Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Christmas Vacation

We had a gloriously long Christmas break that ended today. It's funny how each year, the break is the same amount of time and yet some years it feels too short and other years it feels wonderfully long. I think it may depend on where Christmas falls; if it's at the beginning, then you have more time to chill and loaf around afterwards.
We had a very busy few days around Christmas with family stuff, church stuff and choir stuff. But then things calmed down. We actually went out for New Year's which we have not done for many years. Now that Matias is old enough to babysit, we have more flexibility. It's always a bit nerve wracking to leave the kids home alone, but with cell phones and good neighbours, it's pretty safe. Anyway, my friend Mehj was housesitting and hosted a party with about 10 people. It was great fun. There was dinner and dessert and lots of cheese. If you can't have brie at Christmas, then when can you? Despite the fun, we didn't actually last until midnight, but whatever. It's not like it's 1999, lol.
Pentti went to work for a few days after New Year, but then took some more time off and we headed to Hope. No one else was at the house, so the 5 of us had the place to ourselves for 4 days. There was a tonne of snow and it stayed dry for the most part, despite the forecast. The kids spent hours and hours outside building a fort, sledding and just playing in the snow. It was great. The neighbour across the street who has a big sloping yard, built a sledding track and told us to come over. What a nice guy. I feel like that wouldn't happen in the "big city", but maybe I just hang around the wrong people?!
Of course we also went in the sauna and the boys and Pentti even rolled in the snow afterwards (as per crazy Finnish tradition). I am not insane, so I did not. We went to the used bookstore and out for Japanese food, all the things that we do every time we're in Hope. It was the perfect end to the holiday and because it came right before school started, the vacation felt that much longer after having "gone away".
PS. This year Emmi figured out that the elf on the shelf is fake. Thank goodness; that thing was the bane of my existence! But for now, Santa is still real :)