Some of my best Christmas memories will always be from the late 80s and early 90s because that's when I was a kid. I hung on to those memories every year. Lately though, I find myself appreciating more recent Christmas memories. No matter where in this country I have lived, I've returned to my home town of Bonavista for every Christmas of my life. When I was younger, I would be in the local pub within an hour of being home. These days, however, I've slowed down. It takes me 3-4 hours to get to the pub. Christmas for me right now is about seeing friends and family again. The food, the drinks and laughter are one thing but when the dust settles on Christmas, it becomes about the little things. I rush home, I get through the door. The family greets me, there's a drink in my hand and within ten minutes everybody is sitting around the table, chatting. The wife's uncle feeds the dog finger foods under the table. The baby is on Nanny's lap. We finish supper, the crowd clears out. I head over the road to visit my brother. It's these late night strolls around the bay that really stick with me. I hear the ocean in the background. Some nights it rumbles, some nights it's reduced to a quiet hum. But it's always there. Wood stoves are burning from small cozy homes. Homes that have had the same Christmas lights in the same windows for 30 years. A television is flickering in the living room quietly lit by tree lights. White Rock is lightly covered in snow, just enough to give me that perfect backdrop. I hear a few laughs coming from a shed nearby; it's late for some but the Christmas spirits are still up. An old man clears his throat and says hello while he leans on his back steps for a late night cigarette. Taking in the sea salt air, I stroll up my old street for what could always be the last time. I stare at my old neighbourhood, almost like I'm in a movie, watching my childhood memories. Street hockey, sliding and snowball fights. Going home soaked to the bone, hanging my clothes up to dry by the wood stove. I get home, my parents are gone to bed, the stove still lit. I sit down and have one more night cap, next to that very same wood stove we used 35 years ago. After Christmas, it always gets harder to leave Bonavista, especially as everybody is growing older. But it's simple nights like these that always stick with me wherever I go. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone. Ches Pack Churchill Falls, NL   Submitted By: