Weekend Review: Christmas, Boxing Day, and Fireside Relaxing

Happy Boxing Day! I had a fun day shopping with my mom. We weren't looking for any deals in particular and just wandered at a relaxed pace around Superstore, Walmart, Canadian Tire, and the mall, fortunately not running into too much shopper traffic. We didn't buy a lot -- mostly groceries and a couple of things, like a toaster, that we needed for the house. We did indulge in a set of half-price glittery red and gold giant Christmas baubles, which we've hung on the sumac by the front door (better late than never!). Here are some other things I've enjoyed in the past seven days:

1. sunrise -- As I've not been arriving at work until 8:30 am for the past couple of weeks, I've actually seen a bit of sunlight in the mornings -- including this beautiful pink and orange sunrise on Tuesday's walk to work. Though I miss Victoria's gnarled and dendritic garry oaks, Edmonton's elm trees do make a good substitute.

   

   sunrise, elms, and melting snow

   

   garry oak trees at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria -- aren't they amazing?!

2. gas prices -- 79.4 cents per litre! ...And to think I was getting excited by 99.9 a few months ago. Unfortunately when you live in Alberta, the declining price of oil is not good economic news (case in point: CTV News -- Oil price jeopardizes future of Calgary's new cancer centre).

   

   only in Alberta (http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/gas-prices-under-80-cents-a-litre-1.2159377)

3. Chips Ahoy Ice Cream Creations Mocha Chunk cookies -- I found these cookies on sale last weekend and had high hopes for the mocha flavour. Well, they were only okay (a little heavy on the artificial flavours, not to mention enough preservatives to keep them soft for eons).

   

   not as awesome as they sound

4. night-time airplane window views -- I remember as a child flying over Birmingham on a clear night and being enthralled by the thousands of pinpoints of light, surrounded by vast areas of darkness. Another time I flew over hundreds of squid fishing boats off the coast of Japan, each a bright orb against the black ocean. On my flight early yesterday morning, while I didn't see the northern lights (not for lack of trying -- I even made sure to select a seat on the north side of the airplane), I enjoyed the lights of Kelowna and Vancouver, shining like constellations in the blackness.

   

   Vancouver

5. residents Christmas party -- One of the residents in my program hosted a Christmas party last weekend and it was so great to catch up with everyone over eggnog, wine, and appetizers.
6. Christmas dinner -- Yesterday my parents made a delicious turkey dinner, which we enjoyed again today. I love turkey leftovers and am looking forward to some cranberry turkey sandwiches and bowls of turkey stew!

   

   turkey, stuffing, bacon broccoli salad, potatoes, gravy, & cranberry sauce

7. fireplace -- I've spent the last two evenings cosy on the couch in the warm glow of the fireplace. On a winter's evening, there's really nothing better than sitting by the fire!

   

   cosy

8. No Reservations -- After turkey dinner my family relaxed with chai tea and No Reservations, a 2007 romantic comedy-drama about a chef (Catherine Zeta-Jones) in New York who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her young niece. We all enjoyed it more than we'd expected to!
   

What did you enjoy this week?