Christmas Eve Rememberings

Andy and Carol quickly became family, always offering a helping hand for any truly awful job and becoming our Canasta Partners on a Saturday Night. Carol and I were partners and in the 20 years of playing cards never won a single game....why?? Well!!...it appears The men cheated their way through years and years of whammy filled games. The best part was the evening ending of liver sausage, rye bread, tomatoes and onions. I still crave that late night treat and miss hearing Andy boom out, "you dumbhead,what are you doing?" New Years Eve was often spent at our house enjoying the kids stories, festive foods and just loving sharing Christmas. Our lives always crossed during Christmas with Caroling in the neighbourhood as a group and stopping at our homes for drinks and snacks. Marianne and Keiths annual Christmas cocktail party,and Christmas get together at Mavis and Kens, Rose and Jim's and Linda and Doug's.Our family rode almost daily during the holidays with Linda on Penny and Doug on his skidoo pulling all the kids behind either horse or machine. It was a time of true family sharing. We did not often do any outing without our children in tow and most times it was with this memorable group of neighbours and friends.I can close my eyes and feel the cold clean frosty air on a Christmas Eve as we welcomed people into our home......It was the best of times....