Feliz Noche Buena! Happy Christmas Eve!

I’m writing this entry aboard one of the Sprit class vessels of BC Ferries – destination Swartz Bay – otherwise known as Vancouver Island! The beautiful place where the Husband grew up, where we met, and where my in-laws reside!

Our plan is to spend the remainder of Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day with the Island familia! This is a big deal for us because it’s oh so very convenient to head over to Victoria to spend the holidays with them; all it takes is an hour and a half ferry ride.  During our years in the Rockies, the proposition of spending Christmas with family meant either a 10 hour drive, plus ferry time to the island or a 5 hour plane ride to Toronto. And although we’re still much too far from my parents we are at least not quite as isolated nowadays.

Christmas Numero Uno

In fact, we’ve already celebrated Christmas #1 in our Coastal Casa. We invited one of our good friends who made the move from the Rockies more or less at the same time as we did. We often joke that we’ve incorporated him into our little family of three so it made absolute perfect sense that we would share the best of the season with one another!

I planned an evening that was super delicious but didn’t require a massive amount of prep.

Of course there was a cheese platter.

Wine.

And one very curious puppy.

We enjoyed the appetizers and drinks for a while before partaking in the main feast.

The stars of which were roasted ham.

Candied Yams.

An a Latin American coleslaw type dish, called escabeche.

Of course, we also exchanged presents.

Daisy scored the biggest bully stick ever.

Which resulted in her kicking her other toys off of her bed in favour of some alone time with her gift. HA!

We finished off the night with one of Thomas Haas’ famous stollen.

And a Christmas Cake from a local Chinese bakery.

All in all, it’s safe to say we had an absolutely wonderful time. And I must confess that high up in our Coastal Casa condo, surrounded by laughter, wine, loved ones, and the sounds of Charlie Brown’s Christmas, it truly felt like a special time of year!!

From Our Casa to Your Casa

One of the things I love most about Christmas is counting my blessings . . . and year after year, I count my reader amongst my blessings. I first started this blog when I was new to my Rocky Mountain existence. Those were some lonely early days but thanks to this blog, and all of you, I felt like I had a support system. Throughout the years, many of you have changed from readers to people I count amongst my good friends. I am continually amazed by the world that has been opened up to me as a result of blogging!

Tonight, when I say my Christmas prayers, I will say one in gratitude for all of you!

So from my casa to your casa, we hope you have the Merriest and most Blessed Christmas possible!!!

Question: Do you have any special Christmas Eve traditions? Where I come from we do all our celebrating on Christmas Eve but now that I’m married, Christmas Eve is about church and Christmas Day is about the dinner and presents!

Tagged as: Daisy, Holidays, Milestones