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All we want for Christmas: Holiday greetings from Sudbury.com staff

Merry Christmas, Sudbury.com+ members
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Well we’re less than two days away from Dec. 25, so what better time than to offer some Christmas greetings and wishes from the staff of Sudbury.com.

It has certainly been a trying year for the world and it’s likely most of us will be happy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror.

But it is still the holiday season and despite the challenging year, we all have things we’re thankful for and wishes for the year to come.

So, without further ado, here are Christmas greetings from the staff of Sudbury.com.

Matt Durnan, city hall reporter

2020 has been a challenging year to say the very least, and Christmas this year promises to be a different experience than years past.

My girlfriend and I made the decision a few weeks ago not to travel south to Mississauga for the holidays this year to see our respective families, which afforded us the time to prepare for a “virtual Christmas”. Technology and expedient package deliveries are two things that I’m certainly thankful for this year, as gifts from our parents have already arrived here in Sudbury and have been tucked under the tree.

While I wish we could see everyone in person, there is something to be said for a quiet Christmas at home. We’ll set up a video chat with our families on Dec. 25 and open our gifts together, and though it’s not the same as being there, I’m feeling a lot less stressed this year than I have in previous years.

Christmas is generally a logistical minefield that starts with, “ok, so we both finish work at this time on Christmas Eve, if we’re in the car and on the road by this time we’ll be there by this time.” From there it’s navigating whose house we’re supposed to be at and when. Was Christmas day with your family or mine? Where are we going on Boxing Day? Wait who just had a baby? When are we doing drinks and appetizers with our friends and where is that happening? Are we going to be able to see everybody?

Everything happens in such a whirlwind that by the time we’re packed up in the car to head back to Sudbury it feels like we haven’t had any time to just relax and enjoy our time off together.

I’m looking forward to lounging in sweatpants for three straight days and not having any schedules to adhere to. Christmas will be a little different this year, but this whole year has been different, so why not one more day of this “new normal”?

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, however you’re planning on celebrating.

See you in 2021!

Mark Gentili, community editor

Well, 2020 has certainly been a challenge both personally and professionally. We said goodbye to the Northern Life newspaper this year and saw our company, Laurentian Publishing, dismantled and sold, forcing us to say farewell to many longtime friends and coworkers. That was particularly difficult for all of us.

At the same time as we were dealing with a major upheaval to our work situation, the pandemic descended and changed everything for everybody practically everywhere. Covering the impact of COVID-19 proved a real challenge for our news team. It felt like every five minutes there was a new wrinkle to report on and we did our absolute best to stay on top of the rapidly developing situation.

And now, headed into Christmas in the midst of a second wave, all I’d like to do is take a step back, breathe and enjoy family time. But even in this, the pandemic has gotten in our way, hasn’t it? The second lockdown means smaller Christmases for all of us (or at least those of us who are willing to accept government and public health directives).

So we’re keeping it small. Just immediate family. It will be smaller, but it will also be quieter, which will be nice. My kids are older now (15 and 19), but I’m pretty sure they’ll still wake my wife and I up dark and early to open presents. It will be a relaxing day (fingers crossed, as I’m on call over Christmas weekend) spent with the people I love the most. Looking forward to it. Merry Christmas, folks.

Len Gillis, Northern Ontario health care reporter

I will be pleased to spend time in Val Caron, with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons who are part of my social circle. Good food, good company,  board games, back yard bonfire and a few drinks. Best of the season to all.

Heather Green-Oliver, New media reporter and Acts of Kindness producer, writer and host

Even amidst a global pandemic, I am thankful for many things. I’m fortunate to have been able to work from home. This created ample opportunity for my son and I to bond and create great memories.

In the beginning of the pandemic, my then five-year-old son, Thomas, and I shared our adventures live on Sudbury.com's Facebook page. The video series was called "Tommy and his mommy" and many families tuned-in to get ideas on how to keep their kids entertained during the extended March Break. We cooked, explored outdoors, did crafts and made a lot of new friends along the way.

Spending that much time at home away from friends can be lonely for an only child, so naturally (like a lot of other people) we got a “pandemic puppy”.

Honey is a very excitable, but adorable, collie shepherd mix. She and Thomas torment each other like siblings. It seemed Thomas finally got his wish to have a little brother or sister.

Then unexpectedly, we found out that we hit another pandemic trend. Pregnancy.  Yes, we are expecting our “quarantine baby” in May!

Our families are over the moon excited, as are we. It took me a few months to get over the initial shock, but I’m very much looking forward to the snuggles and baby giggles.

The year 2020 has sure thrown us some curveballs but our family is healthy — and for that I am most grateful. 

Jenny Lamothe, Communities reporter

It has been a year of separation for me and I miss my family dearly. We have always had distance between our northern and southern Ontario homes, but it somehow feels so much further away right now. I find myself even missing the things I used to make fun of, or simply endure. I have no idea how I will go without the stocking full of adorable and specifically chosen gifts from my mom. I miss hugging my nephews and niece and I miss teasing my brother; I might even hug him when I see him.

I'm thankful for patience; to be able to endure this as I know many people have had far more challenges than I have. I am thankful that I live in a place with outdoor spaces everywhere, allowing us to get out of the house and distance in kilometres rather than metres.

I'll be celebrating with my husband, just the two of us, with a few Zoom visits in between. And though we are missing our families, we also realised this will be the first Christmas that has been just the two of us. We're going to make all our favourite Christmas foods and eat everything in sight. I don't have to share the leftovers either!

Happy Holidays to everyone, and may we all be together again soon.

Arron Pickard, court and general assignment reporter, and photographer

Season’s greetings! So, this is a COVID Christmas, is it?

Those who know me know I am not the biggest fan of Christmas. It’s too commercial for my liking. I take joy in the little things, like get-togethers with family, Christmas dinner complete with turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas movies playing all day long, sipping on eggnog or coffee and Bailey’s.

The Grinch, Scrooged with Bill Murray, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Yes, please.

This will be the first Christmas for me, my girlfriend and our two kids. My daughter is five, her son is three, and I really look forward to Christmas morning when we can watch the kiddos tear into their gifts, the looks on their faces with each new surprise. I am very grateful to have Colleen and Adrian in my life, and being grateful for what we already have is the best thing about Christmas, at least in my books.

After all, the Grinch may have said it best: Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

To all our readers, I wish you the very best and a Merry Christmas. It’s a different Christmas, to be sure, but take joy in the little things, and you’ll endure.

Heidi Ulrichsen, associate content editor

This will be a quiet Christmas for my family. I will be spending it with my parents, who also live in town, but I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time video-chatting and talking on the phone with the rest of our family. I'm especially looking forward to the yummy holiday food — the fruitcake and tourtiere (made by me) Christmas Eve, and the small turkey Dad will be roasting on Christmas Day. Winter is all about outdoor activities for me, so I'm looking forward to some cross-country skiing, downhill skiing (if and when hills reopen) and skating. This holiday season, I'm thankful for the support of my family, friends and coworkers for helping me get through the ups and downs of 2020. Merry Christmas, Sudbury.com readers.


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