We have been here for over a week and today is Christmas Eve.  The sun is shining, the temperature is about 26 degees C and we are lazing around the villa.  Joseph is at work, Carrie is on the couch feeling lousy with her cold and watching Grimm.  Trish is in her bedroom wrapping gifts and John and I are on our the couch in the upstairs livingroom on our computers.

Americans (well the ones Carrie is related to and knows) have turkey at Thanksgiving in November. That is the major ‘must-not-change’ traditional dinner.  Christmas dinner is often ham or roast or chicken; whatever the cook feels like making for the day.

Canadians have turkey at Thanksgiving in October and at again at Christmas and both meals are almost identical.  In the extended Hanna family, deviations on the traditional fare are frowned upon.  The only part that can be random is dessert at Christmas.  For Thanksgiving we have pumpkin pie.

It is an interesting dynamic to be away from Salmon Arm and the snow and cold for Christmas.   In our entire lives we have never been away from home for the holiday before.  All of our winter trips since we retired have begun in early January. We know it is Christmas tomorrow, we are making preparations for Christmas dinner and yet it doesn’t feel like Christmas.  It feels more as if we are just on a holiday to visit Joseph and Carrie.  I am not upset or sad about this, I just notice the difference.

Carrie felt better after her relaxing morning, put the Christmas music on to play and made Coconut Cloud Cake for tomorrow evening’s dessert while I prepared the dry ingredients for the stuffing so I just need to add the liquids before putting it in the turkey tomorrow.  John came in to help with the preparations and was put to work peeling and grating the carrots for the coleslaw and our carrot side dish.  Trish had been doing laundry today but offered her assistance too.  She did the slicing for our whiskey/brown sugar carrots.  Even the brussel sprouts were prepped, so we are all set for tomorrow.

And then….it was time to make the Christmas cookies. After dinner, while John and Joseph did the dishes that were not put into the dishwasher, Carrie made the frosting to decorate the cookies.  I think we all did a pretty good job!