Overslept on Christmas Eve Morning
We started Christmas Eve morning with the one big fight of our trip. Dave had gotten ready while I was asleep. When I woke up, there was only 45 minutes to get ready to go to his Dad's house. Being in Kingston for only five of the 11 days we would mean splitting up the time between Dave's mom's house and dad's house. I resented him for not waking me up sooner and when I got into the shower there was no conditioner. Granted everyone in Dave's family has short hair, they didn't need it, but this was the last straw. I had to go to the living room hiding in my towel to ask for conditioner where then his sister had to bring it down to me. Where was Dave in all this? To top it all off, the conditioner wasn't working in my hair and I sat on the bed de-tangling my hair in angst. Dave was sorry for leaving me in a house unfamiliar to me and I forgave him. But it was 30 minutes later when I finally untangled my hair.
Christmas Eve Day
For Christmas Eve, Dave and I packed an overnight bag to stay at his dad's. Three years ago, the house was heavily under construction with even a large bath tub on the dining room table. When we walked in, the humble little house was complete with no details to spare. His father was very proud of the house and all its furnishings, but his main interests had changed to sailing. Like my father and his guns, Dave's dad spoke fervently about his new found love in sailing.
To join us on the day was his dad's wife Helen, her daughter Kate and of course Dave’s siblings and partners. We started with brunch including quiches, pies and dessert from a local bakery. Everyone gave their updates on work, social lives, next steps etc over continuously filled glasses of drinks. The fireplace was going and it was a sunny day overlooking Lake Ontario where his dad lives – the perfect back drop to Christmas eve.
I Haven't Seen One of These in a While
Fancy Christmas Cracker Crowns
Father & Son Sharing a Technology Moment
After brunch, we exchanged gifts. We were unsure about our ‘Aussie themed’ gifts because Dave's dad has picked up a lot from his travels and has a distinctive taste, but he loved the Australian bloke hat (which suited his adventure seeker nature perfectly!) and of course the strange Vegemite and kangaroo jerky. He and Helen gave us hilarious ‘duck themed’ cards with money – thank goodness because we had none! After gifts were opened, we participated in British tradition by opening Christmas crackers or bon bons. I thought these were only in Great Britain and Australia, but they were also exported to Canadian homes. These were the fanciest crackers we'd ever seen since we got golden crowns made of nicer material than the regular tissue paper crowns and toys that actually were useful like key chain flashlights and a tripod for point and shoot cameras.
Sushi Boat Dinner
By mid afternoon, Dave’s siblings and partners had to leave to spend the other half of Christmas eve with their families. The rest of us continued chatting over drinks and decided to eat Asian food – Dave and I had only had Asian food two nights ago at my house, but were craving it! Dave's all-time favourite restaurant in Kingston is a tiny Vietnamese place called Saigon Delight, which he claims sets the benchmark for vermicelli bowls – even the ones we had in Vietnam could not top theirs... so he says. Unfortunately they were closed, so we drove through town looking at our options, finally settling on a sushi mainstay of Kingston. We ordered enough tempura for what we thought would be filling for five, but could have fed 10! We also chose the most ostentatious thing on the menu – the sushi boat (pretty fitting for the sailing conversations we had that day!).
The Manhattan
We ended the night trying Kate's favourite drink, the Manhattan, and discussing every families favourite topic – the family.
We slept for the first time at his dad's house. It's a small two bedroom house and we slept on a Murphy bed for the first time (the kind that lowers from the wall).
Christmas Morning Overlooking Lake Ontario
Woohoo Snow!
So Much Snow!
Reppin the Christmas Pants
The next morning to our surprise, we got exactly what we wanted – a white Christmas! We immediately took showers, gathered all our belongings together and went outside to see and feel the snow. Dave and I had seen snow in New Zealand, but not like this. This was fresh snow, still clinging to the trees and dispersing at each step. What a wonderful Christmas miracle.
Perfect Conditions for Snow Angels
We got back to Dave's mom’s house by 10 am and got the Christmas breakfast we had hoped for – bacon, eggs and waffles. Immediately after breakfast, we put on some winter gear to take advantage of all the snow. We played in the snow and walked around with Kendra and Sean for the next two hours admiring the beautiful white blanket that lay over their neighborhood.
Love Angels
Mine & Dave's Imprints
Ready... Set... Throw!
Lake Ontario View From Kingston
The Lake Shore
Icicles
Skipping Rocks
Dave & Rupert
By the time we got back, his brother and wife walked in with their dog Rupert. Dave and I really want to get a dog, but our transient lifestyle isn't helping our cause. So when we saw Rupert, we were overly excited as if he were our own dog.
As you do on Christmas day, phone calls to relatives not present were made. Watching the commotion of teaching Dave's grandparents how to use an iPad and Skype was hilarious giving his brother the title of Tech Support due to his calm demeanor, which hid his frustration. To his merit, he was trying to conduct a five screen Skype call, which in the end didn't work. He did get it running for both parties later in the evening using the traditional two screens display, although you could only see the top of his grandmother's face and the bottom half of his grand father's.
I called my parents who were spending Christmas alone for the first time. My brother was in Denver with our cousin and my sister was already gone to visit her in-laws by mid afternoon. My parents were still in their pajamas like children enjoying a fruit platter. Although they were alone, they looked very happy to have the house to themselves and enjoy each other’s company. That evening they would spend Christmas with their friends whose children were adults now. I'm glad they can finally think of themselves and spend time with their friends.
Can You Guess Which Ones We Brought?
By mid-afternoon we all gathered around the tree to exchange presents. Going green, we were instructed to get gifts that would fit into a stocking. We did not end up saving paper as we all individually wrapped the presents, which fit into the home-sewn stockings unique to each person made especially by Dave's mom. We went in alphabetical order giving the spotlight to each person, so everyone knew what that person got. I felt a little embarrassed when Dave decided to read aloud my private card to him! Oh well, they know how much I love him.
My Homemade Christmas Card to Dave
Bought him Zelda the Symphony Tickets at the Sydney Opera House
Everyone Gets a Turn
Everyone Looking at me Opening my Gifts
Christmas Dinner
The one thing his mom demanded after dinner were pictures to capture the first Christmas since Dave graduated that all the children were together. We took couple pictures, Dave’s family pictures and then group pictures.
The Entire Family
Just Me & Dave
Just the Kids (my fav!)
We ended the night playing games I had never played before – Wizard and Give me the brain.
Too Many Rules to These Card Games
The next morning, Dave and I attempted to reverse the affects of all the eating we had done by going for a jog. We knew it would be cold outside, but this was a cold that only Canada knew. The cold air bit our ears and hands. We only made it five blocks before turning around. Thankfully, there was a treadmill in his mom's basement.
At noon, all of the children and partners were picked up by his dad to go to lunch in downtown Kingston. Unfortunately, Saigon Delight was still closed. We ate at Windmills – a cafe that served breakfast, sandwiches and even pizzas. His dad was beaming because all of his children were gathered around him. We talked about travelling and what we had planned for the new year. Dave mentioned that he was looking to replace his favourite pajama pants, but wanted to find ones made of the same exact material – fleece inside and out. We walked all through the downtown, gladly finding shelter from the wind at various outdoor sporting goods stores. We drove across town to a group of box stores, where Dave finally found his pants. I found Canada's answer to Ross Dress for Less/Marshall's at a store called Winners. I found long socks that I desperately needed for our trip to Ottawa and Montreal in the next few days. Dave came in with a huge grin because he had found his pants. I saw he picked a grey pair with red plaid. “I'm surprised you picked this color and not the blue pair.” We immediately went back to the store to find a blue pair, but couldn't find his size. His dad gave up his blue pair for the grey like a dad does, but we knew we would hear about the pajama pants trade-off for years to come.
We got back at 4 pm, and his mom told us a huge snow storm was coming and we would need to leave for Ottawa that night. We packed up the car and were only the road by 5 pm. It only took 2.5 hours. If we left the next morning, it would have taken anywhere from 2.5 to 5! We stayed at an airport motel where Dave and I shared a double room with Kendra and Sean giving their mom her own room. We treated everyone to dinner at a local Chinese buffet where Dave and I learned about how his sister met Sean online and it was pointed out that I don't like my food items touching each other on my plate. It made us wonder how much we would know about each other if we all lived closer. But we were all very happy to know that everyone was doing great as parents’ would like their children to be - adults living away from home, creating and establishing their own independent lives.
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