Better than fiction

Over the holidays, as we explained our plans, people kept telling us about the movie Four Christmases, about a couple obliged to visit all four of their parents on December 25th, as both families are divorced. I don’t feel much need to see the film, however, as that’s exactly what we did in real life, over breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. We then followed that by visiting our extended families, who pretty much all live in southern Ontario, as do many of our friends. In total we were away for two weeks, almost every day of which was tightly scheduled. By the end we were wiped out, but it was nice to see so many people who were important to us. And it helps that we generally get along with our families. Anyways, I don’t mention all this to complain. I mostly wanted to explain how busy we were for the sake of anyone reading this who we couldn’t manage to see. So if that’s you, please don’t take it personally.

It’s strange being back in Kitchener-Waterloo. Having grown up there but been away for some years, the city seems familiar yet strangely different, like a dream half remembered. Every time we’re back we see more box stores and “power centres” with parking lots full of “support our troops” magnets. Did some local detachment recently get sent to the front lines, or is the area undergoing a general Conservative shift? Perhaps both? I would know if I still lived there. Also, I see that some of the area Walmarts are now open 24 hours a day. My youngest brother even worked in one briefly, and he tells me that in the middle of the night the main customers include parents who go there to entertain their sleepless young children in the toy section. Which I find a little disturbing, but then, I’ve never had to put a recalcitrant five-year-old to bed, so I shouldn’t be so quick to judge.

We finally returned home late on January 1st, and proceeded to spent the next two days doing pretty much nothing. It felt nice. Happy New Year’s, everyone.