If ever there was a happiest time of year in my childhood, it was Christmas time. The cares and worries of everyday life simply melted away with the smells of cookies baking in the oven. Christmas was a time of reflection, celebration and, perhaps best of all, tradition.
One of my very favourite childhood Christmas traditions fell after the New Year. Epiphany or, as we called it, Old Christmas is celebrated on January 6th, and it was our annual ritual to hold a party. My parents would invite dozens of friends, many of whom had children. There were party games, folk music played by my parents’ band and more food than could feed a small army. The house would fill with laughter and music until the wee hours of the…
