Lise's Ramblings

For more than a week now, whenever my phone would ring, I’d shriek “Has the baby arrived?” Then, I’d dash to see if call display showed a number from my mom or either of my sisters.   Yesterday, THE call came in. My brother-in-law phoned to announce that my youngest sister delivered another healthy niece. Yay! Bienvenue au monde, ma petite nièce, sobrina, nipote, systerdotter, neptem…[I’m researching how to say niece in other languages, at least until this infant has her own name.   :)  ] I’m thrilled that the proud parents could experience a safe, home birth with the help of their gifted midwife, Jackie. Best of all, my niece has entered a world of love. The day she arrived, she was surrounded by her incredible parents, an adorable sister, a beaming grandmother and the doting Howard. And that’s the people who happened to be under the same roof. Love was showered on her at a distance by her aunties and uncles from Vancouver, Ottawa and Charlottet...

On December 24 th , I witnessed a three-year-old girl in the throes of pre-Christmas jitters well after her bedtime. She understood Santa only visits children who are fast asleep, but she was too excited to settle down for the night. Miss Emma exhausted nearly every trick in the book as she tried to get us adults to humour her efforts to stay up. Do you recall your childhood anticipation of Christmas morning? Presents aside, think back to how eager you were as you tapped your toes and waited for loved ones who were traveling during the holidays. Do you remember the rush you felt as they pulled into the driveway or as you spotted them in the airport or train station? That eagerness tends to fade as we grow up, but I know a few elf-like grown-ups who still embrace Christmas with the enthusiasm of a preschooler. Saint Nicholas may not deliver everything their hearts desire, but those believers are children at heart, so they retain both the magic and romance of Christmas. ...

Sweet Makayla pours tea What a diminutive word for an amazing beverage steeped in history. Tea spans classes, cultures, tastes, languages and generations. How many drinks can you name that: date back to the first millennium BC? are derived from such diverse sources? involve incredibly varied customs and ceremonies? taste great either hot or cold? are prepared in special rituals around the world? serve medicinal purposes, warm the body and the heart, and soothe troubled spirits? are as equally suited to quiet, private moments as to grand occasions?  brewed trade wars, came to symbolise a pivotal moment in the American Revolution, was considered an essential ration and morale booster for soldiers? are considered fit for children, convicts, royalty and everyone in between? bring people together for an excuse to sample goodies, chatter, gossip, work, relax, and more? are poured from silver tea services, brown betties, china, wood, stainless st...

Choices galore. Casting my eyes on a  slew of new-to-me books promises hours of future enjoyment. A sampling of my reading selections from the Christmas loot. Sure, ebooks are convenient, but they’ll never give me the same rush as spotting a physical stack of as-of-yet unread books.       AWESOME!

Playful. Informative. Refreshing. Brand power. That’s how I would describe the doodles that appear on Google’s home page. The varied illustrations have honoured countries, individuals, special days and moments in history. Early doodles, which date back to 1998, merely spelled the name Google with a sprinkling of decorative details. Now, doodles range from works of art to multimedia celebrations (e.g., the Les Paul guitar you can strum with your cursor). One of the most wildly popular doodles appeared on May 21, 2010, when Google commemorated PAC-MAN’s 30 th anniversary with an interactive doodle encouraging people to play the retro video game. Last week, I was pleased to see that Google launched an official archive for its doodles: http://www.google.com/doodles/finder . Now if only Google would let me embed selected doodles for your viewing pleasure. Instead, the best I can do is provide you with links to my favourite doodles of 2011: February 8 : Jules Verne’s...

It’s odd that most of the Christmas classics tend to be ones filmed back in the 1940s through to the late 1960s. Here are some examples of the major ones: ·           Holiday Inn (1942) ·           It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) ·           Miracle on 34 th Street (1947) ·           Scrooge (1951) ·           White Christmas (1954) ·           Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) ·           The Sound of Music (1965) ·           A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) ·           How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) ·       ...

I’ve blogged about traditions relating to Easter and birthdays , but never about those from the most festive time of year. Growing up in my family, Christmas was about so much more than gifts. Now ours wasn’t a Grinch-like existence. There were presents. I’m not saying, “it came without ribbons…it came without tags…it came without packages, boxes or bags!” It's just that "Maybe Christmas...doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps... means a little bit more."  Years later, I was thrilled to meet Canada's Prima Ballerina while volunteering at a Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser at the National Arts Centre.    I can tell you that a few gifts stood apart; however, my strongest positive Christmas associations are that the season was marked by family visits and our festive rituals. There were many, but four traditions stand out clearest in my mind and heart. Attending the Christmas pantomime. Year after year, we would get d...