A story worth telling
Although the Christmas of 1957, when I was 10, turned out to be the most memorable of my life, it started out as the worst. My family had set out around noon from Toronto for our traditional gathering with my aunt's family in St. Catharines, Ont. -- about 100 kilometres south of our home. We'd cramed in our gleaming black 1948 Plymouth with gifts and tightly secured the famous fruitcake, which was reeking of rum. My mother wore her favourite dress with the green trim, and I my new red coruroy jumper and black patent leather shoes. What a jolly trip it was! We sang carols and I played my recorder (well, that was jolly for me, though not for everyone else.)
Suddenly, my father noticed a road sign for Oshawa -- east of Toronto -- and that we were dangerously low on gas. To make matters worse, a blizzard had blown in from nowhere, engulfing us in an impenetrable whirl of snow. Fortunately, we managed to get off the highway and find an open gas station. We quickly realized we weren't returning to Toronto any time soon, let alone going to St. Catharines.
A story in the making
We filed morosely into a nearly empty nearby restaurant to phone Aunt Viola with our sad story, and to drown our misfortunes in hot chocolate. As we sat down, a man approached us. "Aren't you Bob Vinnik?" he asked my father.
"Yes," my father replied, "and you are...?"
"Bill Duncan, from high school. Don't you remember?"
At that moment, our Christmas was saved. We wound up going to the Duncans' home and sharing a most wonderful holiday with the family, who had two children my age. We played games, sang songs -- sometimes their dogs chimed in -- and ate treats in the living room, cast in the magical glow of the big Christmas tree. We have been close to the Duncans ever since. On the way home, we talked about the magic of miracles: how bleak circumstances can yield unexpected blessings.
The holidays, when generations come together in a spirit of sharing, tradition and love, are a perfect time to begin a ritual of family storytelling.
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