Tag Archives: reindeer

The Reindeer Are Coming! The Reindeer Are Coming!!

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Mrs. Claus and Twinkles and Krinkles (stuffed reindeer) are standing in front of a two panel holiday display at Hillside Mall in Victoria. The right panel has a winter Christmas image and the left panel begins with a title of "Once Upon a Time"

Mrs. Claus, Krinkles and Twinkles at Hillside Mall

Hi Folks:

On Friday we took Krinkles and Twinkles over to Hillside Mall; a lot of people lose their smiles this time of year and being happy reindeer, they like to help people get their smiles back. So they peek unobtrusively into store windows, skirt around crowds, and wave to pretty much everyone they see. Mostly people smile, sometimes they wave back (and sometimes they don’t and that’s okay too). T&K like to think that maybe they helped pull joy a little closer to the surface.
 
Yesterday the four of us walked around downtown Victoria and continued spreading cheer. We went through all four levels of the Bay Centre, the Library, Market Square and Centennial Square/City Hall. They got to meet a new friend (a fairy named Joy) and hung out for a bit with old friends at Market Square and the edge of Chinatown. The final stop was Cat’s Coffee and Cakes for a little refreshment. Thirsty work, waving at all those people… 👋
 
Hugs, 
M&M
 
P.S. It’s quite possible that for at least one person we encountered, a smile and a wave from someone is the best Christmas present they’ll receive this year. For that, we’d like to thank you.
 

 

The happy threesome in front of the large (3+ storeys), resplendent Christmas tree on the lower level of the Bay Centre
The Happy Trio at the Festival of Trees at the Bay Centre
Meeting up at the outdoor courtyard at Market Square with their old friend - a VERY large sculpture of a polar bear, seated
Meeting an old friend at Market Square
The Happy Trio meeting up with their friend the Chinese dragon at the edge of Chinatown
Meeting an old friend at the edge of Chinatown.
A poster at Cats Coffee and Cakes that has images of three gingerbread people. The caption reads FRESH BAKED Gingerbread Hugs Cookies and Cakes Made Fresh Daily
Gingerbread Hugs at Cat’s Coffee and Cakes
The Happy Trio at a round, metal patio table with a cinnamon croissant and a chocolate snowman macaron. Tea/coffee still to come
A final stop for refreshment…

Krinkles and Twinkles and Smiles, Oh My!!

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Mrs. Claus, Krinkles and Twinkles at the Bay Centre

Hi Folks:

This marks the second pandemic Holiday season, and things continue to ebb and flow. Yesterday Krinkles and Twinkles managed to twist our arms enough (it took a serious amount effort!! 🙂 ) to take them on their annual walk about Victoria. This marks our 7th such adventure, and they always have a really good time. As with 2020 we didn’t venture into as many buildings as we had in previous years, but the reindeer don’t mind. They take great delight in smooshing their noses up against windows and peeking in, waving to anyone and everyone in their path… What delights them most is when people smile and/or wave back and they know that they’ve brought happiness into someone’s life, even if just for a moment. Most children smile and wave and a good percentage of the adults do too (even if some of them only smile on the inside). Some people look at them like they’ve never seen Mrs. Claus (or her companion – long white beard, long red cloak) walking around with waving reindeer, but that’s okay too. The holidays can be hard for some people and that’s why Krinkles and Twinkles take such delight in their outing.

Starting from our home in James Bay we walked through the downtown, checking out some of the annual creations for the Gingerbread Showcase and the Festival of Trees before retiring to Murchie’s café for a tea and lunch (Mrs. Claus found the pumpkin spice soup to be excellent!)

On our way back home we stopped at the Homecoming Memorial at Ship Point to spend a moment with our old friend Captain John Mason, and we tarried awhile by our hugging tree, handing out smiles, good wishes and lots of waves!

Many thanks to everyone who joined in the celebration with us yesterday, to the person in Ottawa who joined us virtually, and to the gentleman who stopped to say he had a picture of us from last year!

We haven’t been able to partake in our hugging adventures since March 2020, but maybe we’ll bring out a couple of our other kids – Frosty and Wonder for example – to our hugging tree after the holidays and we can engage in more smiles and waves then.

Hugs,
Mrs. and Mr. Claus 🤶🎅

  • Mrs’ Claus, looking resplendent
  • Krinkles and Twinkles at Murchie’s
  • Mrs. Claus, John Mason, Krinkles and Twinkles

Who Were Those Masked Reindeer? I’d Like to Thank Them…

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Hi Folks:

Last Sunday Twinkles and Krinkles decided it was time for their annual festive walkabout downtown. This is the sixth year in a row they’ve done this; their reasoning is that a lot of people lose their smiles this time of year and so Krinkles and Twinkles like to help people recover them. These energetic reindeer have huge hearts and they love nothing more than to share that with others.

We set off from our home in James Bay, and stopped first at Cora’s restaurant on Douglas Street for a fortifying breakfast. Twinkles and Krinkles were welcomed right in (our host has a soft spot for reindeer, especially around Christmas).

Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles at Cora's

Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles at Cora’s

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The Reindeer Take Victoria… Again!!

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Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles at Mayfair Mall
Mrs. Claus, Twinkles and Krinkles at Mayfair Mall

Hi Folks:

Well, as the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” And while there are many reasons to celebrate the Holiday Season, the transition from shorter days to longer and all that accompanies that, the truth is that this can also be a stressful time of year for many people. People get caught up in the too-short days, the not-enough time, and the hustle and bustle that’s being pushed upon them from all sides. And when they get pushed around too much, sometimes something very sad happens… They lose their smile somewhere along the way. 😪

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He Says, She Says… How to Be Santa Claus

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Hello, Dear Reader:

Being Christmas eve and all, it seemed like an appropriate topic for today.  This ‘He Says, She Says…‘ post is going to be primarily a ‘He Says’, and it’s likely to be our last blog post of 2010, so I’ll add in a greeting from Marcia as well:  However you celebrate it, we wish a joyous Holiday season to you and to those near and dear to your heart.

When you look like me, a lot of kids call you Santa Claus.  I’m also very fortunate to have my own Mrs. Claus.  Being called Santa may be partly because of the white hair and beard, but I still remember one day over 15 years ago when I was standing at an ATM outside (in July) wearing a headband, sunglasses, denim jacket and jeans, and a girl passing by called out, “Look mom, it’s Santa Claus!” “No, I don’t think so.” was the reply.  “Yeah, it is!”  Mom was thinking ‘Hells Angels’ was more likely, but the little girl could see through the disguise.  I also remember the first time a little one, too young to talk, walked by with his dad in hand.  As they walked away the little one began saying, “Ho Ho Ho.  Ho Ho Ho…”  His dad didn’t know what he was going on about, but we did.

However, this isn’t a post about how to look like Santa Claus, it’s about how to be Santa Claus, no matter what you look like.  And that’s something anyone can do, no matter your faith or beliefs.  The ‘father’ of the modern day Santa Claus was St. Nicholas, a Grecian man who lived in Lycia in the 4th century.  Born to wealthy parents, they died when he was young and he was raised by his uncle.  As he grew up St. Nick was a pious man, and very generous with what he had.  He also encouraged his associates to be generous as well.  There are a number of stories about his life; this is one of my favourites… Continue Reading →