Christmas was here and now it’s a new year.
Christmas is a festive time in the Christian community throughout the world as it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
Canada and India have similar Christmas traditions which include decorating the house, distributing gifts and feasting with family and friends.
People start preparing months before and I had the first glimpse of this while working at Staples. I saw lots of customers coming through the door wandering the aisles looking for great gift ideas and some just came in to check the prices and wait for better sales.
Many people took advantage of the deals right after Thanksgiving and some just came in on Christmas Eve for their last-minute shopping. I myself fell into the last category.
For me, Christmas has always been a time of the year when I am happy, cheerful and completely in a holiday mood.
Decorating the house for the season is the most exciting thing as it’s the best time to check for DIY projects for Christmas decorations. Surely it’s also the time of the year when the electric bill is at its peak because the whole house is decorated with lights.
But most of all it’s the time of the year when the family comes together to attend the midnight church service and have a social get-together with lots of mouth-watering traditional delicacies like the famous Christmas fruit cake, fried shrimp, spicy chicken curry, chicken cutlets, chicken biryani rice, flat breads and much more.
This Christmas I knew things would be different. I would miss my family and all the delicacies of my mother’s kitchen. And I knew that Santa would not travel 11,000 miles to deliver gifts.
I must say, my first Christmas in Canada turned out to be a very joyous one.
I joined a Christmas choir that was organized by the Harvest Church. The choir was made up of people from different churches who practised and prepared for the holiday Christmas carol performance. It really helped to lift my spirits.
On Christmas Eve I attended the service at the St. Albans Anglican Church and after the service came the Christmas Santa kidnapping. A modern-day Santa (who some call Wayne) and his wife Heather took me to their home. Well, I was willing to get in the sled (a Dodge van) and the reindeer (V6 engine) whipped me away.
At their home was a sock for me kept near the Christmas tree. I peeked inside and out popped a few gifts including a toothbrush and toothpaste (a common Canadian tradition to assist with all the candy that the children receive in their stocking).
I was really amazed because I guess Santa didn’t want me to lose my smile. So yes, Santa did make the 11,000-mile journey and had a quick stop at Heather and Wayne MacDonald’s house.
On Christmas Day I had a Canadian turkey dinner — well not just one, but three turkey dinners. After all the food, I felt stuffed just like a turkey and along with all that food I also acquired a few more gifts.
The most important part of the holidays was that even though I was away from home, missing family and friends, the community of Cape Breton took care of me.
Like me, many students who study at CBU were invited to Christmas dinner at Loaves and Fishes, a community kitchen where I volunteer. More than 240 people came on Christmas Eve for turkey dinner, along with some Christmas carolling and a gift for everyone. The Salvation Army and Whitney Pier Community Kitchen also hosted a Christmas feast.
Then came Jan. 1, 2020 and the famous polar bear dip in South Bar, which I had recently added to my bucket list.
I was quite nervous about this tradition. Was I going to freeze to death, drown or have a heart attack? Would there be emergency services available and should I have my Canadian health card with me and most importantly should I call my loved ones back home?
These were questions I needed answered.
Hello Google! I researched this “dip” and why people went into the freezing cold ocean on New Year’s Day.
The only reason I could come up with was that a new year must make people crazy. I was told that if I wanted to be a “True Cape Bretoner,” I would have to complete this task.
So away I went with some friends down to Polar Bear in South Bar, wearing shorts, T-shirt and flip flops and after the countdown I ran into the chilly Atlantic Ocean and back out again.
I shivered for a bit, but quickly warmed up with some spicy chicken pizza and Caesar salad that was prepared by one of my Cape Breton moms.
The holidays may have come and gone but the memories of this time will remain in my heart forever. Til next time.
Abey Abraham’s column appears regularly in the Community Connections section of the Cape Breton Post and online at cbpost.com. Feedback is welcome and if you are curious about his culture and traditions, he would be happy to answer your questions. He can be contacted at [email protected].
