Holiday Fun

Tomorrow is New Years Eve already and the holiday season is wrapping up!  While it didn't look exactly as planned because of the rampant cold/flu season this year, we made the best of it (masks and all) and still had a great time.

Highlights included Gilmore Girls Night with Ashley, Games Night with Terry and Deanna, the "Griesbach Girls Tea",   Christmas Eve and Day, Austin's tranplantanniversary, Boxing day shopping with my sister-in-law x2, more shopping and dinner out with another friend, and having time to read and relax.

Ashley and I watched all seven seasons of the Gilmore Girls together so it would be an understatement to say that we were excited for the new episodes that came out on Netflix.  Ash invited me over and we were ready for a marathon with a soft blanket, drinks, Subway and popcorn. We excitedly pushed play and were enthusiastic  to reconnect with our old friends, Loreli and Rory ...until 10 minutes later we started talking and talking and talking - we literally didn't stop for the rest of the evening. We must have had a lot of catching up to do and will really get to savour the season this way ;-). 

Terry and Deanna are some of our favourites and just so happen to be our cousins too.  We had them over for snacks and a games night on the 17th.  Deanna is vegan and brought vegan bean dip and butter tarts to share!  I am learning to keep an open-mind - vegan food can be quite delicious!

It was a small group of us so we tried a cooperative board game that none of us had played before. called Pandemic.  We had to work together to try to cure and eradicate virulent diseases that broke out spontaneously all over the world.  It was a bit tricky to learn but we started to get the hang of it.  Next time, I'm convinced that we will win!  

Another highlight of the season was the "Griesbach Girls tea"  which my mom hosted this month.   Three months ago, my mom, Auntie Darlene, Ashley and I began our monthly tradition of meeting in each others homes for tea.  Michael appropriately named it the "Griesbach Girls tea" because three of the four of us live in the Griesbach community.  

The steaming hot mugs of tea kept us cozy and warm and there were a variety of delicious treats to satisfy both the sweet and savoury tooth.  We laughed so hard we cried and the conversation just kept right on going, no matter how random the topics got.  I had a great time.  

The kids were excited to be finished school for the holiday season but the next day a cold stormed it's way through our house.  We always try to be careful not to share our germs, especially with Austin being immunocompromised so we stepped up our hand washing and wore masks in common areas. Thankfully that  didn't seem to dull the excitement for Christmas any!

Some new friends brought us a sweet gift over the holidays.  I thought it was adorable and couldn't resist taking a picture to share.

Christmas Eve was here before we knew it and the snacks were prepped for our traditional Christmas Eve movie night.  We didn't have any of the company that we expected because they unfortunately were sick as well.  Ashley stopped by for a little bit during the day but left at about 4 pm to spend the evening with her in-laws.  

Christmas baking for Christmas Eve festivities

The sacks were flung by the fireplace with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

It wasn't very late before we were all snug in our beds waiting for Santa to make his stop at our house on his journey around the world.

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."  W.T. Ellis