Merry Christmas!

I think we've just come through the busiest year of our life (she writes optimistically....thinking next year can't possibly be so busy, nor the next.....). But we made it to Christmas, in our new home. And although we still sit amid unpacked boxes and some degree of chaos, it feels good to be home, to know we're not unpacking only to pack up again in another 3-4 years.

We've had lots of help along the way with Grandma and Poppa Mike here to help us settle in and now Granddad here for the Christmas season, almost single handedly installing our new wooden floor. This house we bought had a room we affectionately nicknamed the "stinky room." And as such, high priority flooring change out was the first order of business.

Victoria offers a fair number of festive activities and we haven't managed to take them all in given our current level of busyness. But we did manage a few fun activities, and squeezed in our annual kids' cookie decorating party at the last minute.

Decorating the house, or at least the main room, was also a priority even though we're not really unpacked. The kids did an excellent job of decorating our 7+ foot tree and we fancied up our fireplace  which was made to be festive.

The kids worked on their Christmas spirit by carrying out little assignments doled out each morning by Dasher, the giving deer, who visits daily from the North Pole during the Advent. They enjoyed buying some stocking stuffers and delivering them to the ladies at the wishing tree at the local mall but I think their favorite was being candy cane bandits on Christmas Eve and "caning" as many cars as they could. A man who saw Teia placing candy canes declared "Oh look! Just like a little Christmas Elf!" 

Despite colds, we made it out for an evening horse drawn trolley ride around Victoria which was quite magical, if not chilly, despite our blankets brought from home. 

Christmas Eve started early for me. Up and out to join up with a group ride a few minutes after 6 am where I got to appreciate the almost full moon. 100ish km down by 9 am meant I could indulge in Christmas goodies without guilt. This might have to become another one of our Christmas Eve traditions. 

Much later in the day, we braved the crowds once again at Butchart Gardens to enjoy the spectacular lights and some skating. Teia discovered she could skate on her own which was her Christmas Eve highlight. Then we headed home for dinner and our yearly chocolate fondue. The kids opened a few early gifts and were thrilled with their footed pjs, which I think they wore for about the next 36 hours. 

Teia was quite concerned that Santa not forget Snuggles so was busy writing notes for Santa and making sure Snuggles had a stocking too. 

Her first stop in the morning was to check that Santa did not forget and came bounding into our room, willow balls dangling from her hands "Mama! Look what Snuggles got!!!" Imagine her delight when she discovered a bunny tunnel under the tree. That lucky Snuggles! 

Santa didn't forget the rest of us either. 

He even left a Christmas train set. 

My Christmas day photos are pretty lean this year. I'd had a nagging feeling of not being quite right for a few days but by Christmas morning it was clear that I was good and sick. Spent most of the day chilled and feverish but managed to drag myself out of bed for all the important gift opening and eating stuff but wasn't quite what I had in mind. The kids didn't mind too much. They had Granddad and Daddy to keep them occupied and a few new toys as well. 

Kudos to my wonderful hubs who managed all of the hard Christmas labor and cooked an entire turkey dinner, complete with dessert, by himself. 

Hopefully next year we'll be well settled in our new home and our new rhythm and will approach Christmas from a calm and peaceful frame of mind. But despite the chaos and sickness, I think we'd all agree that it was a wonderful Christmas. It doesn't really matter where you are, or how many boxes surround you, so long as you have loved ones near. And you get that smelly carpet up.