Doth Time Waste Me

As the years go by, the Christmas Holidays are changing slowly but surely. My family is unusual in that a large number of us reside in Ottawa; so Christmas has been about big celebrations. But as the younger generations have started to move away or have other priorities such as visiting in-laws in other cities or just taking a holiday vacation, less people are around for these events. This year, it meant that there were 2 meals, one at Christmas and one near New Year's, to accommodate everybody's schedule. Eventually though, we will have to accept that these family gatherings will shrink in size.

On the bright side, we hosted some distant cousins this year. One of them I haven't seen in more than 20 years. Without regular contact to soften the passage of time, it's always a bit shocking to see how someone has aged "all at once" so to speak. And bittersweet as well knowing that we will likely not meet again for another 20. He does live in tropical Maui, so perhaps there's incentive for me to see him sooner.

Same goes with friends. Though many still live in the area, I only visited 2 close ones. Over a salsa-canning session, I caught up with a high-school buddy. A major event is occurring in the New Year for him as the family restaurant is closing after 20 years. On Thursday, I met up with another high-school friend at Crust and Crate, the sort of pizzeria that tries to overcome its big-box mall location by being quirky. His family had just returned from a vacation in Japan the previous day. He was recently transferred back to Ottawa from a military base posting about 2 hours ago. So there was now more time to spend with the family than just on week-ends.

As I pack up to return to Toronto today, I wonder what the new year will hold for me. Will it be small, imperceptible changes or large, major events? As someone who loves routine, I know what my tendencies are. But sometimes you don't have a choice, and sometimes you should make a choice.