Day 412 - The Christmas in Canada
10th December - Christmas shopping
John and I bought a real Christmas tree from a tree lot just off the Arbutus Greenway (bicycle path) in Kitsilano.
The guy at the tree lot tied the tree to the roof of the Evo we booked. We weren’t sure why he lingered around us with friendly yet awkward conversation. We guessed that he was waiting for a tip. Do we tip the guy that ties the tree to the car? Not sure.. but we didn’t. 🤭
We found an old Ikea bin that the landlords had lying around in the backyard and filled it with water. We used it as a makeshift tree stand for a week until we bought one.
19th December - Tree arts and crafts
We chose not to buy traditional Christmas decorations because they weren’t biodegradable and we weren’t sure how much mileage we’d get out of them, so we made our own using the cardboard from old Amazon boxes.
We used a white marker to draw patterns on the cardboard baubles and the names of friends in our COVID bubble. Twine to hang the baubles from the branches.
Here’s an early prototype of the decorations to see how it’d look on the tree.
I made a star by cutting out two star shapes and tying them together with twine. I had to reserve a space for the star’s butthole so that it can be mounted to the top of the tree. 🤣
John and I received gifts from our families that we kept under the tree, as our Christmas took shape.
Our tree stand and Christmas tree lights arrived and installed on the tree! We were now ready for a quiet COVID Christmas.
19th December - To build a home
Peter and Yusy came over for dinner and to help build a ginger bread house. It was our first time building one, so Yusy guided us in House Construction 101.
John’s workmate had made an amazing ginger bread house complete with icicles and internal lights that we aspired to replicate. When we finished with our house, it was clear she had used materials outside of what the ginger bread house kit provided. 😡
25th December - Christmas Day
John and I spent most of the day cooking for our Christmas dinner. I made potato au gratin and mashed potato. John made roasted prime rib, prawns and veggies, and also picked up a sans rival cake from a Filipino bakery. Peter came by in the evening with more roasted vegetables and a pumpkin pie.
After dinner, we exchanged Christmas gifts. John had gotten me incense sticks and a vinyl record (that hadn’t arrived in time) of ambient airport music by Brian Eno. I gave Peter a notebook and pen for him to start a habit of self-reflection and journaling. And Peter gave John a variety of teas and a clever tea cup that has a built-in steeper.
We ended the evening by watching Soul, Pixar’s latest film about a school teacher who tries to reunite his soul with his body after an unexpected death. 😬
26th December - Boxing day
Peter and Yusy came over for dinner, as we hadn’t had a chance to spend time with Yusy (she spent Christmas with her family in Coquitlam). We watched Gattaca while trying to zone out. 🍄
