Mother Nature did her best to provide a white Christmas here in the GTA with an inch or two overnight but with temperatures rising to 4* today, Christmas Eve then 7* on Christmas Day with rain it will all be gone soon.
My parents Bill and Fay made sure our Christmas's over my early years were joyous occasions when they arrived after the war from Scotland in 1953 with 10 month old Bryan. They delayed their 1952 departure so I could be born in Scotland, the British passport at the time was the key to travel all over the world to the Commonwealth which stretched from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle in Canada.
The voyage was a gift from the British Govt to soldiers who fought, Dad was in the RAF so the 6 day journey on the HMS Sydney from Portsmouth to Quebec City only cost the family 10 Guineas, I don't remember much about it.
A chance meeting at Malton Airport between Dad and a group of Scots changed our lives, Dad was a casual mason and wore the masonic ring, Upon meeting the other Scots he mentioned he had no job but was travelling on to BC where his older brother had a business. After a couple of drams and masonic handshakes had passed around he was offered a job on the Avro aircraft at Downsview and further to that was set up for a brief stay in a basement apartment at Bathurst and Lawrence. Our lives in Canada were off to a flying start.
One Christmas that stands out, now 8, I awoke to see "Santa" left me a little hockey net with a CCM Jet stick, a Maple Leaf sweater, and gloves. Our life long love of the Leafs continued as I proudly donned them at the afternoon road hockey game, without the stick of course, it was only for real games.
I hope all your Christmas's are as happy as mine were during those years, family was never closer. I have also, as life went on, experienced the loneliness of Christmas, and would never wish that on anyone and prior to this day, before COVID, I visit unexpectedly with older neighbours to make sure they are all in good spirits.
Since this is a golf blog, I must mention a festive season tradition I brought from Scotland to Canada that has given us such happiness.
One year I was taken by a member to the Royal Burgess Golfing Society at their club in Edinburgh for their New Years Day golf outing.
It had snowed on New Year's Eve so the course was covered in a light blanket of white. Understand this, New Years Eve in Scotland is the biggest holiday of the year. "Hogmanay" is the Gaelic and it involves "first footing" your neighbour after "the bells" with a gift and a drink....and there is a lot of drinking.
So bleary eyed we arrived New Years Day to a full Scottish breakfast in the clubhouse, eggs, square sausage, black pudding, Ayrshire bacon, fried bread and for me mugs of tea.
With the foursomes set, out we went, warmly clad in a variety of imaginative outfits and with orange golf balls in play, alternative shots are great fun when there is nothing at stake, the ribbing and comradery have provided friendships and memories that have lasted me a lifetime.
The cold crisp fresh air, the walk (no carts) working off the night before and the breakfast were a perfect combination and for "medicinal purposes" there was a bottle of fine Scotch and 4 pewter shot cups on every other tee for a "wee something" to keep you warm..
A bunker at each green was designated a flagstick, the greens were covered in branches from evergreen trees for protection. All putts from shots making the bunker were conceded.
Wonderful days, and my late brother Rodney and I with friends like Bill Bruce continued the experience here, albeit with mixed results as we had to sneak on courses that are closed all winter. One year on a private course up near Stouffville I seem to recall the amazed course superintendent arriving from his holiday's on a snow mobile as we were sliding down a hill on our golf bags and he wasn't pleased. Even after offering him a libation and citing the spirit of the New Year, he still threatened us with the police, not the ending we had in mind...
So as we head into Christmas Eve, with all the news about COVID and Omicron and uncertainty once again for the start of 2022, it is even more important, however you do it safely, to make sure your family comes first, tell them you love them and share some memories like mine with them.
Merry Christmas, a safe New Year and I'll be back here soon.
Bryan Angus
:format(jpeg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tgam/6RXLB44BVBJOXFBYG2MSL6QQGQ.jpg)
