Christmas in the Ice Queen’s Youth

1979
I desperately wanted (and received) the brand new Styx album. My mom made me a whole bunch of clothes and hung them all up on the mantel. I was thrilled! (no sarcasm) She also made me an elf outfit which I may, if you’re lucky) post a picture of me wearing. Maybe even today.

1984
Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmastime?” was on the radio, and for Christmas I got a walkman (brand new technology!) and the new Bryan Adams cassette (brand new rock star!)

1987
My first year of university in residence. For Christmas from my Grandma and Grandpa I got an adult sized set of pink fuzzy sleepers with feet. “We heard there was a co-ed bathroom.”

Sister Staceypatrick came home with me right before Christmas. “Are there any clubs around here?” she said. “Just the 4-H club,” I replied.

1988
Christmas 1988 was my first Christmas with Fresh. I lived in a basement apartment. I bought a real tree, but couldn’t afford the decorations so we hung all of my gaudy 80s jewelry off it. The pearls were particularly nice.

I had Fresh and my family over for dinner in my wee kitchen. We drank Black Tower. I had a horrible perm and my hair was some odd red colour.

That was the night I had to tell my parents I was moving in with Fresh. I waited until the rest of my family left and then built into it. “Something to tell you. You may not approve. Think it’s for the best. Blah blah blah.” But the time I blurted it out my mother said “Oh, thank God, I thought you were pregnant!”