The 12 Days of Christmas

We read an interesting article in The Times this weekend about being ‘merry’ over the holidays. Apparently, the phrase Merry Christmas comes from the middle ages when being merry was part of the cultural mentality. During this time, Christmas lasted for 12 days. These days were for doing nothing whatsoever except eating, drinking, dancing, singing and playing the lute. In fact one was not allowed to do any work. So when we say Merry Christmas we are embracing this spirit. Interestingly, the author describes how the medieval peoples valued community rather than individualism and considered that having a good time led to the smooth functioning of the village. Sadly, all of this was attacked during the mid 1600s by the Puritans. They attacked everything enjoyable. In fact, they actually cancelled Christmas! Believe it or not, Christmas was officially illegal for fifteen years between 1645-1660. Luckily this didn’t stop the British merry-makers. It became a social duty and a rebellious act to indulge in merriment!

This year we are going to indulge in a little merriment of our own. We will embrace the full twelve days of Christmas and the accompanying merriment. It is our revolutionary duty! Plus, we have both had previous Christmases fall victim to a somewhat Puritan sentiment and we refuse to let it take over this year! We will take some artistic license in which actual 12 days we will use for our merry-making. For us the twelve days of Christmas will be from Dec 23rd until Jan 3rd. Perhaps our twelve days of Christmas will sound a little something like this:

Twelve masterpieces admired at the Louvre
Eleven historical artefacts viewed at the British museum,
Ten hours of shopping,
Nine attempts for Brent to speak French,
Eight rides on the tube/metro,
Seven times around the London Eye,
Six French pastries devoured,
Five pubs attended,
Four £15 martinis savoured,
Three nights stay at the Dukes,
Two West End shows,
And the trip of a lifetime!

Sadly, all this merriment will leave little time for blogging. We will have to get caught up when we return home in 2007. If you want to check out a few links to see what we will be up to check out these:
www.dukeshotel.com
www.avonmorehotel.co.uk
www.hotel-langlois.com
www.londontown.com/London/Christmas_in_London_2006
www.eatinparis.com
www.laduree.fr (just for Patti)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!

Winter Solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This takes on a whole new meaning living in England. Thanks to K&C we now know that the latitude of our cozy home in Hamilton is 43˚ 15’ North, while Leeds is at 53˚ 48’ North. It may not seem like much, but this difference has a profound effect on the amount of sunlight each day. For example, at noon Leeds time, the sun is so low in the sky it can be obscured by a three story building. The sun dips just below the horizon at 3:30pm each day, and it is fully dark by 4:30pm. Literally, children are coming home from school in the dark! As for sunrise, it officially occurs at 8:30am. So from sunrise to sundown there are seven hours of sunshine. It actually just feels a lot like 10am all day long. It is a good thing the weather is pretty mild, because if it was -10 and dark at 4:30pm one might potentially lose the will to live!! Instead it seems most people just lose the will to stay awake beyond 7:30pm and to eat healthy food. It is full hibernation mode. However, on a more positive note, apparently the winter solstice also marks the middle of winter in England. Technically their winter goes from November 1st until February 1st. Sounds pretty good to me! In fact a colleague informed me yesterday that on her birthday (March 2nd) it will be spring - with flowers in bloom and blossoms on trees. I guess that makes up for all the darkness.

Advent Calendar

We have our very own ‘Made in Canada Advent Calendar.’ After several mailings from the Murray family we now have a unique, little item to open for everyday of Advent. We’ve had samplings of Canadian music, local Hamilton bits and bobs (brit saying), reminders of Canterbury Hills, and even some Canadian food delicacies like Kraft Dinner! Even a chocoholic like myself might actually prefer this new version of an old classic. Oh Canada!!

Gastrorubbish

We have learned a lot about British culture by watching a food TV show called, Rick Stein’s Food Heroes. He travels all around the UK sampling local food. I think we enjoy watching it for its insight into the culture and not for the recipes as there have been perhaps two things I have seen in 30 episodes that I would actually contemplate making. The other insight we have gained through this show is a glimpse into just how terrible some British food can be. It gives ‘shock and awe’ a whole new meaning. Just so you can share in how unbelievably bad this stuff is here are some sample dishes…..

For Breakfast apparently Rick Stein from time to time likes to indulge in a tasty meal of mushrooms and lamb kidneys on toast. Mmmm…the breakfast of champions.
For dinner many of the following seem to be delicacies:
-Pork stuffed with parsley and boiled in a bag. This is called Lincolnshire Chine. The neck or chine of a pig from between the shoulder blades, is salted for up to ten months and stuffed with parsley. Served cold, it's considered by many in the county to be an acquired taste. Acquired following lobotomy?
-Classic pork pie is apparently made with proper jelly from boiling pork trotter. Who knew? And what the hell is pork trotter?! The ‘this little piggy’ rhyme comes to mind.
-Pork trotter must be pretty damn good because they also use it to help make brawn, which is perhaps the worst of the bunch. Brawn is terrine of meat, or fancy meatloaf. It is made from the head and face of a pig, including the neck and other odd bits like the lungs and heart. The pork trotter is again used to make a gelatin to hold all these bits together. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature as a luncheon meat.
-Tripe (cow’s stomach) and jellied eels seem to be favorites as well though I have no comprehension as to why.
-Black pudding has to be included on this list. It is a favorite among many Scots. The episode that showed the making of black pudding by a local Scot may have in fact traumatized me for life. The big vats of dark red blood, poured over oats and then stuffed into sausage casing. Who ever thought that would be a good idea? I can say that I have tried it, but luckily before I saw this episode. The taste is almost as frightening as the visual of it being made.

This country is hard for a former vegetarian to endure. I am scared of all the meat and even a simple steak pie may without my knowing have kidneys lurking in it! Despite my trepidation, I can understand where these foods came from. Much British cuisine (I use that term loosely) seems to come from wanting to use every bit of an animal. They don’t waste anything – pig face, cow’s blood, everything is made into food somehow. This would make the food go further to feed more people. I have also heard of this in other European cultures such as pig roasts in Spain. I can respect this food production for its minimal wasting, (contrary to our obsession with chicken breasts and forgetting about the whole rest of the bird), but I am not sure I am brave enough to be the one who eats most of this stuff!

Lord of the Suits

Enough time has probably passed that I can tell this story. It’s a story with Christmas overtones but, at its heart, it’s a story of the struggle between good and evil. Recent events have suggested to me that its time to tell what I know and what I did. Perhaps it might help certain people to find the bravery within themselves that is needed when evil rises ... It’s the story about my first Christmas at work…

Much that once was is lost, for none now are employed who remember it.

It began with the forging of the Great Suits.

Three were given to the Corporate Lawyers, immortal, wisest...fairest of all beings.

Five to the Litigators, great orators and craftsmen of the court room.

Nine suits were gifted to the race of articling students who, above all else, desire power.

For within these suits was bound the strength and will to govern each race.

But they were all of them deceived...for another suit was made.

In the land of Mordor, in the fires of his corner office, the Dark Lord MP forged in secret a Master Suit – the Santa Suit - to control all others...

...and into this Suit he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life.

One Suit to rule them all...

One by one the newest lawyers wore the Santa Suit at the firm Christmas party and, inevitably, the Free Will of the lawyers in the lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Suit.

But there were some...who resisted.

A last alliance of Solicitors and Barristers marched against the armies of Mordor. On the slopes of Mount Doom they fought to end the dominance of the Santa Suit.

Victory was near!

But the power of the Suit could not be undone.

It was in this moment…when all hope had faded, that I, son of Clint, disposed of the Santa Suit in the weekly trash.

MP, the enemy of the Lawyers of Middle Earth, had been defeated.

But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted.

And the Suit of Power has a will of its own.

The One Suit had not been destroyed. And some things that should not have been forgotten...were lost. History became legend...legend became myth.

And for four and a half years the Suit passed out of all knowledge.

Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer!

Regrettably, I have passed beyond the Great Ocean and can no longer put my mark upon the events of Middle Earth. The Second Chapter must be written by those who remain. They face a choice - to do what is right, or what is entertaining.

I have little confidence in their decision-making abilities.

Christmas Heart Strings

The saddest commercial was on 'tele' last night. The ad contains pictures of people waiting for arrivals at the airport. As the pictures are going by there are destinations and prices written at the bottom of the screen. It began with: Toronto £299, then Rome £399, Bejing £1099, Los Angles £899 and so on. But at the end it has pictures of families hugging in the airport after their plane has arrived and it says “Spending Christmas together….Priceless.” Saddest commercial ever. Especially for those of us not going home for Christmas. Although we are excited about our little adventure over Christmas to London and Paris, it will still feel pretty strange not to be with our families on Christmas. Hopefully this time next year our life will be more similar to the ones featured in the commercial. Even the thought of that is priceless.