On Christmas Eve, a light flurry of perfect white snowflakes fell all day, and we took the dogs for a long walk along the water and through the wooded areas of the property. Out of a movie? I think so.
So after a short and fun-filled week in Calgary (to celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary and to see all our old friends and their new babies), we boarded a flight headed to Kelowna, where a three hour drive through the mountains later, we found ourselves in a true winter wonderland.
I was so excited to finally have a proper German Christmas with my in-laws in British Columbia. All of the years that we lived in Calgary, the road conditions to make the drive were always so unpredictable (and sometimes dangerous) that after a few failed attempts, we stopped trying to make it out for December. We always celebrated our Christmas with them closer to Thanksgiving, and I could not wait to be present for December 24, 25, and 26 (the three sacred days of celebration for Germans!).
From turkey to chicken, salmon to beef, red cabbage to potato dumplings, homemade cakes to fresh waffles, we ate to our hearts content!
And no festivity is complete without food - all of the traditional German meals were enjoyed and devoured, and in true Christmas spirit, no indulgence was spared.
And perhaps the biggest blessing in disguise was the fact that there was no high-speed internet connection at the property. We used our mobile data to share snippets of our time but there was no endless scrolling, no notifications going off, no emails to check - it was truly blissful.
An entire week off the grid, surrounded by love and food, in the midst of a beautiful winter wonderland - is there anything better?
I am so grateful for my German family who showed me the most beautiful Christmas.
