Hard Candy Christmas...

photo: BHG.com

Do you know that song? It is one I play over and over each Christmas, and is sung by the ever-so-sweet Dolly Parton (Kenny and Dolly's Christmas). It is quintessentially country in its roots of course, and I think it's title best represents all of the Christmases I have experienced.

Christmas in the country. While I don't technically live in the country, when I think of whether my Christmases have a country or urban flavour, I definitely know the answer. I actually have no real idea what a Christmas in the city entails.
I picture movies like Elf or Miracle on 34th Street, where urban revellers attend grand-scale Christmas parades with "ginormous" hot air balloon characters and elaborate floats that I have seen only on television. I picture buying a Christmas tree from a street corner vendor for a ridiculously high price, and dragging it through the crowded, slushy streets up flights of stairs (right, Mrs. Limestone?). I picture skating at Rockefeller Center, and buying expensive gifts at ABC Carpet and Home, Crate and Barrel, and stocking stuffers at Dylan's Candy Bar. Holiday music piped into subway cars filled with grumpy, weary passengers heading home after a long commute, in an attempt to inspire holiday cheer. I imagine attending cocktail parties in high-rise lofts with well-heeled friends. Christmas in the city conjures up notions of hustle and bustle, indeed.

Christmas in the country, however, is what I know. On Friday night I attended a church variety concert (definitely in the country) in order to watch my daughter and her peers demonstrate their Highland Dance skills. As we laughed at the jolly female minister dressed up in fine form for her intended role as a "country bumpkin granny"; and listened to local musicians and talents get up and casually perform with no pomp or circumstance, I knew I was witnessing Christmas in the country au naturel. As we left, each girl was given a paper treat bag filled with candy canes, chocolate, and an orange - sweet in its simplicity and delivery. We passed a table with Christmas candy and baked goods made by the ladies of the congregation. There are no strict food controls in the country and the prices were as cheap as you'll ever hope to find. The greeters thanked our girls profusely for coming to their little church, and were as welcoming as if we had known them for years.

On our way home, we stopped in to a little country craft market and bakery, and the girls each picked out hand-painted snowman pins which they happily attached to their dress coats. They devoured sugary doughnuts and cinnamon buns ( two for 75 cents) and fussed over the shop's pet cat, all curled up on a chair in front of the faux mantel. They ooh-ed and aah-ed over the Christmas giftware, and chatted up the shop ladies. It was as low-key and pleasant an evening as they come.

So, are you Christmas in the country or city? Do you wish you could switch personas? What are your favourite elements of your Christmas style?

photo: Sundance

Am I way off on my assumption of an urban Christmas? My only experience with Christmas in the city was a quick trip to New York in early December 2003. It was also the same weekend that huge snowstorm hit N.Y., so I did not get to skate outside, and strolling the streets was an exercise in physical suffering from the wind and the snow. I did love the incredible decorations and took in the Rockettes at the Christmas Extravaganza, but enlighten me on what Christmas in the city really entails...please? I love to hear about all of the different ways the holidays are celebrated.