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| The True Christmas Spirit in Gravenhurst - Now That’s Christmas Spirit in Gravenhurst, Muskoka! This home located on First Street, South in Gravenhurst is already into the Christmas Season with an extensive lighting display and ornaments ready to usher in the Christmas Season. Over the upcoming weeks leading up to Christmas a variety of some of the most “unique” outdoor Christmas lighting displays within the Gravenhurst and surrounding areas will be photographed and posted between other seasonal favourites for all to enjoy. If you’re a seasonal fan of Clark Griswold from the movie “Christmas Vacation” you’ll know what I’m talking about. Get ready to enjoy some spectacular Christmas Lighting Displays! Joy To The World. (Photo By Fred Schulz) |
THE CULTURAL, FOLKISH SIDE - THE MUSKOKA INFLUENCE ON CHRISTMAS YOU PROBABLY NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT
BUT YOU SHOULD! IT'S THERE!
NO MATTER WHERE I TRAVEL, OR WHAT COUNTRY ROAD I MIGHT FIND MYSELF MOTORING UPON, SOMETHING ARCHITECTURAL, OR A CLUMP OF EVERGREENS, OR JUST THE WAY THE SUN SETS ALONG THE WOODLAND HORIZON, WILL MAKE ME THINK OF HOW NICE IT WOULD BE.....AT THAT MOMENT, TO BE CLOSER TO HOME.
I REMEMBER BEING CHAUFFERED THROUGH THIS HAUNTINGLY PICTURESQUE FOREST, OF WHICH I WAS OTHERWISE UNFAMILIAR. MY FATHER TOLD ME I HAD DRIVEN THE SAME STRETCH OF AMERICAN HIGHWAY AS A KID, ONE YEAR, WHEN WE WERE DRIVING SOUTH TO FLORIDA. I WAS SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OF AGE, SO I DIDN'T REMEMBER MUCH, EXCEPT GETTING CAR SICK. A LOT!
POCKETED ALONG THE WINDING ROAD, WERE SO MANY HISTORIC HOUSES, ALL HAVING LONG TREE-LINED DRIVEWAYS, SOFTLY ILLUMINATED BY THE SETTING SUN, AND INTERESTING MAIL BOXES POSTED ALONG THE ROAD. IT WAS IN THE FALL OF THE YEAR, BACK IN THE MID 1990'S, AND I HAD BEEN INVITED TO A SPECIAL CEREMONY, IN HONOR OF BRACEBRIDGE BORN, ROGER CROZIER, AN EXECUTIVE WITH THE AMERICAN BANK, MBNA, BEING HELD AT THE FAMOUS LONGWOOD GARDENS CENTER, IN KENNET SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA. IT WAS A BREATHTAKING DRIVE TO KENNET SQUARE, AND PROFOUNDLY MEMORABLE, BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT HAS TO BE THE BIGGEST GREENHOUSE ENIVORNMENT IN THE WORLD.
ROGER, A FORMER ALLSTAR GOALTENDER, FOR THE DETROIT RED WINGS, BUFFALO SABRES, AND THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS, WAS RECEIVING AN APPRECIATION AWARD, FROM THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, TO BE HELD IN THE MIDST OF LONGWOOD GARDENS' TROPICAL ENVIRONS. I WAS THERE AS ONE OF ROGER'S BIOGRAPHERS, REPRESENTING THE MUSKOKA MEDIA. I ACCOMPANIED ROGER'S MOTHER, MILDRED, AND LONG TIME FRIEND, JACK HUCKLE, AND MBNA WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SEND A CORPORATE JET TO BRING US SOUTH FROM THE MUSKOKA AIRPORT. BUT IT WAS THE MOTOR TRIP, THAT WE HAD, FROM WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, HOME OF MBNA, TO KENNET SQUARE, IN SCENIC PENNSYLVANIA, THAT HELD US SPELLBOUND. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL WARM DAY, AND JUST BEFORE SUNSET, WE GOT TO SEE THE ELEGANT OLD HOUSES, AND THE CHARMING ARCHITECTURE BLENDED SO NICELY INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE.
ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT, STRANGE AS THIS MAY SEEM, WAS OUR OWN "MUSKOKA BEACH ROAD." I'M NOT KIDDING. WHILE I WAS A LITTLE FUTURE-MINDED, WITH THESE THOUGHTS, IT'S EXACTLY HOW THE STRETCH OF HINTERLAND, BETWEEN BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST, WILL EVENTUALLY BE DEVELOPED, AS LARGE RURAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES BECOME VOGUE. THERE'S ALREADY EVIDENCE OF THIS, WITH HOUSES BUILT IN THE PAST DECADE, AND IT IS THE PERFECT AMALGAMATION OF THE MUSKOKA LANDSCAPE AND COUNTRY LIVING. SO HERE I AM, MIXING IT UP WITH THE LEGENDS OF BUSINESS, AND MANY COMMUNITY LEADERS, IN DELAWARE AND PENNSYLVANIA; AND I'M SIPPING WINE AND THINKING ABOUT MUSKOKA. WHAT THE EXPERIENCE DID FOR ME, WAS OFFER INSIGHT ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN MISSING HERE IN MUSKOKA, AS FAR AS RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION; OUR NATURAL HERITAGE, AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS, MIXED WITH SUCH AN INTERESTING, FULFILLING, REGIONAL HISTORY, AS WE POSSESS......BUT ARE OFTEN TOO MODEST TO BRAG ABOUT.....FOR FEAR THAT WE MIGHT APPEAR ARROGANT. ONCE AGAIN, I'M DRAWN BACK TO THE FOLK HISTORY THAT WAS NEVER ADEQUATELY RECORDED, THAT CARRIES ON TODAY, WITH MANY LOCAL FAMILIES; MEANING THAT THE AURA AND PATINA OF MUSKOKA, IS PART OF THE WAY WE LIVE AND CELEBRATE SPECIAL EVENTS. CHRISTMAS, IS ONE EXAMPLE. WHAT IS A MUSKOKA CHRISTMAS? WHY IS IT DIFFERENT THAN A CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY, OR IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO, OR EVEN KENNET SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA?
THERE IS A CURRENT TELEVISION PROMOTION FOR THE "ROCKY MOUNTAINEER," THE "SCENIC-TOUR" TRAIN, WITH ELEGANTLY APPOINTED OBSERVATION CARS, THAT COILS THROUGH THIS COUNTRY'S ROCKY MOUNTAINS....THAT PROFILES THE RESPONSES OF PASSENGERS, TO THE PANORAMA THEY ARE EXPERIENCING. IT IS A CLEVER CAPTURE OF THEIR "LOOKS OF AWE," AND SPEECHLESS APPRECIATION, TO THE POINT OF TEARS, LOOKING OUT THE OBSERVATION CARS AT BREATHTAKING SCENERY. EVERY TIME I SEE IT, I REMARK TO SUZANNE, SOMETHING LIKE, "SEE, THIS HOW I FEEL ABOUT MUSKOKA......BUT I CAN'T DESCRIBE 'AWE' THE WAY THIS ADVERTISEMENT SHOWS IT, ON THE FACES OF PASSENGERS." I GUESS I MUST NOT BE VERY GOOD THEN, BECAUSE IT SHOULD BE EASY TO SELL THIS HAUNTINGLY SPECIAL PLACE, THE SAME WAY, AS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. NOW I REALIZE IT'S A PRETTY FAR STRETCH TO COMPARE MUSKOKA'S LAKELAND, TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, AND THE RAIL TRIP THROUGH BRITISH COLUMBIA. BUT I'VE SEEN THIS REGION AT TIMES, WHEN AT SUNSET, I HAD NO LITERAL CAPABILITY, TO DESCRIBE WHAT ONLY A PHOTOGRAPH OR FILM COULD ACCOMPLISH. I'VE PADDLED LAKE ROSSEAU BEFORE SUNRISE, AND DRIFTED SILENTLY THROUGH POCKETS OF MIST, ONLY TO COME UPON A SCENE OF SUCH NATURAL BEAUTY, THAT DESPITE A NOTEBOOK, AT MY SIDE, THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD WRITE, TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THE PRECISE MOMENT OF DISCOVERY. IT'S WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT, HOWEVER, ON THE WAY TO LONGWOOD GARDENS, THAT LATE AUTUMN SEASON AFTERNOON. I SAW FOR MYSELF, HOW "STORIED" PENNSYLVANIA WAS BEING CELEBRATED FOR ITS HISTORICAL MILESTONES. IT JUST SEEMED TO ME, AS A REGIONAL HISTORIAN IN MUSKOKA, THAT SOMETHING WAS MISSING AT HOME......SOMETHING THAT WASN'T BEING CONSIDERED AND HONORED. IT WAS AS FAR BACK, AS THIS TRIP TO PENNSYLVANIA, THAT I STARTED TO PROMOTE THE FOLK HISTORY, AND CULTURAL NUANCES OF THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA. WHAT SO MANY HISTORIANS THROUGH THE DECADES HAD MISSED, NEEDED TO BE RECORDED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. IT WAS ONE THING TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, STEAMSHIPS, OUR MARINE HERITAGE, THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF COMMUNITY HISTORY (WHEN BUILDINGS WERE BUILT, AND WHEN THEY BURNED DOWN), AND COMPANION BIOGRAPHIES OF OUR LOCAL NOTABLES. BUT WE HAVE A FOLK - CULTURAL HISTORY IN MUSKOKA, YET WE HAVE DONE LITTLE TO RECOGNIZE IT, AS A SOURCE OF PRIDE.
SO CAN THERE BE SUCH A CULTURAL / FOLK ASPECT TO THE CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA? ABSOLUTELY. AND BEFORE WE HIT NEW YEAR'S DAY, WITH FRED SCHULZ'S ASSISTANCE, PHOTOGRAPHING THE SPLENDID COMMONPLACES OF LIFE IN MUSKOKA, I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO AGREE WITH US.....THAT SUCH A POWERFULLY BEAUTIFUL HINTERLAND LIKE THIS....HAS BECOME PART OF OUR LIVES AND CELEBRATIONS.....OFTEN SUBTLY, AND FOR OTHERS, DEEPLY AND PROFOUNDLY FOR GENERATIONS. HOW WOULD WE KNOW THIS, IF WE DIDN'T LOOK, AND BONE-UP ON OUR RESEARCH, OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MUSKOKAN. EARLIER THIS FALL SEASON, I WROTE DOZENS OF BLOGS, REGARDING MUSKOKA'S IGNORED FOLK HERITAGE. I OFFERED QUITE A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES OF ITS EXISTANCE, AND WHERE TO LOOK FOR IT YOURSELF, IF YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE THE HISTORIAN. I WON'T REPEAT THAT MATERIAL NOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE WELCOME TO ARCHIVE BACK, AND READ THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR YOURSELF. I USED MUSKOKA FOLK HISTORIANS, LIKE CAPTAIN LEVI FRASER, BERT SHEA, AND TRAVELLING ANGLICAN MISSIONARY, GOWAN GILLMORE, TO INFILL SOME OF THE REGIONAL FOLK HISTORY WE MOST OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED, OR GENERALLY CONSIDER IRRELEVANT. AND I SPENT HOURS TALKING TO MY WIFE, WHO IS THE OFFSPRING FROM THAT HOMESTEAD PERIOD IN OUR REGION, DATING BACK TO THE 1860'S. I'M SATISFIED THAT THE "MUSKOKA" INFLUENCE IS PROFOUND, IF AND WHEN ONE CHOOSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITS PLEASANT INTRUSION UPON RESIDENTS' LIVES HERE. MANY DON'T CARE TO GET INTO THAT KIND OF DELVING AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS. BUT IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THESE, MAYBE I CAN BE THE ONE WHO PERSUADES YOU, TO AT LEAST, CONSIDER THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING A BELIEVER.
MUSKOKA FROM THE BEGINNING EXPLORATION WAS AN ALLURING, CAPTIVATING PLACE. IT IS DOCUMENTED BRIEFLY IN A JOURNAL KEPT BY CHAMPLAIN, AND IT IS THOUGHT, SOME REFERENCES TO ITS NATURAL QUALITIES, WERE IMPRINTED IN THE JESUIT RELATIONS OF THE 1600'S, AS IT PERTAINS TO THE TRAVELS OF MISSIONARIES, FROM THE OUTPOST MISSION, OF STE. ELIZABETH, LOCATED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN WASHAGO AND SEVERN BRIDGE. COPIOUS NOTES WERE MADE BY THE EARLY SURVEYORS, INCLUDING DAVID THOMPSON, AND THE FIRST SPORTSMEN TO VENTURE INTO THE REGION. I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU, THAT MUSKOKA WAS CONSIDERED AN ENCHANTED LAKELAND. AND ALTHOUGH THE PIONEERS FELT SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY, AND DID POSSESS CONSIDERABLE FEAR ABOUT THEIR PROSPECTS FOR SURVIVAL, SOME PERISHING FROM THEIR MISADVENTURE, THE OVER-POWERING MAJESTY OF THE LANDSCAPE BECAME, OVER THOSE FIRST FIFTY YEARS, INHERENTLY PART OF THE CULTURE AND FOLK HISTORY OF THE REGION; IN SO MANY WAYS, A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO REMAIN HERE, EVEN WHEN LIFE WAS HARD AND THE ECONOMY WAS POOR. THE VAST FORESTS AND HAUNTED MOORS, MISTY BOGS AND SMALL, BLACK LAKES, THE MUSKOKA RIVER AND THE GREAT FALLS, BECAME A SUBTLE, LONG-TERM INTRUSION OF DAY TO DAY LIVING; SOMETHING THAT WASN'T CONSIDERED THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE, BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT BECAME; AND THE EVIDENCE IS ON THE CEMETERY STONES, AS MANY OF THOSE FAMILY NAMES STILL EXIST IN FULL VIGOR, IN THIS MODERN ERA. MUSKOKA WAS MORE THAN A BACKDROP. IT WAS PERSUASIVE AND ENCROACHING; SOMETIMES IT WAS FRIGHTENING, IN THE CASE OF GREAT STORMS AND BLIZZARDS THAT SHUT OFF COMMUNICATION FOR WEEKS, EVEN BETWEEN PIONEER HOMESTEADS. AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE LAKES SPARKLED AT SUNRISE, AND HOW WARM A NOVEMBER AFTERNOON, LIKE THIS....., WINTERS WERE LONG AND HARD, AND IF PROVISIONS WERE LOW, AND THE CABIN INADEQUATE, FOUR MONTHS SEEMED LIKE TWELVE. THOSE WHO HAVE HAD MANY GENERATIONS CONNECTED TO MUSKOKA, KNOW SOME OF THESE FOLK TALES OF SURVIVAL, AND ARE PROUD TO RE-TELL THEM FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN A HISTORY, NOT YET PUT TO PRINT.
EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T BORN HERE, AND CAME TO MUSKOKA JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENT SURGE OF DEVELOPMENT, SEEDED AS FAR BACK AS THE MID 1960'S, MUSKOKA HAS BEEN A WELCOME PART OF EVERY DAY LIVING FOR ME, AND YES, WHEN OUR FAMILY CELEBRATES THE FESTIVE SEASON, HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, IT IS A TRADITIONAL MUSKOKA CHRISTMAS. AS MY WIFE AND BOYS ARE MUSKOKA-BORN, THEY LEAD THE WAY. THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE IS PART OF OUR CHRISTMAS RECOGNITION. THE COMINGS AND GOINGS, RITUALS AND TRADITIONS OF OUR NEIGHBORS, ARE EQUALLY TOUCHED BY THE NATURAL ENHANCEMENTS OF OUR PART OF GRAVENHURST. EVEN WHEN I LIVED, AS A TEENAGER, IN THE WEBER APARTMENTS, ON BRACEBRIDGE'S ALICE STREET, MUSKOKA WAS ALL CONSUMING TO ME. I HAD THE SNOW-LADEN BAMFORD WOODS TO RUN THROUGH, A LENGTH OF SNOW-PACKED STREET TO PLAY ROAD-HOCKEY ON, AND APARTMENT FAMILIES, LIKE US, WHO KNEW WELL (AND I MEAN THAT SINCERELY) HOW TO PROPERLY AND HEARTILY ADDRESS THE FESTIVE SEASON; SOMETIMES GETTING SO ENTHUSIASTIC, ONE OR TWO MIGHT TRY TO SKI DOWN THE STAIRS. AS A CITY KID, IT DIDN'T TAKE ME ANY TIME AT ALL, TO FALL INTO THE THICK QUILTING, OF GOOD NEIGHBORS AND THE MUSKOKA EXPERIENCE. I USED TO SIT ON THE THIRD FLOOR LANDING, IN THE APARTMENT BUILDING, LOOKING OUT THE LARGE FRONT WINDOW, FRAMING THE SNOW FLURRIES, SWIRLING DOWN UPON THE EVERGREENS OF BAMFORD'S WOODS. THERE WAS A LARGE LITHOGRAPH FRAMED ABOVE THE WINDOW, OF A FOREST SCENE, WITH SEVERAL DEER STANDING ON THE FRINGE. I DON'T THINK THIS WAS AN IMAGE TAKEN IN MUSKOKA, BUT IT REMINDED ME OF PARALLEL SCENES I'D WITNESSED MANY TIMES BEFORE, DRIVING AROUND THE REGION WITH MY PARENTS, IN THOSE EARLY YEARS OF RESIDENCY; IN WHAT WE ALL CALLED "GOD'S COUNTRY." MY FATHER GREW UP IN THE CITY, AND DECIDED, WHEN I WAS HEADING INTO MY TEEN ERA, THAT I NEEDED WIDE OPEN SPACES TO EXPLORE. WHEN HE HAD THE CHANCE TO WORK FOR A LUMBER COMPANY IN BRACEBRIDGE, HE JUMPED AT THE CHANCE, AND THANK GOODNESS HE ACCEPTED. FROM OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN BRACEBRIDGE, TO THE PRESENT, NOW LIVING IN GRAVENHURST, WE WILL ENJOY THE MANY INSPIRATIONS OUR DISTRICT HAS PROVIDED FOR LONG AND LONG....AND BE ABLE TO SAY, WITH CONVICTION, WE'RE HAVING A TRADITIONAL MUSKOKA CHRISTMAS.....AND IT WILL INVOLVE A FOREST THEME.
HERE ARE SOME INSIGHTS FROM PREVIOUS CHRISTMAS BLOGS, TO USE AS A LEAD-IN TO OUR SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SERIES.
CHRISTMAS PASSES SO FAST - I'M TRYING TO HANG ON A LITTLE LONGER - TO JUSTIFY ALL THE PREPARATIONS
There was one year, when the lads were much younger, when we really needed the charm of the Christmas tree to extend past the festive season. In fact, (it was a polyester tree) we went right through New Years, Ground Hog Day, Robbie Burns, Valentines, St. Patricks and it finally came down on Easter Monday. Short of haggis hanging from the tree, each of the occasions had appropriate tree attire. I don't know what was bugging us that particular year, but you know, that tree made us feel good, and celebratory, by its green bushy presence. Now here's what happened in order for this tree to last this long. I had to beg. Thus, I obviously needed it more than any one else. As a daily writer, I have all kinds of motivational needs…..objects that, for one reason or another, inspire me. It can get a little weird, especially with some of the sculptures I purchase, that generate my own creative enterprise. Don't know why, just need them.
Suzanne is accountant-minded. She's a teacher, a knitter, sewer, quilt repairer, blanket re-binder, a gardener and about as persnickety an individual as you can find on the planet. She can not abide stale dated advertisements, and cringes at any signboard anywhere, that has expired, and is still mistakenly posted. She does not believe in tardiness in such cases; just that there must be general malaise, on their part, tidying up after an event. She'll point them out to me, whether it is a banner for an antique show, that was held two weeks previous, or a billboard that is only days outdated. Much as if I'm supposed to stop the car, jump out, and rip the darn thing from its mounts. So getting back to the Christmas tree. I can't believe she tolerated that tree being up until Easter. It must have drove her nuts, to wake up every morning, and see that Christmas…..still, wasn't quite done yet. In retrospect, she would acknowledge that period, and that extended holiday season, without making any comment whatsoever, about her sheer joy having a St. Valentines Day tree, and a St. Patrick's version as well. Easter bunnies on a Christmas tree. Gads.
So last night, thinking her in a good humor, I suggested that it would be nice to keep the newest polyester tree up an extra week, following New Years. Ya know, I've had all kinds of looks from this lady, over the past two and a half decades, but this was a glare showing more contempt than I'd ever seen. Even when she commanded me to sleep on the porch for having to many schnapps. It was like I'd asked if I could bring the hulk of the titanic into the livingroom. Geez, it was just the wrong time, wrong mood, and obviously there was a gravy issue in the kitchen. While I thought I was going to sneak this through, without a lot of fuss, a little inconsistency with the gravy sunk my battleship. What she knows of me, is that I sneak something small past, that seems quite minor and inconsequential, and then it kind of blossoms into something monstrous….apparently like extending Christmas time beyond its official designation.
Suzanne has had to put up with a lot of my excesses in the past, and although this may not seem like a big deal…..to have an extra week with my expensive, store-bought shrubbery, it's the cumulative thing you see. She remembers stuff like, telling her I'd be right home from the tavern, and then showing up three days later with wet hockey equipment, someone else's jacket, and the wrong car. So I don't really expect her to give me much of a break, even though I've been relatively good for the past decade…..in terms of not drinking to excess, running amuck with my former hockey and fishing chums (all banned now from the property), and hauling home stuff from the landfill site for refurbishing.
She didn't offer anything definitive but I'm sure with some coaxing, I can buy a few extra days for the tree. Years earlier, I was able to work the wee lads, to throw on some "please mom, pretty please, can we mom, can we," pleading, but now they just say, in passing, "dad, keep us out of it. We're not getting mom mad at us." So I'm kind of left to Suzanne's mercy, and I'm pretty sure she'll demand some trade-offs. We're like big league corporations, the way we negotiate concessions from each other, for one's favor, at the other's counter-proposal. I guess if I have to participate in its on-schedule dismantling this year, I'll do so with that trademark grumbling, I'm known for, here in the neighborhood, jam the sucker in the box, in protest, and get on with the important domestic stuff……like tidying-up my newspapers, and straightening my piles of books. The tree is a diversion, you see, because as long as it's up, she forgets about the askew books and my daily newspapers.
Look, she's a wonderful partner, and means well all the time. I'm certainly not a textbook slob….although my mother thought so, and I have many idiosyncrasies myself. I can not stand a crooked picture, and Suzanne couldn't care less about this. I could have everything else collapsed on top of itself, but by God, there shall be no crooked painting at Birch Hollow. We deserve each other I think. There are two lucky people out there, and they don't even know it.
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