A late review – our twelve days of Christmas

Except for a few deck lights and red balls with mini lights wrapped around my bamboo tree, Christmas decor is stashed away in storage. The poinsettia and some shortbread, fruitcake, nuts and cereal snack mix are reminders of the Sanctuary’s 12-day Christmas celebration. Coordinating all the family’s schedules to be here at the Sanctuary for a few days overlap, played out as strategically designed by all those concerned. No small feat. Well done, all. Photos and memories are lasting reminders of the fun and family fellowship we enjoyed. Wonderful.

Before the family festivities began, we hosted our annual friends-neighbourhood brunch December 22nd (following our pattern: the Sunday before Christmas). Once again, a wonderful mix of conversation, laughter and yummy food. So thankful for our community. Dec. 21st we got an unusually big dump of snow (especially for here in Nova Scotia): what fun to look out the window and see our visiting grandson constructing a snowman to welcome guests we were expecting the following day. Thanks Joah for building this fella – and also directing brunch traffic the next day.

December 23rd the celebration around our table honoured our son Brad’s 47th birthday. Leg of lamb, roasted potatoes… the whole deal….ending with chocolate for dessert. Every year we’re together there’s a celebration on his day! Not his fault that his parent’s family planning was a non-issue.

To finish off the birthday party Brad had a delicious gift for us: the cheese on the right. My Swedish father, and Scottish mother who embraced his Scandinavian cuisine, called this golden specialty Gjetost – the brand of the company who imported it. By definition though, the cheese is identified as Brunost. (Sadly, this is Brad’s only birthday photo. My apologies, Brad – what kind of Mom am I?)

Here’s the story behind this gift. For readers who have acquired a taste for this flavourful cheese, it makes perfect sense I would go to great lengths to track down the closest source in the country. Very few Scandinavian immigrants made Nova Scotia their home: most chose to settle in the prairie provinces. Well, it so happened that in December, Brad was in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for a couple weeks on a Christmas-work-music-tour. The Google search for specialty cheese shops connected me to The Bulk Cheese Warehouse: a phone call placed my order; another call to my son and the plan was done. The two chunks he brought home – compliments of a kind friend he met – was a most delicious Christmas gift!

The snow kept falling! A white Christmas is wonderful (even for the clean-up crew) and Laurent’s arrival on the 24th was perfect timing! How fun for me to join these two grown-up grandsons for a woods hike – fingers crossed that I can do this for many more years!

December 25th: a pleasant, relaxed kind of Christmas Day. Started with brunch at our house ……

…..then a woods walk with Renee,

… later a delicious supper at the Tougas. Gathering with family around their table – and in their house where Derryl and I lived for over 13 years filled my heart and soul beyond any gift under the tree.

Pears poached in wine for dessert.

A couple free-fall days after that were a welcome respite: for cooks and the calorie intake. Time to get outside in the snow and soak in the sunshine!

….and inhale some brisk sea air @ Rissers Beach.

….and after daylight hours, time for noisy Dutch Blitz! Too much for Pippen – looking for the door!

Then it was the last day of 2024: blessed with perfect weather for our annual Hirtle Beach-Gaff point hike.

Group photo: Damien, Laurent, Joah, me, Derryl, Iris, Ciel, Renee, Brienne, Ian.

Back to the Sanctuary – a delicious taco supper before a rousing “wrap up the old year and look ahead to the new” conversation around the bonfire. So much laughter – and thoughtful contemplation.

Then it was off to our house to watch Junior hockey on the big screen.

Too bad the Canadian team lost the hockey game 😦 but all in all we’d had a grand together-family-time before the first of the grands had to leave next day for home.

Three grands were still on site for a few more days – I brought out a game I bought several months ago in hopes to introduce it to my family over the holidays. Crokinole: I grew up with it, haven’t played it for decades. Mission accomplished! Great fun.

I could wrap up with “then life started moving back to normal” but I’m discovering ‘normal’ doesn’t apply to my present season. But then again, if normal means busy with some travel plans already in place and spontaneity for other adventures (that’s my Enneagram 7 personality!), life will back to normal!

Either way, I’m up for it.

2025, here I come…..

Thank you for scrolling and reading through this long photo story. I’m taking steps to change my blog platform as my intentions for it have evolved into another direction. Please stay tuned, I appreciate your interest and connection.

Love and God bless your 2025!

Karen