Traditions are rituals, customs, beliefs that we share and pass along, often from one generation to the next. They provide us with a sense of connectedness, stability and familiarity. For many of us it includes spending time with our families, attending specials events and attempting to recreate our grandmas’ most cherished recipes (sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t!). One holiday tradition that has stood the test of time for our group, is our Morin Wealth Partners holiday lunch. It is a time where we can gather outside of the office and share our plans for the upcoming holidays, reflect on the year we have had and look forward to the year ahead. In this issue of The Morin Monthly, we thought we would share some of our favourite holiday traditions with you.

 

Christine

Coming from a French Canadian background, Christmas Eve was the focus of our celebrations. There is something magical about homes lit up with their Christmas lights at night, seeing their trees inside their living room, all against the backdrop of snow. There was a tradition of Midnight Mass, though once I had children I preferred the 4:30 pm Children’s pageant. Tortière (meat pie with pork & veal) was THE meal served. It was an easy dinner ahead of the large turkey feast Christmas day. The children were allowed to open one Christmas present before they went to bed. The adults would then sit around and savour the Christmas spirit.

Today, with grown children with their own schedules, Christmas gatherings are more flexible, and celebrations are made before and after the 25th. The true essence of the holiday to me, is getting together with friends and family, looking back on the year, cherishing your friendships, and thanking those you love for being in your life.

I think we will all be very thankful this year for good health.

 

Mike

My family’s Christmas tradition starts on Christmas Eve with a buffet style dinner with family and friends. It started with my parents in the fifties, when they would get together with other transplanted friends who were away from their families (they had all immigrated to Canada mostly from the UK). It was an open house event with people dropping by from six o’clock till midnight. (Which gave St Nick a few hours less sleep as the children got older!)

The rule always was, if you knew someone who would otherwise be alone, extend an invitation and the best would be done to make them feel welcome (even if you’d just met them!). Over the years it has been paired down but the spirit is the same, celebrate Christmas with peace on earth and goodwill to all.

 

Jen

Having a real Christmas tree was always a staple in my childhood home, as it was in my husband's. When we celebrated our first Christmas together in our house, we were excited to go buy a real tree, decorate to the nines and have it displayed in our front window. As each year passed, the trees seemed to get bigger and bigger. The year it left a giant scratch on our ceiling was the year we decided we had gone a bit overboard.

Now, our children are actively involved in the tree selection process and remind us that we can’t get anything bigger than 8 feet. Once we have all agreed on the perfect tree and it has been securely tied to the roof of our car, they are each handed an end of the rope. Their job from the nursery to our house is to ensure the tree doesn’t fall off the car!

 

Stephen

Holiday traditions with my family have changed a bit over the years as my siblings and I have grown up. One tradition that has held is the annual watching of the original 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim on Christmas Eve. It’s a great way to wind down the evening in anticipation of Christmas Day. Another tradition, my grandma is guaranteed to fall asleep halfway through the film with her rum & eggnog in hand!

 

Allison

My grandmother was French Canadian and every year for Christmas Eve, she would make her traditional Tortière pie made with pork, beef, veal, onions and a variety of spices not to be mentioned since it’s our family secret. The crust was also homemade, golden and crispy.

When my mother was old enough, my grandmother taught her how to make them. It was a 2 day process, the first day was making the meat filling and cooking it in a big chef’s pot. Then the pot of meat would be chilled in the refrigerator overnight (or outside if the pot was really big!). By the next day all the fat would solidify on the top and you could scrap off the excess fat with a big wooden spoon, so the pies would not be too saturated. Then it went back on the stove to reheat to fill the pie shells and cooked in the oven to finish. They turned out so delicious every time!

I always loved this tradition, not to mention the Tortière, so I asked my mom if she could teach me how to make them. And so the tradition continued…

 

We hope you are able to enjoy all of your holiday traditions this year. Wishing you good health and happiness for 2022!