Author name: Ruth Blair

In our family the pets were as much a part of Christmas as the people. It would not have been the holidays without them. They added so much laughter to the day.

Rusty was our first dog. He was a liver coloured Cocker Spaniel. It was my first Christmas and my Grandmother gave him to my parents as a gift. He was hiding behind the Christmas tree and came out with a bloodied nose. He had got into a little tussle with one of my Grandmother’s dogs. Rusty was a major factor in our lives for sixteen years.

Cats were also a part of our family. Charlie was the first one to spend Christmas with us and he enjoyed rooting in the mounds of papers and boxes after the parcels had all been opened.

Boris and Natasha preferred the presents before they were opened. Playing with the curly ribbon and bows was great fun.

Tabitha could never wait for her presents and always went snooping.

The cats were always quiet after they had received their Christmas catnip toy.

My Cockatiel Percy liked to usurp the dove on the top of the tree and sit there himself. He spent hours on top of that tree.

The one who enjoyed the holidays the most was George our Golden Retriever. The holidays started for George as soon as the decorations came out. There were a set of hand held bells that had broken and he picked them up and went prancing around the house bells jingling. We tied them around his neck with a little string and he wore them every day until Christmas. My parents took them off at night so we could sleep. If George decided he needed to scratch they made a lovely jingling noise. He would go looking for them to be put on again in the morning. This happened every year and he eventually started digging in the boxes if we did not find them quickly enough for him. George loved his bells.

There was always a present under the tree for George and he was the first one to open a present every Christmas. It was a very large rawhide bone and he would tear the wrapping paper off and then the packaging to get to the bone. He then sat quietly and chewed this lovely bone while we opened our presents.

The bone would not be abandoned until my father went to carve the turkey. It was very important that George be at the carving of the bird in case any little bits should be forthcoming – they always were.
©2010 – Blair Archival Research

Christmas baking is a tradition in our family. We not only made cookies but plum pudding and Christmas cake. I remember standing on a stool in the kitchen helping my mother do the baking; at least I thought I was helping.

One cookie that stands out is shortbread. Mum would make a big batch and put the dough in a 9×13 pan. She would score the top with the back of a fork for decoration and use a knife to put in the lines to cut the cookies when they came out of the oven. Then a dusting of sugar was put on top.

I remember stirring the Christmas pudding and making a wish. It was made early because it had to be put in the pantry and then ‘fed’ on a regular basis, the same with the Christmas cake.

About thirty years ago I took on the tradition of Christmas baking. The Christmas pudding and cakes are not made these days as people are eating relatively lighter fair. When I lived at home my Dad looked forward to the baking session as I always presented him with the cookies and chocolates that broke. He said he missed that when I moved out.

I have just finished my Christmas baking for this year and have made seven different kinds of cookies, four kinds of bars and twenty five dozen chocolate truffles of varying flavours.

©2010 – Blair Archival Research

Our main holiday party was Christmas Day. When I was a child we would see my mother’s cousin’s family on Boxing Day. We would alternate each year as to whose house we went to visit.

When I was a teenager my Aunt held an open house every year in her tiny apartment near The Beaches in Toronto. It was a snug fit but it was fun. She is a very good cook and the nibbles table was always full of new and tasty delights.

In Ireland my mother’s parents held an open house on Christmas Day. The family would have their Christmas meal at lunch and then a huge tea was laid out and all the friends and family would come over to share a nibble and a warm cup of tea or something stronger.

They changed the party to Christmas Eve some time after my mother moved to Canada. Nibbles, a cup of cheer and good friends were all that were needed. There were people greeting each other with big smiles and good conversation all around. My main memory of those parties is the laughter.
©2010 – Blair Archival Research