Le temps des fêtes

     This is a very complicated time of the year for me. On one hand, now that I'm a Baha'í, I'm not supposed to be celebrating my previous religion's holy days and on the other hand, this time of year is when my cultural French Canadian heritage is most celebrated(Le temps des fêtes) , and I also really enjoy the beauty of the season. So what's a girl to do?

     Well, I've realized a few things this year (that is, after the holidays). Christmas is complicated, I will not give up my cultural traditions and I will not let others make me feel guilty for loving and celebrating  this time of year.  Long before I became a Baha'í, I stopped seeing Christmas as a religious holiday. It's not that I stopped believing in Christ and his birth but that I came to understand why it is celebrated on December 25th and where all the traditions come from. I decided then, that Christmas, for me, like so many others, would be a cultural holiday and not a religious one.  When Alex came along and was old enough to understand, we told him about the birth of Christ but we also told him that no one really knew when he had been born. As for Santa, well we never told him that he existed but we never said he didn't. We let him realize that on his own and instead concentrated on the spirit of Christmas, a time for loving, sharing, giving... but also a time for appreciating his Finnish and French-Canadian background and family traditions. This has been a little more difficult since we've been in Europe. Mauri's traditions we're quite simple and only spanned a couple of days but mine start on Christmas Eve and go on until New Years Day and include foods(tourtière, ragoût de boulette) only prepared and eaten at this time of year, stories like "La chasse galerie" and songs (chanson à répondre), passer la guignolée (visiting from home to home and telling stories and singing) and ending with a tradition that my great-grandmother started, spending the day with extended family whilst eating, singing and being merry. 

gift for our neighbours

     As for celebrations, I prefer to celebrate winter, as I know it, and all its beauty and frigidity while waiting for the first signs of spring.  We do have a tree with lights but it’s decorated with icicles, snowflakes(that I’ve made) and forest animals. Every year, I try to add to the winter wonderland feel so that during those dark months of winter(November until the end of January for us), we can enjoy the glow of lights and the warmth of home as we wait for the great outdoors to catch up. During all of this, we remember and sometimes participate with our friends and fellow humans as they celebrate Diwali, Chanukha, Christmas,  Yule, Kwanzaa, New Year and  Epiphany. It helps us understand, accept and appreciate others. We hope everyone had great holidays filled with new memories.

Lots of love from us xo

p.s. You’ll notice from the photos that we did celebrate and exchange gifts this Christmas since my niece and her husband joined us from Frankfurt. 

Merry Christmas!

Winter tree