“Candle wicks, like memories, flicker faintly at times, and burn brightly at others.” Dickens could have been writing about my father, William Christian Stoos, when he said of Scrooge that he knew how to keep Christmas well. Dad was the Spirit of Christmas in our household. Each year he anticipated the holiday with a childlike glee. Although a stoic man, and deeply spiritual , he became a child at Christmas time—his favorite time of the year. Whether it was the gaudy Christmas tree with its 2,000 lights that warmed our cozy house, the pine candles and exotic incense that filled it with the wonderful scent of Christmas, the ice tree he made each year in the front yard, or the pile of presents under the tree, which he and Mom worked so hard to buy--Dad reveled in the trappings and the spirit of Christmas. Whatever adversity the year may have brought previously was forgotten, for nothing mattered more than this season. It was, for him, a time of joy, wonder, and mystery, but most of all --togetherness.

---

Support Canada Free Press

---