Very cold, at last – it really feels like a Canadian December. I was bundled to the eyeballs today when I rode my bike along Spruce Street, passing the Christmas tree man who has been setting up his tree lot on the corner of Spruce and Parliament for 58 years – living in a little trailer for a month, surrounded by evergreens, as if he’s camping in a tiny forest of his own making. Every year, his arrival was a source of great excitement to my kids – “Here’s here!” That meant Santa would soon be here too. These days, every corner store also sells trees, so I’m always afraid he’s going to give up. But there he was, for the 58th time. And as I pedalled stiffly by, who did I see buying their tree from him, supporting tradition in the best way, but my neighbours Michael Ondaatje and Linda Spalding.