Christmas Memories from Brookswood

The weather promises very little winter excitement over the Christmas break this year, but I can remember Christmas’s past in the winter of Brookswood.

In the early 1990’s perhaps ‘92 we had a cold snap where it rained onto an already frozen ground. This was the first time I saw serious rime ice in the Lower Mainland. Trees were encased in a thick layer of ice that weighed down brittle branches. Power outages were everywhere and lasted for days. It is since that time that we see workers trimming back trees from power lines in the fall each year.

Christmas 1996 was special. We had snow on the ground for three weeks. In our house we had family from England come visit. It snowed 2 days after they arrived for a three week stay. They departed the day the blizzard hit the Valley. They flew off okay, but that same evening many people were stranded at famhouses in the upper Fraser Valley for days. Three weeks snowed in with in-laws gave me a new understanding of "cabin fever".

Christmas 2002 was a challenge. You may remember that the power went out early Christmas morning. Every family in Brookswood panicked about cooking the Christmas dinner. Hydro kept promising the power on but each deadline passed without improvement. Many people cooked turkey on the barbeque. In our home the power came on in the afternoon with sufficient time to cook the dinner and eat, then it went out again, giving a wonderful family evening gathered around the fireplace with candlelight.

Christmas 1991 was probably the most memorable for us as Emma our 2nd daughter was born on December 23rd. We brought her home Christmas eve and her first day home with us was Christmas day. Soon after, I’d put her in a Snugglie carrier and take her for walks in the bush at 36th and 196th. As she grew, Emma, the dog and I would often walk there together.

Christmas in Brookswood is rich with memories for my family. I hope the same is for yours.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.