She is the Cat's Mother : Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

The Most Wonderful Time

This was a lovely year of celebration leading up to Christmas and a beautiful traditional Ryan family day, all facilitated by mum's huge efforts. It was inclusive of naps for all and much reading and laying as the weather was unexpectedly rainy and grey and other adventuring was put on hold. Next year is the much anticipated 'Ryan Family Cruise' - where we have all opted for a no present Christmas and to instead enjoy the cruise as our gift. The kids are on board and excited with the plan. With that in mind, knowing Christmas will look different next year, I threw myself into all the Christmasy things I love with the plan to have a little breather from those next year too. It made for an epic and beautiful Christmas season.

A nice, simple, quiet Christmas for us this year in our new home. We filled it with the old favourite traditions and food and had a day just us, opening presents, lots of eating, napping and a swim. We are finding out feet and settling into our new life. The first of many Christmas' on the farm to come.

We had a lovely and very full Christmas season this year. December kicked off full of all the festivities. Some traditions live on strongly in our house, like slowly putting up the tree and reminiscing over all of the decoration or our annual Christmas package from the Loker's which we dearly love opening. The house was packed to the brim with gingerbread, which I spent much of the month giving away and eating. And we had our now annual dinner with the Niven's full with great food and company. I love our traditions and the energy of the Christmas season.

Ryan Week

Together at last. It was a joyful reunion as the Tate and Hanna Ryan's joined us at Mum and Dad's in Sydney for a week together as a family. There were hugs all round with cousins gleefully embracing and getting right into play, while the siblings all took each other in with excited conversation of all that's been and will be. It was a full house with all the kids sleeping in the upstairs lounge room for the ultimate sleepover. We were very keen to make good plans and enjoy the time we had together to the fullest.

Mum and dad had a very full house for Christmas with Courtney, the Catton's and the Tate and Hanna Ryan's. It made for many presents under the tree, lots of food, playing games and relaxing - just how we like Christmas day to be.

This Christmas season was probably the most magical that I can remember. After two years of cancelled plans, Covid lockdowns and home schooling I had lots of motivation to reflect on how I wanted life to look once the world opened up to us again. I really wanted to get out there and have lots of fun and I felt this really strong pull to connect with old friends and new.

Christmas was turned upside down this year like so many other plans. Covid has been really up and down this year, with lockdowns, restrictions and state boarders changing with little warning. We had planned for the Ryan family to all be together for a big and long awaited Sydney Christmas but alas it was not meant to be this year. Instead Mum, Dad and Courtney came to our place and we had a little home Christmas of our own.

We had such a wonderful Christmas season this year and a perfect day to wrap it all up. It was all pretty simple, we did some of our favourite things, like make gingerbread and deliver treats to neighbours and tried to keep our focus on the joy of the season and family. A true highlight was getting to use the beautiful advent calendar I purchased from America, using it to follow the Christmas story each day and having a fun Christmas activity to look forward to.

Our Christmas tree was a little more subdued this year but Christmas was no less magic. It's such a beautiful time of year and the kids really make it. They are so excited for what's to come and they really bring that joy to the season.

This year I volunteered to do the Ward Christmas party. I'd had an idea bouncing around in my head since my good friend Nicky did this amazing carnival activity in Salt Ash Branch years ago. I had wanted to do something similar but Christmas themed and here was my big chance.

The kids and I arrived home from Australia just a few days before the start of December. It made it easier to leave the sunshine knowing that A. my husband was at the other end and B. that I could spent December in Christmas preparation. Last year we didn't have our house yet and were living in temporary accommodation so I missed doing some of the things I love. So prepare I did. I hit the stores and added a few things to my collection (which levi had limited to two boxes and is now three...opps). I decorated here, there and everywhere. I also baked lots this year. I did snowballs, clementine cake, chocolate covered pretzels, coconut mousse cups, gingerbread and I had a cupboard stockpiled with various christmassy treats. And we spent each weekend doing something Christmassy and Canadian. We picked our tree (a true highlight, yes we know it is HUGE), enjoyed the ward Christmas party (amazing food), had a little party with a few friends over to get into the holiday spirit, went to Sugar Moon Maple farm and enjoyed seeing the snow and eating pancakes in a log cabin, skated at Halifax's outdoor skating oval and watched the Stake outdoor live nativity pageant. It was all wonderful.

I have always longed for, dreamed of, imagined having a huge Christmas tree. When we bought an artificial one in Australia I was adamant I have one that touched the roof. So obviously when I move to Canada, the land of Christmas trees and I have myself a landing with a cathedral ceiling I am going to make my own dreams come true, right? Yes, that is the correct answer.

Christmas with the Lokers { Christmas 2015 }

It was a dream we thought wouldn't be granted for years, but fate had other plans and we got our Christmas in Ontario with the Lokers! It was epic and wonderful, everything we could have hoped for and more. The best thing about being with Jen and Stew, is just that, being with them. It's all laughter and fun, exchanging of ideas and opinions and great experiences and conversations. As with our other times together, it all takes place in the context of an exciting schedule.

What was exciting for us was to see a family we love in their home setting. We got to participate in the annual Loker family Christmas Eve skate. We all skate like Australia's but we had lots of fun! Followed by a hilarious ugly sweater party with a highly competitive secret Santa gift grab. We were whole heartedly embraced and had a wonderful time.

Christmas Day was literally filled with gifts. Jen is the ultimate gift giver, she's Santa really and every item (and there were many) was thoughtfully considered. We had a beautiful day with Jen and Stew's immediate families and then an incredible dinner with the extended Loker family again.

The rest of our time in Ontario was a blast. We spent time at Jen's parents cottage, saw how farming is done in the snow, tracked down delicious german pretzels and had a wonderful NYE at a beautiful house that felt like it sits on the edge of the world (the lakes really are that big!).

It was a Christmas like no other and we loved it.

Dance of the Butterflies

While we were in Ontario over Christmas Jen and Stew took us to a beautiful butterfly sanctuary in Cambridge. It was a welcome escape from the cold, warm and balmy inside, a tropical wonderland that warmed my bones.
It was really peaceful to watch the butterflies dance around us and wander through the greenery. Emerson and Finley had a particularly good time pretending to be butterflies themselves! As always, beautiful times exploring with people we love.