Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian » Christmas

Marge Curtis, May 1,1918 ~ December 18, 2011

Dan Curtis — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:21:01 +0000

Mom at twenty-three

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know that every Monday is devoted to Monday’s Link Roundup. This Monday is different. Yesterday Mom died at Victoria Hospice at the age of ninety-three.

Mom always believed that when she transitioned to that other side, she’d be met by my Dad, Ed Curtis, who died in 1990. I like to think she was right. And whether by coincidence or design her death took place on their seventy-second wedding anniversary. They were married December 18, 1939.

Throughout my life Mom was one of my biggest fans and supporters. In many ways she introduced me to story telling at an early age. An avid reader, her favorite activity before going to sleep was to read a few pages from her latest book. Every morning I would eagerly run into her bedroom to sit by her bed. There, she would relate the latest installment – no doubt censoring some of the racy bits for the ears of an eight-year-old.

She also regaled me with stories from her teenage years when her family homesteaded in the wilderness of northern British Columbia. Eagerly absorbed by a young boy were tales of encounters with grizzly bears, hunting, and snowy winter nights, hunkered down in their log cabin.

People have remarked that it’s sad that Mom’s death came so close to Christmas. In part that’s true. I certainly haven’t had time in the past few weeks to think much about the holiday season. But central to this time of year is the message of peace, comfort, and joy. And I’ve experienced all of those in a personal and profound way. Mom and I were surrounded at Victoria Hospice by loving and compassionate care. Her final days brought her comfort and her death was blessedly peaceful. And we had joyful moments – reminiscing about Christmases past, enjoying cups of her favorite tea from her favorite cup, and laughing at this comedy called life. One of the last things she said to me, opening her eyes briefly was, “Having fun?”

I miss her dearly. My world has changed forever. But surrounded and supported by my loving partner, friends, and colleagues I’ll carry on doing honor to those values she tried to instill in me – kindness, loyalty, grace, and a good sense of humor.

Thanks, Mom.

What Do Plants Have to Do With Christmas Memories?

Dan Curtis — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:45:04 +0000

In a previous post I wrote about the power of our senses to bring back past memories. I was reading our local newspaper yesterday and came upon a fascinating article entitled, Christmases past live on with plants as reminders by Helen Chesnut. I hadn’t thought about plants as a way to bring back memories but reading her article made me think. And you know she has a point. Bringing home a fresh Christmas tree always brings back childhood memories for me. When I was a child, we lived for many years on a rugged island off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Long before Christmas I would have found the perfect tree. Then a week before Christmas I would haul my mother off into the bush with axe in hand to chop down the tree and haul it home. It’s still a vivid and happy memory for me.

Do you have any plants that bring back memories of Christmases past?

Photo by Randen Pederson

The Life Story “Christmas” Quote of The Week

Dan Curtis — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:40:26 +0000

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!

Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

This is a wonderful time of year for reflection and reminiscing about past holidays. Why not write down a favorite Christmas memory and share it with a loved one. It could become a new holiday tradition.

Photo by Kris de Curtis

How to Make The Weather Part of Your Life Story

Dan Curtis — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:19:31 +0000

It’s unusually cold here in Victoria, British Columbia this week – freezing winds, ice and snow. Our winters in the Pacific Northwest are for the most part wet and mild, so people are a little shocked and in disbelief. It got me thinking how much weather plays a part in our life stories. And yet we often forget to include these details when we sit down to write our personal history. My mother still vividly recalls how it was pouring rain when she got married in the tiny hamlet of Alert Bay, British Columbia. And I remember one Christmas when I was all of eight years old. My family lived on an isolated island near the northwest tip of Vancouver Island. Rarely did we get snow at Christmas. That year it started snowing after supper on Christmas Eve. I was delighted and so excited that I staid up all night looking out my bedroom window as my little part of the world turned white. It was one of my most memorable Christmases.

If you’re interested in making weather a part of your life story – I’ve discovered a great resource. It’s called the Weather Warehouse. You can get direct on line access to the most comprehensive historical weather database in existence. It provides United States weather details going back as far as 1902. You can also access international data off line starting from 1973. So let’s say you wanted to know what the weather was like when your Aunt Beatrice emigrated to New York on July 18, 1922. You can find out at Weather Warehouse. There is a charge for the service starting for as little as US$4.95.

Do you have a memorable weather story to tell? Why not share it with us.

Photo by Paul Keleher