this legal and/or good protocol?????
22 Dec 2007 at 12:56 am
I hope you all have a safe trip and a wonderful holiday season!
22 Dec 2007 at 6:50 am
[…] been listening to far more Joni Mitchell lately than a man in his mid-30s should. This is especially notable as […]
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