John's Burning Log

This morning I woke up slowly with Rob and Alina. Rob left the room for a minute and returned with purpose. He just looked at me quite seriously and pointed the remote at the t.v. to turn it on. On the t.v. was the Shaw Holiday Burning Log. Now, this burning log has been a part of all of our Christmas' together. Our t.v. provider; Shaw Cable always features a Christmas fire 24/7 until the holiday season is over.
 There is a story behind the burning log. The burning log is a twenty minute clip of a fire crackling in a fire place and from time to time an arm will stoke the fire or put fresh logs on. We always wondered who the arm belonged to.. Well, the arm belongs to a man named John that worked for Shaw Cable in 1999. He decided to film a fire for Shaw to show on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to avoid himself or any of the Shaw staff to have to work during the holidays. Shaw Cable would just play the fireplace on a loop all day. When the burning log failed to return the following Christmas, a group of university students in Victoria petitioned for its return. They won and the burning log has been on the air ever since.
 Like I mentioned, we are big fans of the burning log. We include it in all of our Christmas pictures throughout the holiday season. We have a 46 inch television and so it seems like there is this big fireplace in the center of our living room. Plus, the sound effect is the best part. It crackles and pops and it feels like you are sitting in front of a warm, cozy fire.

 The collage is just a sample of all of the times we posed with the burning log throughout the years. Rob with his cotton Santa beard at my sister and brother in law's apartment in down town Victoria, in 2007. I posed with Rob on my lap, with a similar Santa beard in 2009. Before my Christmas party all dulled up, in 2010. There are two pictures of me pregnant with Alina last Christmas, decorating and then on Christmas morning. This year, Alina was introduced to the burning log while we were in bed. She must be related to us because her attention was all over the holiday fire. (Don't mind her crazy morning hair.)



  Christmas is in the air! Once the burning log was reintroduced to our lives, we couldn't help but hum Christmas tunes and discuss what weekend we want to put the tree up. Rob ho hummed if he was going to put the outside lights up or not.. By noon the decision was made; and he was outside trying to remember what lights went where. I tried to write this post earlier but Rob wanted my help and Alina woke from her nap, so I dressed her up warm and Christmas-y and we kept him company while he did all of the work.

  I leave you with the Shaw Burning Log.. please enjoy the next thirty seconds and just imagine having this on in your living room while you sip hot chocolate and read a good book, or blog... Ahh, bliss. (Unless, of course you have an actual fireplace and then you can just call me deprived.)