Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Kamik boots are NOT made in China

 

For years I have liked the boots made by Kamik. My aging memory tells me that Kamik boots have been made and sold in Canada since my boyhood days. Am I right? I don't know. It hardly seems possible and yet, the boots carry a Made in Canada label.

Our communities have changed a lot during my lifetime. One of the big changes is the loss of manufacturing jobs as many factories closed and the jobs were sent off shore. I went looking for an answer and I was surprised at what I found

Click on the link. You will be surprised as I was and you might decide that the next winter boots you buy are Kamiks.

Where are Kamik boots made?

Monday, December 20, 2021

Elf on a shelf: gimmick or tradition?

 

Elf on a Shelf is a Christmas tradition. I know because the book, published in 2005, says so. Right on the cover it says so very clearly, "A Christmas Tradition." 

I think of the little elf dolls as a fairly new Christmas gimmick but then I'm a bit of a crotchety old codger. I like my traditions to have been around longer than me. 

My middle granddaughter is quite taken with the little dolls and carries one around in its box all through the Christmas season. She never touches the little doll as that would strip it of its magic powers. Humbug!

Today she made ginger bread cookies, now there's a tradition, and gave one of the cookies to the elf whom she had carefully seated in our Christmas tree. I took a picture of both the cookie and the doll and it was either out-of-focus or suffered from camera movement. Taking blurry pictures, now that is a Christmas tradition celebrated all year long.

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Decorating the family tree: a tradition in Canada


 

Isla is only eight. She is younger than almost every decoration that she and her sister hung on our family Christmas tree. Some of the decorations are more than seven decades old. Many of the decorations were hung by the girls' mother when she was a child. All of the decorations carry a family Christmas memory.

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Santas welcomes all to court


It is difficult to show the visual impact of the large, twin Santas welcoming folk to the small suburban court. Yesterday I tried to show both Santas in one shot but it is difficult as they are on facing sides of the court entrance. The long lens I used compressed the visual space. There is a road separating these two.

Clearly two neighbours are cooperating in order to mount this display. The cooperation, as much as the two Santas (only one shown above) says Christmas as much as the large inflatable Saint Nicks.

Friday, December 17, 2021

A pair of welcoming Santas

The little suburban court has two immense, welcoming Santas at both sides of its entrance. The inflatable Santas tower above the cars passing by on the main road. Many of the vehicles slow down for a better look at the simple but dramatic display.

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Really? Shoplifters take these pots?

 


Unbelievable. And a sad commentary on life today. These pots are heavy. Massive pots in enamelled cast iron are not easy to hide under a coat or slip into a bag. And yet, the display of the French made Staub pots and stove-top grill plates must be anchored to the display with a stainless steel cable to prevent theft. A staffer first unlocks the large padlock to enable someone to make a purchase.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

A few malls struggle on

 

 

At one time, malls were the future. Not so much today. Westmount Mall has been partially demolished to rid it of excess retail space. The Galleria in downtown London has lost both its anchor stores. Today one of the former stores is now the Central Library.

In South London, White Oaks Mall keeps on going but admittedly it has a good number of empty store fronts. Yet, when COVID is factored in, it appears White Oaks may be bucking the trend in London and remaining a force in the retail sector of the city.

Personally, I like shopping at White Oaks. It may be dreary and wet outside but in the mall it is dry and comfortable. And White Oaks still has enough stores to make it a one-stop shopping experience. This is a mall to watch.