With just two days remaining until Christmas, veteran Canadian journalist Catherine Ford finds herself alone. She occupies a house that feels simultaneously too spacious for one and too confined for a large family gathering. While the specific reasons for her solitude during this season of sharing are private, the reality of her situation is powerfully present.
The Overwhelming Response to Solitude
Catherine Ford makes a striking observation: if you wish to witness genuine generosity and kindness, simply tell people you will be spending Christmas alone. The reaction, she notes, is both astonishing and deeply humbling. Concern is universal; no one remains indifferent to the prospect of someone facing the holiday in isolation.
This widespread impulse to include and comfort represents a heartwarming generosity of spirit that many people seldom encounter firsthand. For Ford, who has chosen her solitary Christmas, the experience of being on the receiving end of such offers is a strange and poignant shift from her usual role as the donor or giver.
A Lesson in Acceptance and the Antidote to Division
This dynamic, Ford argues, captures the true essence of the season: the imperative to reach out to the lonely, the bereft, and the abandoned among us. Her personal circumstance—not feeling lonely, bereft, or abandoned—does not lessen the impact of receiving such kindness. It serves as a potent lesson in acceptance, a lesson she feels often passes people by in the rush of daily life.
She frames this collective compassion as a direct antidote to the anger and hatred fueled by a worldview rigidly divided into "us" and "them." In the simple act of inviting someone in, those barriers begin to dissolve.
Reflecting on a Christmas Past in Toronto
To recall her last Christmas alone, Ford must journey back approximately 50 years to a small apartment in Toronto. At that time, her family lived in Alberta, and with Christmas Day falling mid-week, travel was impossible for the young professional who had to return to work by December 27.
She remembers a profound sense of self-pity, mourning the absence of family traditions: the brandy-soaked Christmas pudding set aflame, the singing of carols like "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and the obligatory long-distance phone call to Irish relatives in England. The city around her was quiet, and that Christmas Day felt truly bereft.
Maturity and a Shift in Perspective
The perspective of that young woman in Toronto has evolved. "No more 'poor me,'" Ford writes. With maturity comes the realization that solitude during the holidays is a normal reality for countless people. This understanding replaces self-pity with a broader empathy.
While internet searches might suggest volunteering or treating oneself, Ford touches on the deeper anchors of the season: tradition and memory. She notes she won't be cooking a turkey—partly due to practicality, but also because the act might stir deep emotions.
The ritual of "The Conversation" about the turkey's size and cooking time, a cherished and humorous annual exchange with her sister and nieces, is what she truly misses. That dialogue, repeated for decades, is not about culinary logistics. It is about the enduring power of family, shared history, and the traditions that bind us together, even when we are physically apart.
Through her personal narrative, Catherine Ford, writing for the Calgary Herald on December 23, 2025, offers a quiet meditation. She reminds readers that the season's spirit shines brightest not just in grand celebrations, but in the simple, generous acts that ensure no one feels truly alone.
