Newcomer gets the message

Image credit:  Christina at wocintechchat.com

By Kavitha Swamy

Dennis, our son’s friend, came home recently and it being the end of November said, as I expected him to, the following: “I tried, Mrs Swamy!”

This is his cheeky reminder that Christmas is coming up, and dates back to years ago when his mother Tracy and I first became friends watching our respective kids in the playground.

One day I spotted Dennis in a bright red t-shirt with the words Naughty, Nice and I Tried, in three rows. In front of each was a box and the one in front of I tried had a tick mark in it.

Thinking that was really sweet, I told him I loved his t-shirt. “That’s my excuse, too,” I added. “I tried!”

Tracy laughed and said, “He loves that t-shirt, he wears it year-round.”

I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the penny dropped a few months later. In a flyer announcing Christmas deals, I saw a line about being on Santa’s list for gifts if you’d been nice, but not, if you’d been naughty. 

The t-shirt conversation had taken place in summer, and the t-shirt referenced Christmas! Of course, I’d had no idea this was a Christmas-related thing, but Tracy couldn’t have known that. She probably thought I was pointing to the fact that Dennis was wearing a Christmas t-shirt in summer. I agonized over how rude she must have thought I was. I debated calling her to apologize. But why bring it up if she had forgotten it? Not like she had mentioned it since. I held off for maybe a couple of hours but caved in and called her and apologized profusely.

It took her a few seconds to even recall that conversation.

“Oh you’re being silly!” she exclaimed. “I honestly didn’t take it amiss. You liked the t-shirt and I told you it was his favourite because you were sure to see him in it several times!”

But that little story was shared with our kids as they grew older and now they are old enough to tease me about it.

What’s your story? If you have a newcomer’s Canadian experience story to share about your early days in Canada e-mail it to us at canadaboundimmigrant@rogers.com