2011 Christmas Letter

Included in my annual Christmas Letter, was the above photo.


Here is my 2011 Christmas Letter:




There was a time this Fall, that I contemplated dispensing with my annual tradition of writing my Christmas letter. My wife in her eloquent manner suggested that would never ever happen. Once again, she is rightJ I started writing Christmas Letters in my teens following the example of my mother. So I guess I will continue on this tradition for at least another year in honor of her. On August 15 of this year, after a long illness, my Mom went home to be with the Lord. It has been a difficult fall coming to know that my mom isn’t at the other end of the phone or just down on Hickory Grove to go for a visit. I tried to explain to someone recently, since she’s been gone, life just seems so blah and dull. I manage to keep busy and keep going but it’s just hard to describe… Colored lights don’t seem as colorful anymore… it’s at this point that Isaac will remind me “That’s because mommy won’t let us get the colored lights, only the white ones”. Thank you sonJ

Another traumatic event occurred this year as I entered in another decade and hit the big 4-0. I’d love to say it didn’t bother me but I’d be lying. Now, I haven’t had a midlife crisis and decided to get a tattoo, nipple ring, or buy a Harley although nipple piercing garnered some attention. A trip with some of my closest friends to Florida to watch my beloved Habs and a few ball games was in order and helped lesson the blow of my pending aging decline.

Our Family continues to keep busy and move along to the next stages. Tanya has remained at home keeping our family on track and in order. We both continue to be very involved in our church with our home group, women’s ministries and various other committees. I also am active with Hockey Ministries and chapels with the Belleville Bulls along with a weekly radio show on www.cjlx.fm. Our Children continue to be a source of joy as well as premature aging!

Isaac turned 8 this year and continues to be active in soccer and hockey. I coach Isaacs’s hockey team and recently we participated in the Santa Claus parade. At the beginning of the route, he was given a bag of candy to give out along the way. Most kid’s bags were gone by the first corner but not Isaac. As we finished the route, he had managed to ration and save over half of the bag and proceeded to consume what was left. Other than having one of his permanent teeth knocked out this past summer by his adoring sister Eva, he is doing well.

Speaking of Eva, she is now 6 and in school full time. She is growing up and losing some of her “Diva-ish” qualities but she continues to makes us smile and laugh…. Although if she catches you laughing at her, she usually frowns and stomps off to her room. I recently took Eva to the Bulls game, just the 2 of us. We continue to billet one of the players, “Goose” and as the game started, she leaned over and said… “Which team does Goose play for?” I was a little puzzled as he’s lived with us for over a year and a half but responded and said “The Belleville Bulls Eva”. She nodded and went, “oh ok” I could sense it wasn’t sinking in and I said, “White shirts with the Bull on the Front Eva. “ This look of relief came over her face, OHHhhh. I believe she has inherited her love of hockey from her Aunt CarolJ

Faithy is 3 and was supposed to be our quiet one. Tanya and I recently had a much needed night out just the 2 of us. We reached our desired eatery and my posterior hadn’t even touched the seat at the table when our babysitter called to inform us that Faith had thought it would be cool to jam a bead up her nose… and it wouldn’t come out. So our desired evening of dinner and a movie was replaced with Timmy’s drive thru and a 3 hr stay in the ER. Faith looked at us as we waited in emerg and said, “I put a blue bead up there in me” Yes Faith, yes you did. As we waited, Faith eventually drifted off and when it was our turn to be seen, a clever maneuver of holding her nose and blowing through her mouth caused the object to projectile out of her snout. All this and she didn’t wake up. Oh Faith. No fear and busy busy busy. Never a dull moment in the Mackay House
This Christmas will be quite different as we face many firsts without Mom. We plan to be here Christmas day and then off to Newcastle for Boxing Day. If you were present at the funeral, you may recall a story that I shared about when I was 15, on December 23, 1986, I inadvertently borrowed my mother’s keys without her permission and she was to come to town to pick me up after an appointment. I pleaded with my mother to borrow a car and pick me up. My mom, in her determined manner said “No, I think you should learn a lesson from this. You need to walk home alone.” I was soooo upset. I got off the phone and began walking from town. The more I walked the more upset I got. 2 days before Christmas and in the dead of winter, she made me walk home alone. As the years went by, I’d always call my mom on December 23 and say, “Hey mom did you remember what happened on this date x number of years ago?”… and she always did. We would joke about it and I must admit, as the years went by, the story got a little bigger and embellished a bit more. Not sure how high the snow banks really were or if in fact I was barefoot and walking up hill the whole way. But Mom would always laugh and say, “Are you ever going to let that go?” Mom was at home and made me walk alone. Well, now my mom once again is home….finally free from pain and suffering. I’m so happy that her trials are over but once again, it is I who must walk alone. It may sound weird but December 23 to me was something that I shared with my mom. And every year that was just between us. I am actually dreading December 23 this year just as much as Christmas. In thinking what I could do on that day, coming up on the 25th anniversary of my dreaded walk, It only seems fitting that I once again I should walk home. I will make the 9km walk from work to my house in honor and memory of my mom. I’m asking my friends and family to consider supporting $5 or $10 in my efforts so I can make a donation to the Salvation Army for their Christmas Dinner for those less fortunate, which is something my mom would have wanted..
Well, as you gather this holiday season with your family and friends, remember the reason we celebrate. Embrace your family and Embrace the savior, God’s gift to mankind, his Son. Merry Christmas from The Mackay’s.