The weather office brings good news, telling us the extreme cold will let up on Sunday. I miss doing “buggy walks” in the park with Baby Bob and Makita, the Labradoodle.

I’m avoiding stores at this time of year. Often, after I swim at the Y, I like to go to Starbucks for a latte and I like to wander around Chapters, looking at all the books. But at this time, pre-Christmas, both places seem overwhelmed with rushing shoppers. And that is definitely not relaxing!

For the most part, my Christmas prep is done. But then, I don’t go overboard. We went to the forest on December 3rd and got our trees. And we had decent weather for that, hovering around freezing. We even had a picnic in the sunshine beside a frozen lake. The next day, it was minus 28 Celsius.

(Translation for my American friends: – 28 C = -18.4 F)

Meanwhile, three of my sisters are in Cabo in +28 Celsius. But they will soon be returning to the Canadian winter. Brrrrrrr!

The presents are bought. (Just little token things, nothing extravagant.) I still need to wrap them. Maybe I’ll get Rolf to do that. The menu is the usual Deli Night for Christmas Eve. It only involves going to the store and collecting once-a-year delicacies. Plus, I’ll probably make some salads. The whole family loves Deli Night.

The next day, my sons and their loved ones will each spend Christmas Day with their own traditions. Rolf and I will go for a walk, do jigsaw puzzles, relax and have a quiet no-fuss supper. Then the next day, the whole family will meet again, this time for lasagna and Caesar salad, and we’ll get to play with Baby Bob’s toys.

On my “home” tab this year, I have collected some of my favourite “Christmas posts” from other years. (If the home tab has changed, you can just click on the Categories list and choose Christmas.) I find it fun to go back and reread, and I hope you do too. 🙂

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

ornaments from bigstockphoto.com #109271081