GARY & MARIE...OUR LIFE IN QUEBEC!: Christmas 2017

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Christmas 2017

December at our place began cool and wet but by mid month we had a foot of snow. The day after Marie's birthday, the snow falling steadily about, we drove around the Domaine looking for a Christmas tree (Holiday Bush as they suggest we say now to not offend those of other persuasions) to bring home. It wasn't exactly perfect the one I eventually cut down, taking the top 14 feet from a large spruce we found, but we loaded it into the back of the truck and dragged it by hand up the driveway from the cabin and let it dry out on the kitchen floor overnight. As Christmas crept closer the temperature began falling alarmingly and it was all we could do to keep the supply of wood coming in from outside for the fireplace. This though, as much as a vacation south would have been nice, would be our first Christmas at the house and Phil and family were planning on spending it with us. Hopefully the weather would moderate a bit but when they arrived on Christmas Eve the promised arctic vortex was already descending and within hours the temperatures plummeted to -20, then to -28 and two days later to a new record for us here, -30. We did what we could to keep warm but outdoor activities were kept to a minimum! We did get a chance to go tobogganing on Christmas Day down the driveway and the kids loved it. I think Phil enjoyed it more than anyone, although he had arrived at our place with a mega sore neck, and managed not to break any bones. We also went to the free skating put on over the holiday by the village of Notre-Dame-des-Bois at the indoor rink. It was William's first time on skates and he lasted only five minutes but it was a start. Amy seems a natural and didn't want to leave when our hour was up. Another day we bundled up and drove to the Sports Centre in Lac Megantic and spent a few hours swimming in their very modern Olympic size pool, complete with a kids only play area. Everyone had a great time, but like everything fun, it was time to leave and for Phil and Fer also time to think about returning home to Montreal. They were flying to Chicago for a week on New Year's Day, a gift from work, and bringing in 2018 with a bang. Marie and I stayed up on the 31st, the temperature outside reading -25C so pretending it was summer we wore our swimming suits and brought in the New Year together. Happy 2018 to all! gws