The holidays started with an 8:30am train December 24th from Union Station with my husband, my brother, and my brother in law. I insisted we arrive an hour early to avoid any hassle, but I'm sure they would tell you it was not necessary...and that I'm insane.
We arrived at the St. Catharines train station by 10am and headed for the farm. As we drove through the countryside on the way to my parents house, the Christmas spirit really kicked in for me. We took our annual Christmas Eve walk through the woods and then headed back to the homestead to warm up in front of the fire.
The house looked the same as it always does at Christmas which is comforting to me. The angel on top of my tree is the same angel we've had my entire life. My mom and I made it when I was 6 months old. I wouldn't call it pretty, but the memories make it the most beautiful angel I've ever seen. The warmth of the fire puts me asleep in a matter of minutes, so I have to keep moving.
I head to the upstairs of the house that used to house four brothers, but now only two are left at home, so they've turned one of the rooms into their 'Lounge'. The twins are 18, so they really love beer, i mean REALLY love beer. As you can see, the theme of the room is BEER among a lot of really cool stuff, so following suit, we indulged in some drinks. The bottle opener has a great deal of detail that I was quite impressed with.
My mom has a very unique style that impresses me every time I come home. Here's her table of weird things in jars...we've got a dead spider and emu claws to name a couple...
My mom loves gargoyles so there are A LOT around the house. This one, my brother Asa made in art class...
My father-in-law made this for my mom when she got her sheep...
After eating a lot of cheese and drinking a lot of wine I was ready for bed....and I didn't even mind the futon...
Christmas morning was chaotic as usual. With a family of 7 plus one girlfriend and one husband, there's a lot of gifts to open! There were so many thoughtful gifts under that tree but one thing that we all received was home made socks from my dad. He made them on his antique sock machine... He calls these ones 'Big Socks'...perfect for cold winter nights...
He makes a lot of different varieties of socks. They range from $20-$35 and well worth it. Contact me if you're interested.
After Christmas morning we head over to The Sandham's home for our first turkey dinner. They truly are the best in-laws a girl could ask for and they're creativity is inspiring. Their house is stunning, and come spring I will unveil their most beautiful gardens...
Our families are very close, so my brood of brothers all come along...partly for dinner and partly to drive their tipsy sister home to bed at the end of the night.
Christmas dinner at the Sandham's is never without crackers and we always wear our crowns.
A little game of domino's...and then off to bed...
BOXING DAY! Epic dinner # Two.
This year we decided to merge my dad's side of the family with my mom's. End result was 35 people, and an amazing meal that contained the best dishes from both sides of the family!
Entertainment was covered with an acoustic set in 'The Lounge' by my family's very own Harley Proveau. I don't have a recording, but if you'd like to hear what he's all about, click here
And my mom showed off her Cher scrapbook to the new generation of Cher lovers...She's been obsessed since 1974...
My darling brothers took a moment to smile for a picture...
And then there's me and my wonderful husband. Couldn't be happier to be spending another Christmas together as husband and wife.
My in-laws...they've been my second family for a very long time, and I love them dearly. So well dressed too!
And then there's my beautiful mother. I miss her. It's always hard to leave them at the end of every visit. We don't live that far or anything, and we talk everyday...I just sometimes wish they lived right down the street.
I always try and finish every trip to the farm with a visit with the old crew. We've got some serious history, and coming down to see the Hale Christmas tree is a tradition I look forward to every year. We missed a few of them this year, but we have a life time of Christmas' ahead of us to make up for it...
And that's all folks...now time for the Christmas crash...I have gained a pound each day since the 24th...
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Thank you for sharing. I was born in and lived in St Catharines for 25 years before moving to Vancouver. Now at 69, I rove the internet when sleep evades me, looking for anything I can on my old home. I have always been interested in cameras and darkrooms, now its digital, I admire your photographic eye. Reading your blog delighted me so for a time I was without pain. Keep writing please.
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