24 Christmas Memories – 6

Welcome to day 6 of this year’s Christmas countdown on the blog!

If you’re stopping in for the first time, you can get caught up by starting back on day 1 to understand this year’s theme, otherwise…

After time spent in Europe, a Canadian Christmas tree memory, and yesterday’s snowy visit to McKee’s Mills, we’re coming back home to Saint John…

A Saint John Christmas

Saint John was the city where I was born and raised and I only ever occupied three addresses there, 2 of them, during our married life. As a young person I longed to visit the world and as I spent time out in the vast, wide world, I increasingly felt a pull back home. Funny how that works.

This particular Christmas, there are two things I’d like to zero in on (besides of course the ridiculously cute trio in front of the tree just above).

1. Entertaining

In Saint John, we loved to entertain. We’d pull out all the stops… silverware, china, porcelain food tags & tiered dessert plates that Liz would then proceed to fill with what was, to most of the people in our circles, exotic & delectable treats – familiar from her childhood in an Italian family, but new to most of our friends (Can I just stop & say a word of remembrance for the bacon-wrapped prunes? Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried them… a nice alternative to bacon-wrapped scallops). Although we still entertain here (just ask the kids’ friends!), it’s not with all the same fineries – which remained in Canada – but the food and friendship is just as good!

2. The Dollhouse

Much of Christmas Eve that year, after the kids went to bed, was spent putting together a small dollhouse for Sophie… an ideal spot for the Polly-Pockets that she loved to collect. The coolest feature, in my mind at least, was that this dollhouse came with electric lights as you can see below. Although I don’t remember it causing any midnight meltdowns for the builder (me), it was a bit finicky.