(Top row: Parents' living room, Karyn's, and parents' second tree
Bottom Row: June's, Elliott & Diana's, and Auntie Janet's)
Our community prepared for Christmas as we continued to walk daily. Our trip up Cobble Hill Mountain was slightly different thanks to someone's decorating efforts. I once again enjoyed rediscovering old ornaments and the memories they represent as I decorated our tree. We had two minor snowfalls in the first week of December, and another wet flurry the following week. We checked out this year's Christmas tree contest entrants at the Maritime Centre, casting our votes for Classic Marine's effort. Our nieces paid a visit to a trio of winter celebrities. Tasty food remains one of life's constant pleasures, and we had plenty of cake, cookies, pizza, and treats this month! Every year Ladysmith is lit up beautifully for its "Festival of Lights". Mid-month we headed to the mainland as my brother-in-law Elliott and his family headed to Hawaii. We were able to use their beautiful home while dog and house-sitting. Their timing was good for sun chasing, since the moment we arrived in Coquitlam it snowed (with more snow, ice, and cold weather following throughout the week). For eight days, our morning walk became making the rounds of Mundy Park with Stella. Perhaps our prettiest walk of the month was circling Lafarge Lake to enjoy the magical light displays with family and friends: Karyn, Avery, Alison, Katrina, and Annika. Afterwards, we had an extended visit with my sister and our nieces that included working on some ornaments. It was nice to see everyone's different Christmas trees. (Top row: Parents' living room, Karyn's, and parents' second tree Bottom Row: June's, Elliott & Diana's, and Auntie Janet's) We enjoyed catching up with my cousin Angela and meeting her boyfriend Cam. It was great to spend an evening together eating tasty food, sipping good drinks, and laughing over a Kenny Chesney songs inspired holiday version of my own "Cards Against Humanity". As always, it was a pleasure to visit with Joan, Karyn, and Michelle. We took some fun projects to Langley to spend time with our nieces while also visiting with my parents. After having omelettes for lunch, we spent the afternoon doing activities together: assembling and decorating chocolate "haunted houses", building toy boats, making an ornament, and "stitching" a Christmas stocking. I hung out with my buddy Joe at the pub, and ended up also visiting with a former student, Austin, who I hadn't seen in years. Visiting with June and Auntie Janet always involves yummy food. We picked up lamb meals from a local Greek restaurant one day, and June prepared an early Christmas turkey dinner for us another evening. We made a quick visit to see the lights at the Burnaby Village Museum; the cold weather prevented us from lingering. Mundy Park We returned to Langley to share an early Christmas celebration. We also surprised Dad with an early birthday cake. We returned to the island to spend a quiet "White Christmas" at home. Steph Curry became the all-time leader in three pointers made, while the struggling Canucks made a complete turn-around after replacing their coach. After the CFL cancelled all of the 2020 season, the Blue Bombers defeated the Tiger-Cats in a second consecutive Grey Cup championship. UFC 269 featured Pena's shocking upset to take the belt from Nunes. In the final week of the year, my fantasy football team upset the number one seed to advance to the championship final. Also, the World Junior Championship began in Edmonton and then was promptly cancelled due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. We watched some movies and several more comedy specials. We also watched some television, particularly enjoying "Yellowstone" season 4 and its new origin story spin-off, "1883". We are more than willing to bid adieu to what has been a disappointing and challenging year, with the hope that 2022 will offer more opportunity and freedom. That being said, we continue to remind each other of our many blessings and how fortunate we are to live where we do. Below is a collage featuring a photo from each month of 2021.
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