Christmas 2025: Christmas is all about love for Betty Graber-Watson
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
For Brussels correspondent Betty Graber-Watson, Christmas means the love of the world. “It all just kind of gets concentrated in that week surrounding the 25th of December,” she told The Citizen. “The people who are faithful or spiritual know it’s there all year round, and it’s just a reminder to the rest of the world that there’s a nicer way to live - love and respect each other - and the world would be a lovely place all the time.”
Her Christmas Eve tradition typically focuses on festive fellowship, family and friends. “Christmas Eve is usually going to church,” she explained, “and for the last many years, family and friends come back to our house - whichever house that is - and just snack and chat.” For several years, those gatherings included a funny gift exchange. “There was a leg of a mannequin that went around for a few years, and then there was a duck,” she recalled. “And you would write a note explaining why that person got it that year. But we’ve lost the leg. We don’t know where it went.”
Christmas Day itself has become a little quieter for Betty and her husband, Ralph Watson, these days. “It’s changed since there are no little people jumping around. Now, Ralph and I spend a nice quiet day… we might go and see some of the other kids, but we’re more apt to just be here,” she explained. “And if we know that there’s other friends that are alone, then we will get together with them.”
Boxing Day is the Christmas keystone for Graber-Watson’s family celebrations. “Everybody knows that Boxing Day is ours!” she declared. “They can have any other day they want, but just leave that one alone. I was a single parent, so just to make things easier, I always celebrated Christmas on the 26th with my kids. That way, they could go with their dad or wherever else on the other days. And now, as more of them have gotten married and we brought in the Watson kids, it’s worked out really well!” Their big Boxing Day dinner is a family tradition that has held up for decades, just like Graber-Watson’s holiday dinner table. “Depending on girlfriends and boyfriends, we could stretch the table to about 18,” she pointed out. “You don’t get to hear anything - but it’s fun.”
Her favourite childhood Christmas memories are vivid ones. “I don’t remember being anywhere near the manger, but I remember sitting on the top step going up into the choir, waiting for my turn,” she told The Citizen. Then there was the Christmas when a deeply desired doll didn’t arrive under the tree on time. “I got a really nice letter saying Santa was sorry - he ran out of the dolls he had made - but Eaton’s people would be making one and sending it to me,” she recollected. “And I still have her. She comes out every Christmas.”
Food traditions root her festivities, especially recipes that have evolved over time. “I have a Christmas cake recipe, but I’ve adapted it over the years because there are certain things I don’t like,” she confessed. “I am heavy on the cherries for my Christmas cake. And Christmas cake and Christmas pudding are separate. They’re not the same.”
Her holiday menu has also shifted along with her family’s tastes. “I used to think I had to have Nanaimo bars to have Christmas - then I realized it was only me that wanted them, So I don’t do them anymore,” she said. Her grandchildren’s preferences are simple: “I think I could probably just have gravy and mashed potatoes, and they wouldn’t care. For probably 16 people, I would have 15 pounds of potatoes. One year, that’s what I gave my oldest granddaughter. I gave her an ice cream tub, and told her that when she was leaving, she was to fill it with mashed potatoes… she said that it was the best Christmas present she’d ever had.” For the less potato-crazed members of her family, there’s also turkey, ham and other traditional festive sides on which to nosh.
Her decorating style is exuberant and expansive. “I go crazy,” she said with a laugh. “Ralph would probably tell you that.” Over the years, he has built shelves and storage to help contain her collection. “There’s maybe seven totes for Christmas,” she estimated.
“For most of those years, we were in the other house, and there were shelves and hooks for things, so I had to kind of scale back when we moved. I think I could probably get down to five totes now, if I tried really hard. Indoors, nearly every surface takes on its share of the seasonal decor. A cherished nativity scene, ordered from Eaton’s when her eldest son was a toddler, remains central. “They had a crèche with a barn, so I ordered it, because it said that the pieces were papier mâché, and I believe children should be able to feel and see things. It shouldn't be a ‘no touching’ world. So the crèche was down where, when he was two or three, where he could touch it. Then, as the boys came along, they would add their own farm animals to them. Now, we’ve had penguins, frogs and camels… anything goes here!”
Her Christmas tree, too, is rich with sentiment. “Most of the tree is things the kids have given us, and from friends we used to do ornament exchanges with,” she explained. “Some of those friends are dead now, so it’s neat to hang them up and have another good memory of them. It doesn’t make me sad. They’re where they need to be.”
If Graber-Watson could make one improvement to the holiday season, it would be for more people to embrace the traditions of Advent. “Alex Jebson has an outdoor Advent service, and I wish more people would come,” she said. “It just puts you in the mood. Advent means preparing for Christmas.”
For many years, Graber-Watson has used her annual holiday columns to reflect on the many fascinating facets of Advent, offering the broader community a gentle reminder of what the lead-up to Christmas can be. In a column printed on Dec. 1, 1999, her thoughts on Advent wandered whimsically between the week’s news and an afternoon spent watching A Muppet’s Christmas Carol, which she described as “a bit classic, a bit bizarre, a lot funny - like life in Brussels.” That Advent season, the quirky antics of the Muppets felt surprisingly familiar. “At this time of year, when we consciously think of the love we have for each other, these characters give that love a unique twist. Now, that is not what Dickens had in mind when A Christmas Carol was penned, but it sure got me in the Christmas mood…. The movie song is still spinning in my head, ‘Wherever you find love - it feels like Christmas.’”
In her first December column of the new millennium, Graber-Watson kindly reminded readers that “Advent is here - the season of anticipation. The next four weeks are part of our Christian tradition, a time of hope, peace, joy and love.”
On Dec. 21, 2017, she reflected on how the season can contain both celebration and sorrow. “Advent is the time to prepare, to breathe deep, to see real life and separate the needs and wants for those we love. Our mood affects all those around - hum your favourite song. Catch the spirit,” she wrote, before moving on to offer a fond farewell to a friend. “Shirley Clark died this past week, and to me, she was Christmas. Her bright smile and cheery ‘hello’ made you smile. Her attitude of gratitude was every day, and it never faltered when health or life offered surprises. Shirley was cheerful, helpful, quick to volunteer and ready to work. Critics were offered that same sweet smile - no judging, just a peaceful smile, a hopeful word, backed generously with joy and love. So really, Shirley was Mrs. Advent.”
In the first December column of 2025, she returned to the heart of the season once again. “Advent is here - the start up for the coming of Christmas. The four weeks prior to Dec. 25, in church chat, is preparing us for the blessed season with hope, peace, joy and love in our hearts as we go about our life. Sharing that love is the best part of this month….” She noted how the world has shifted, and how some adapt more easily than others, pointing to the rising need for food security in the community. “Cash is the most efficient donation, as bulk-buying by the North Huron Community Food Share helps for fair distribution, but groceries are always needed. Sharing, caring and a good attitude to the changing world helps everyone.”
Looking ahead to Christmas 2025, her primary wish is simple: to be here and to be healthy. “My mom died when she was 52. I’m 77. Those are all years that are a gift,” she reflected.“Health is probably one of the key things.” For Betty, the secret to an extra-special Christmas is just a little bit of focus on self-improvement. “I’m trying to be patient now,” she confessed. “That is my goal: trying to be patient... it’s not working!”