Editor recalls hodgepodge of wonderful and often amusing gifts received from his late father, who was known to many as Jivin’ Johnny and who loved to give gifts
Andrew Philips is the editor of MidlandToday, a sister site of SooToday.
I wasn’t sure if I would write a Christmas column this year since 2025 has been a very difficult one for our family.
My Dad, who was beloved by a wide swath of the local population as well as places further afield, passed away in February and my sister-in-law France followed in the fall.
France Turcotte loved to decorate and celebrate the seasons so it feels strange to write about a particularly special holiday without her here.
She had cerebral palsy and other ailments, but managed to live a fairly autonomous life throughout her 70 years.
And like my Dad, she lived a lot of life in the time she had. As with the man some knew as Jivin’ Johnny, France was extremely creative as a poet and artist and loved giving to others.
I’m reminded of a favourite Daniel Lanois song from the album For the Beauty of Wynona when I think about France and my Dad. They both had a Lotta Love to Give.
My Mom Carol, wife Lise and I went to see Daniel Lanois at the Georgian College theatre this past summer. He easily lived up to our expectations of not just outstanding musicianship from his beautifully crafted song catalogue, but also his kindness as he conducted a very personal meet-and-greet after the show. My Dad would have loved it and called it an “absolute gas!”
But back to the present season.
A larger-than-life character, John Philips possessed a quick wit, gregarious and generous spirit and always moved to the beat of his own drum.
My Dad loved shopping for gifts for others, including friends who he’d been close with for years and others he had met only recently.
Do you have a Cat Stevens CD, a water bottle (or drinking vessel as my Dad insisted it be called) featuring daily aspirations or a peace pin? If so, you know what I mean.
Lise, our girls and I each have one the aforementioned gifts, plus more…a lot more.
Did I mention my Dad’s penchant for giving?
Two years ago, he bought one of those large framed photos they sell near the exits of grocery stores. He wanted to be sure he got it for me so he bid $100 over the asking price.
While his heart was obviously where it always was (ie in the right place), it was for a sport’s league I haven’t followed since my favourite team, the Québec Nordiques, moved to the United States. And the photo shows Canadiens Hall of Famers, who played before the Montréal Forum closed.
Growing up, the Habs were my favourite team since they were from the city where I was born. But like my Dad, I’ve always loved supporting the underdog so switched to the Nordiques.
And truth be told, my favourite player of all time in any sport remains Guy Lafleur. In my now 35-year journalism career (yes, I’m that old), he’s the only person I’ve ever interviewed who I asked for an autograph. I still have the signed Nordiques press pass from his last game at the Colisée.
But like me, my Dad had a strong sense of nostalgia and perhaps, when he saw the print, he thought back to the tickets he had purchased for a mid-1970s matchup at the Forum. It was during the Christmas holidays and the Habs were playing the Boston Bruins in their Bobby Orr/Phil Esposito era. After the game, my Dad patiently waited with me outside the Forum to try to get a few autographs, including the Guys (Lapointe and Lafleur), Esposito and Larry Robinson.
But now, I know what you’re thinking. I thought this was supposed to be a Christmas column. Well, let’s get back to that.
I think I mentioned how much my Dad loved to buy gifts for others.
Well, every year I would have this bag of stuff that Lise would finally bring up from the family room to my office a few months after the big day for me to look through.
The bag was actually things my Dad had come across in his travels and given to me as a Christmas present.
While he also regularly bought tickets for concerts that we would attend together, he loved giving what he would also acknowledge clearly fell into the ‘stuff’ category. The stuff in the bag often had a musical theme like a David Bowie coffee mug or had a sense of nostalgia.
This category could include books, musical memorabilia, CDs, coffee cups, trinkets, posters and little statues (figurines for the less haughty) of my favourite cartoon characters such as Sylvester and Tigger.
One year, he gave me three Pez dispensers featuring the likes of Superman, Batman (even though I’ve never been a fan of superheroes) and a large transport truck. Ah, Pez, is there anything you can’t make into a dispenser nowadays.
But as the giving apple often doesn’t fall that far from the tree, like my Dad, I much prefer to give than receive.
And like my Dad, I’ve discovered that things like baseball hats and anything related to music make perfect gifts. And even the mighty Pez dispenser.
My eldest daughter’s boyfriend is from Vancouver.
So with the spirit of my Dad clearly in view, he’s getting a Seattle Seahawks hat and a Vancouver Canucks’ Pez dispenser along with a few albums for Christmas.
And yes, I will provide the bag for his stuff.