Season’s greetings! Thankfully, the end of 2020 is nigh.

Posted on December 15, 2020

I am continuing with my tradition of sharing laughter and lessons learned from holiday movies. Now that there is a little snow in Northern Ontario, it feels festive. As we head into the holiday season, it seems like a good time to hunker down and get into the holiday movie-watching mood. If you ask me, even the bad ones are pretty amazing. With most of us staying home during the pandemic this year, why not make it more joyful with some NOSM-themed cheer and these movies.

The Holiday (2006)

In this lovely flick, Cameron Diaz plays a neurotic movie trailer editor and Kate Winslet plays a British newspaper reporter who decides to swap houses shortly before Christmas. Winslet’s character ends up in L.A. where she befriends an aging screenwriter, but (spoiler alert!) she eventually falls for a kind-hearted composer played by Jack Black. Meanwhile, Diaz’s character winds up in Surrey, England, where she unwittingly hooks up with the brother of Winslet’s character played by Jude Law. The movie has a harlequin-romance quality, but it also has an undeniable, nap-friendly, tryptophan-like charm as four beautiful people overcome the ridiculously small hurdles keeping them from getting together in two photogenic environments. It’s essentially a two-person bubble in the making in each country—like the two NOSM main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.

The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

As Christmas approaches, all is not well for David Niven, a Protestant bishop trying to raise funds for the glorious new cathedral of his dreams—a project that’s led him to neglect his wife, Julia (Loretta Young) and daughter. The cathedral project causes him to lose sight of his roots as a minister to those in need. Enter Dudley (Cary Grant), an angel determined to set Henry on the right path. The only trouble is that he finds himself increasingly wanting to spend time with Julia instead. Young and Grant’s chemistry smooths over some rocky parts where things don’t make sense–like how can an angel fall in love? The Preacher’s Wife, the 1996 remake starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston, is a decent alternative to this very monochromatic version. Both movies remind me of the NOSM angels in this pandemic: the facemask makers, the students gathering PPE, and the helpers running errands for front-line workers. Kudos to you all.

Love Actually (2003)

Few movies have been embraced and rejected, then rejected and embraced, with the ferocity of this 2003 holiday mash-up of new love, old love, political love, and naughty love. It’s so clichéd but every time it comes on, I drop everything and watch it. I have seen it 20 times. Just hang in for the tale of infidelity starring Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. Or, the quintessential Bill Nighy performance as a washed-up rock star who is remaking an old tune as a holiday carol. And of course, the divine Hugh Grant dances to the song Jump in his tightywhities. Best of all is the take on Andrew Lincoln using placards to tell his best friend’s wife that he loves her. This smorgasbord has me thinking of the many stories of happiness, sadness, challenges and victories across all NOSM units. UME accreditation wins the prize this year for the ups, downs, quick changes, challenges and victories.

Die Hard (1988)

Yes, this is one of the best action movies ever made. Yes, it was on my list last year. Yes, it’s endlessly quotable. And yes, it transformed Bruce Willis into a major movie star. Believe it or not, it is a holiday movie. New York cop John McClane has to save a corporate high rise in L.A., and barefooted, he takes down a bunch of pseudo-European terrorists who have taken his wife and her co-workers hostage during the worst holiday party ever. Die Hard could be the theme for 2020—it doesn’t matter what was thrown at us this year, like John McClane, we survived and found a way to be resilient! Yippee Ki Yay NOSM!

Elf (2003)

On paper it sounds silly, but in actuality Elf is pure holiday magic, especially if you love Will Ferrell’s particular brand of over-the-top slapstick comedy. It’s based on the story of a human baby who is raised in the magical world of Santa’s workshop. Elf plays up Ferrell’s man-child side with delightful style as he leaves the comfort of his childhood home in Santa’s workshop to journey into real-world New York City to track down his biological father. Finding our way back to our primary mandate and being true to our form at NOSM has manifested into an awesome new strategic plan: The NOSM Challenge 2025. For an at-home adventure in between movie watching, take the NOSM Trivia Challenge.

The Santa Clause (1994)

In this one, divorced businessman Scott Calvin rediscovers the love of son Charlie when he dons Santa’s red mantle after an unfortunate accident that kills Santa. The sleigh, the elves, and the magic all seem to denote a dream, but ten months later, Scott can’t stop himself putting on the pounds, growing a fluffy white beard and craving cookies and milk. He reads the small print and finds The Santa Clause. Lovely, thousand-year-old, red-cheeked elves and a warm ending recreate all of our efforts this year at baking sourdough bread, banana bread, Irish soda beer bread, corn bread… well, you get the picture. It’s reminiscent of those of us who’ve gained pandemic pounds.

The NOSM Challenge 2025 Video (2020)

I have watched this about 50 times, and every time I am inspired and choked up by the magnificent landscapes, music and messages of this video. Thanks to Jason Lind and our entire Communications team for making this and showing it so well. Jest aside, I know this has been a tough year for everyone, fraught with anxiety, fear and uncertainty. It has been a pleasure to work with you across this difficult year and to be part of a resilient, thoughtful, kind and respectful community of NOSMites. Thank you and to the entire NOSM team—staff, faculty and learners and our partners—for doing your part to get us through it all.

Please take a break, get some rest, and please be safe. Let’s continue to hope for a vaccine against COVID-19 to arrive in 2021.

Happy New Year to you all.

Please continue to follow my journey on Twitter @ddsv3 using #WhereisDrVerma.

I welcome input on this blog and other issues you want to bring to my attention by email to dean@nosm.ca.

Happy holidays but please be cautious

Enjoy yourselves this holiday, but above all, please lead by example and continue to heed public health recommendations including social distancing, travel restrictions, and health protocols. Please be safe so we at NOSM are actively helping minimize COVID-19 transmission. Please visit your district public health unit’s website for the latest updates.

NOSM holiday break

The 2020-2021 School closure is from Monday, December 21, 2020 to Friday January 1, 2021 inclusive, with the School resuming normal business on Monday January 4, 2020. Please take this time to rest and recharge. You’ve earned it!

A message from the President of the NOSM Student Council

On Sunday, December 13, the NOSM Student Council held our annual face-to-face meeting, our largest and most important gathering of our council’s year. For the first time, this meeting was virtual. Each year, we use this opportunity to take action on our most important issues. This year has certainly presented us with our most unique set of challenges yet. The theme connecting so many of our discussion points has been advocacy; from our first- and second-year students addressing their new virtual classroom, and our third- and fourth-year students voicing their needs to transition into residency during a pandemic. I would like to extend my thanks to all of our executive council members for their time and dedication not only at this year’s meeting, but continually throughout their already busy year in medical school. On behalf of the entire student council, I would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the NOSM faculty who took the time to meet with us, as well as Dr. Sarita Verma, Dr. Brian Ross, Dr. Jason Shack, and Kate Beatty. Thank you so much for your time at our meeting. You are all always welcome at the NOSM Student Council.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon,

Joe Boyle
President, NOSM Student Council

Make a difference this holiday

Consider contributing to your local food bank. COVID-19 has had a devastating economic impact on the lives of many families in Northern Ontario. If you are among the fortunate who did not worry about your grocery bill this month, please consider making a gift to your community. Let’s all contribute what we are able to ensure more people have access to healthy food and that no one goes hungry this holiday season.

Healthy Workplace Group holiday community support effort

This year, the Healthy Workplace Group is inviting NOSM faculty, staff, and learners to support our communities. Donations will be accepted until December 17. The funds raised will be shared equally between the following organizations with the aim of meeting some of the basic needs in a few of our communities.

All donations, no matter how small, are welcome. If you would like a tax receipt, Thunder Bay donors can reach out to Cathy Powell at cpowell@nosm.ca and Sudbury donors can contact Natalie Lefort at nlefort@nosm.ca. A heartfelt thank you for your generosity.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

This year has been especially challenging for all of us. If you are having difficulty coping during these times, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). Help is just a phone call away. Our EFAP is available to all employees, students, and residents across NOSM’s wider campus of Northern Ontario. Immediate support is available 24/7/365 at 1-844-880-9142 or online at workhealthlife.com.