Editorial
Lisa Dumontier

Presents have been unwrapped, eggnog and hot-toddies drunk and stockings tucked away carefully for yet another year. Decorations have been unstrung, mistletoe cast aside and the confetti has finally settled and been swept up from its midnight launch on January 1st. 2012 has officially arrived. We’ve taken stock of 2011 (hopefully) and it’s full-speed ahead with the New Year’s resolutions but now that you’ve finally been able to take a second to relish the moment, is anyone else out there wondering exactly where the last 12 months have gone?

Time seems to move so quickly these days. I would say it’s gotten worse with the introduction of children to our family—we were thoroughly warned that this would happen—but even when the days seem long, I feel like I could always use just a couple of more hours. This is never more apparent to me than it is during the holiday season when the countdown to December 25th begins as soon as the calendar page flips past November and the hustle and bustle of shopping and baking and decorating and wrapping and turkey basting and everything else takes hold.

With so little time set aside for “extras”, it seems silly to me now that I would worry about all the little things forgoing time with my family to prepare for one day . . . just that one day . . . which has traditionally been set aside for family and friends. And, I would assume I’m not alone on this.

Family is so important. Looking back on my own childhood, the materialistic things don’t really factor very high. I certainly remember the Barbie house that my father and mother so lovingly built for my sister and I alongside a pink convertible and the latest 90210 Barbie dolls one Christmas, I remember the purple bicycle I received another year (it had gold veins, so very trendy) and the little red Sony walkman that I carted around for years back when audio cassette tapes were still fashionable. But those aren’t the things that really stand out for me. Not even close.

One holiday season my family and I packed up our skates and headed down to the Waterfront Restaurant to take a spin at the outdoor rink before warming up with hot chocolate and filling the jukeboxes with our pocket change. I remember endless hours spent sliding down the Cochenour hill, heading out ice fishing for the day and hours upon hours spent out at St. Paul’s Bay being dragged behind the boat on tubes, water-skis and sea-bobs. Of course travelling to California and visiting Disneyland and Universal Studios are adventures I’ll probably never forget but less because of the mouse ears I probably carted home and more because my father was forced to drag me out of the San Diego Zoo kicking and screaming for some warranted time out in the car. The holidays should be about family but more importantly, and more to my point I suppose, family should be a focus for us all year round.

So now, while we’re still contemplating how exactly to conquer our New Year’s resolutions I challenge you all to forego the standby “lose 10 pounds” choice opting instead to prioritize family time this New Year. I’m sure your loved ones will be super pleased with your decision—unless they’re teenagers (good luck with that).

Happy New Year!

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