Our Family Christmas Tradition

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Bruce Sallan

Every family has their own Christmas tradition. Making this sing-a-long became a signature moment for The Sallan Boys way back when they were still young and sort of cooperative! This is over a decade old but sings to me with memories as if it were yesterday. We sang to the great Drifters Fifties version of White Christmas. I had a sore throat, but we still had a bunch of fun doing it! We all still enjoy listening to it a lot. These are the memories you keep forever! Enjoy, laugh, and sing-a-long with us!

Men vs. Women: #Christmas Shopping

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Bruce Sallan

Our fifth in this ongoing series could really be a one-sentence column: Women like to shop; Men don’t. Okay, I’ll elaborate a bit more, though that really sums it up. Add Christmas into the mix and we can simply say, men would rather be drinking eggnog or anything but shopping during the madness of the Holiday Season.

Did I Learn Anything This Past Holiday Season?

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Bruce Sallan

Every holiday season brings both wonderful times and challenging family situations for most of us, my family included. This past holiday season included the first visit to our home of my in-laws, the first time my sons and I would be apart, and the first time my wife and I would be apart during this festive time of the year. Can I say I learned more about our relationships? You bet. Was it easy and fun? You be the judge.

Let’s start with the in-laws. Like many things, I had expectations about how we’d all relate and get along, mostly based on our previous visits together at their home in Vancouver, B.C. But, as I never seem to learn or remember, expectations rarely turn out as expected. In this case, I am very pleased to say they turned out better.

Just A Guy With A Mature Teen (Imagine That?)

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Bruce Sallan

I had a fight with my mature teen. I acted like a teen and he acted like an adult. I pouted. He was reasonable. I was yelling. He was calm. I hate when that happens!

It all had to do with expectations and desires, on my part, for my mature teen son to want to hang out with his dad. Our family was apart this holiday season as my wife and younger son went to Japan and Hong Kong.

I’ll (Not) Be Home For Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Bruce Sallan

This holiday season my wife and I will not both be home for Christmas. Instead we will celebrate our first year of marriage on separate continents. As we are different races and religions, there are usually challenges we encounter at this time of year, so maybe being 7,000 miles apart will make it easier. We’ve actually resolved the big conundrum for me–the Christmas tree.

I don’t care if you call it a Hannukah bush or an ordinary tree; it is a Christmas tree, pure and simple. It represents the birth of Christ and it’s not just a secular symbol. But, it matters to my wife, so we resolved the issue by agreeing, like so many mixed religious couples, to celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah. Since my boys were raised Jewish, and my younger son just became a Bar Mitzvah, it really isn’t an issue for me anymore.