My Own Christmas Memories (Part 5) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ajobebrown/jobe/letters_ch_cale_j_brewer.html *Lots of Pictures on the site! Christmas 1984-1991 Christmas 1984 was just one of just 'being there'. In October, we had separated for a while, but had managed to just get back together before Christmas. Christmas Day that year, we set record lows - getting close to minus 40 and I'm not an outdoors person to begin with, especially in the winter. My husband's brother came up from Toronto that year on the bus and after being here for only 3-4 hours, he said Sudbury was too cold, and got on the bus back home. Had decided that 1985 was going to be different, no matter what it took. I was finally going to do something for myself. Enough of this shambles, even though I had lost a baby, Daddy, Marian, Granny and Auntie were now gone, all dying within 3 weeks of a Christmas, I was still alive. By spring, I was back in school, getting counselling, losing weight, and fixing myself up. September came, and we both went our own way. When Christmas came in 1985, I was a single mother with 2 children, age 4 and 11. At this time, I had gone back to school and was taking a commercial refresher course at a local technical college, which was about half a mile from where I lived at the time. I really didn't know what I was going to do for the children as my life was changing so rapidly. I had been separated for 3 months and even my ex had recently lost his own mother and was in New Brunswick. Catholic Charities brought us over this huge food basket filled with some small toys, but it also had a $100 check in it. Also, we had joined the Foresters before the separation, and they picked the children and me up and took us to this Christmas party and again the children got small gifts. But our neighbours and friends across the street came over with a whole box full of presents - that were totally unexpected. In it was the present that my 4 year had wished for - a stuffed dog called Wrinkles. This dog went with him just about everywhere for over a year. The next Christmas (1986) would be a totally different one. I had met my present-husband 2 months prior. Allan pretended to be Santa Claus for Philip who was now 5 1/2. Then Christmas Day was a real 'family affair' as he picked us all up and took us to his parents for Christmas Day. It was my first real family Christmas that I had in years and one of the best that I can remember. On the way back, we were all singing Christmas carols in the car.