Christmas was almost going to be normal this year and then it wasn't. Covid numbers were stable, the in-laws were planning on coming and then chaos erupted. We had a significant rainfall event in the fall that took out every major highway in southern BC. There was no way for Barb and Reg to get from Oliver to Surrey and it looked like it would be January before they could travel here again. By mid December they managed to open Highway 3 for non-essential travel however the Coquihalla was still only for trucks so it was going to be very busy. They decided to postpone their trip until the new year so we had a quieter Christmas than we were expecting.
We started in late November with a trip to the Christmas Tree farm. This is the fam in many of the Hallmark movies and this year there was an expected shortage of trees so we made sure to go on the first weekend. They had a new lot which was good because it was full of Noble Firs however it was bad because they hadn't put down proper trail materials. It was very muddy. We found the perfect tree in the farthest corner of the farthest lot and it took at least 5 minutes to cut it down. I think the saw was dull. I may have also tried to cut it very low to the ground at its thickest point. Still a fun experience.
Christmas was on Saturday this year so I worked the week before. On one of my days I met the family at the Christmas Market downtown. This is the annual German Christmas Market. It's always very busy so with Covid, you had to book a time to mange the crowds. This worked out quite well because you didn't have the same peaks as you normally would. They might book like this for future years too. We never buy anything but food. It's a very expensive dinner. The only problem this year was it was one degree and raining. The other event we went to was Glow in Abbotsford. One of the greenhouses sets up an assortment of Christmas lights and with Covid, you get to drive through. Donuts included.
For the first time in several years we also had a white Christmas. I think I've only had a couple since I've moved here from Prince George. Usually our snow comes in the January/February timeframe but there was a deep freeze across Western Canada and we were down to minus 15. We had 10 cm in the week leading up to Christmas and then got another 20 cm on Christmas Day. I don't mind shovelling when I only have to do it a few times a year. The cold also meant this years snow was very fluffy. Ordinarily Lower Mainland snow is very wet and heavy.
Christmas was subdued with only immediate family. Oliver was not super thrilled about his Christmas sweater. This one had four legs and was a big too short for him. He didn't like having his rear legs in the sweater. For the first time in many years we went to Corey and Carmen's house for Christmas dinner. We usually host but this year they volunteered to host. Might have been because there were less people. :) We also hosted our annual fondue. It went well however we were short one pot because Barb and Reg didn't come down so I had to buy one last minute. Unfortunately it didn't perform so we all had to share one pot. Still fun!
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