One of the Best Ever!!

Just west of High River

Time to get the blog started again. I'll fill in a little of the details for the last few weeks while we have been home. It has been a pretty relaxing time with not a lot of activity. The weather has not been what I wouldn't call great, although the last week has been quite nice, cold but nice. Night time temperatures of about - 12 to -18 C and daytime near melting. We have done a fair amount of visiting friends, and of course at this time of year Christmas Shopping is always a big item. This year we were going to cut down on costs to all our family as Christmas is really about family, friends and visiting. All of us, basically have all that we could ever want, and if there is anything that we need, we just go and buy it. None of us are suffering from poverty, so to buy something useful for everybody becomes extremely difficult. We decided that we would focus on filling every body's Christmas stocking with odds and ends, nuts, candy and trinkets rather than large costly item. Everybody has a large stocking hung on the fireplace on Christmas Eve, and when we all start moving on the morn, seems the stockings are always filled to over flowing. Santa must have a very large sack of goodies when he stops at our house.

Bella the Cat looking for mischief

Before

After

Well anyway, the cheap Christmas is good in theory, but I'm not sure how successful that was in reality. Seems that under the Christmas tree was a myriad of quite expensive gifts. How ever it was a GREAT Christmas!! One of the best ever!!

Mike, Samantha, Joel and Leigh

The whole of our family was there: Don and Shannon (the hosts) Mike and Samantha, with the "Boys" Joel and Leigh, and Mikes Mother, Luke, Caitlin, Ross, and Denice and yours truly. I, being the most likely, old and chubby, (notice how I phrased that) naturally became Santa, distributing gifts to the happy recipients. Denice, What are those?? Santa Generous?

This was after we had all gone through our socks and checked out all those neat items that Santa had found for each of us. Adults enjoyed opening their gifts, but the ones that really enjoy are the young ones.

Leigh

Leigh is a little young at this time being only 8 months, so he just looked on with a curious face, but that other one, Joel, who is two, got right into the act. He got a lot of clothes, but they just flew in every direction to get to the bottom of the box where the toys were hidden. Wasn't long until he had all them open and in action, and he is only two. I can almost see next year when he is three!
Of honorable mention was a set of photos from grand-daughter Caitlin of the Lethbridge High Level Rail Bridge during the 100th year celebration of the construction of that great achievement. I tell her she has missed her calling, as she is in university in that city taking History as her major. She is a great Amateur Photographer. She also gave us a framed one of a night shot at Henderson Gardens, also in Lethbridge. Great shots Caitlin!!

This one of Henderson Gardens

After completing that opening exercise, we had a very relaxed day. Don and Shannon stuffed the BIG BIRD at noon, and put it in the oven. We had no scheduled time for dinner, so time all was ready, it was near 5:30PM.

We had all the customary fixings: turkey, ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, stuffing, jellied salad, gravy, and pistachio salad. We all did what was customary too. Ate tooo much, and then suffered. Dessert menu was saskatoon pie and pumpkin cheese cake, but that had to wait until some settling occurred. After clean up and dishes, and a couple of movies, a lot of eyes seem to get heavy. So ended another great Christmas Day.

A couple of snoozing guys

Next morning we were up and organized to all return home. After a porridge breaky, and loading the loot, we headed home, arriving in High River by noon. In the afternoon our friends from Warner, Tom and Linda, stopped for coffee and cake, on their way home. Brother-in-law, Ron and sister-in law Cheryl also arrived for a good tongue wagging session.
December 27th, late in the afternoon, Sister-in-law, LaVaye, and nephew Lance stopped by from a return trip from Caroline to Pincher Creek, where they delivered Lance's brother Kelly's two girls back to their home in Pincher Creek. Tomorrow we will take Lavaye to the Calgary Airport to catch West Jet back to her home in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.