My Own Christmas Memories (Part 3) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ajobebrown/jobe/letters_ch_cale_j_brewer.html CHRISTMAS - 1972-1976 I had married in August 1972 and moved to Canada. Clarence worked for Fisher Construction and every Christmas he would get laid off until spring. Now a landed immigrant, we got in the car and headed to Texas, arriving Christmas Eve in the middle of an ice storm. Hadn't been in the house more than an hour when the phone rang. My sister and her husband were having a real fight. So we all jumped in our car and headed to Sherman. The Texans just assumed that we knew had to drive in this weather. I was the only one who actually had winter boots (never had them before) and it did seem strange to be in Texas and actually wearing them on Christmas Eve. For once I was prepared, even had on a real winter coat and toque. Believe them just seeing us (as they were not at our wedding in August), sort of calmed them down. Though I didn't know, this would be our last Christmas together. Christmas 1973, again the layoff, and I was pregnant, due February 10th, so we headed for New Brunswick, about 20 hours of straight driving. This was before the bypass was built around Montreal. This was a totally different Christmas than I've ever seen. We went to a midnight mass - total French. I knew no French at all and still don't. My in-laws were poor, always thought we were poor, but not compared to them. Of the original 22 children in his family, only 2 were still at home. My mother-in-law knew no English and she was liberate. My father-in-law knew only broken English and he was confined to a wheel chair. About the only thing I remember him saying is 'Eat,, Eat". So since I had no one to talk to, nothing to read in English, no shows to watch in English, I just 'Ate,, Ate'. After Christmas, I had convinced Clarence that we couldn't go on with getting laid off 3 months every year.. During this time, he applied everyday at the mines and was hired at the smelter the first week of January, just days before Chantale was born. She arrived three weeks early, weighing only 4 pounds 12 ounces. On February 6th, at 3 weeks she came home. the day she came home. A few hours later, Mommy and Daddy surprised us a visit and Daddy said for once he had seen enough snow. They also brought my typewriter and for about two years, I resumed my genealogy. Christmas in 1974, 1975 and 1976, centered around my young daughter and I loved 'playing Santa'. Christmas 1976, I bought Chantale a Baby Love You Walk Doll. She really loved that doll and it had blond hair just like her. It was as tall as she was and you would squeeze her hands and the doll's legs would move. Visiting Texas in the spring, she took this doll with her. For many years to come, there would be no more smiling at Christmas.