Merry (belated) Christmas!

I hope your weekend was filled with love, laughter, and happiness.

Ours certainly was.

Here’s a little recap:

We went to cut our Christmas tree down at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.  Talk about last minute.  The branches were so fragile that we couldn’t really put many ornaments on it. Sparse much?

We got off to a slow start Christmas morning.  Did anyone else start opening presents at 10 a.m?  My sister dragged me out of bed at 9:30, and I could’ve slept for at least 3 more hours.  Going to bed late does not mix well with me!  And by the time we started stockings, it was past 10.

Christmas morning in the Cook household is a little different than it was 5 years ago.  We used to wake up extremely early only to be told to go back to bed.  So we would sit on our beds and talk to each other until we were allowed back upstairs at 7.  These days I think we all prefer sleeping for a few more hours over opening presents.  (Our neighbours told us that their two daughters were up at 4 in the morning!  Yikes!)

After all the presents were opened my dad made the family brunch that consisted of peameal bacon, eggs, and toast.  Not exactly my cup of tea, so I made myself some buckwheat pancakes with fruit.  Recipe coming soon!

Then we were off for a “walk” that turned into a snowy and wet hike through the mountains.  Jeans, Uggs, and snowshoes = a perfect combination.  Not.

Considering we had no snow only 3 days before, it was nice to wake up and see all the snow!  It was a white Christmas after all

After our hike my aunt and cousin arrived with their two guests (they have an international student from Mexico living with them for the year, and her mom flew in for Christmas).  It was really interesting to listen to them talk about their traditions from back home.  I was completely fascinated.

And then came the cooking.  I opted to make my own meal (Angela’s Broccoli & Cheeze Soup) while the rest of the family feasted on turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and peas.  My one bowl of soup left me feeling extremely full, but I still had room leftover for peppermint bark (of course I did!)

Recipe coming soon!

A short walk with the dogs and some chatting on the couch was the perfect way to end the night.

A belly filled with food and a heart filled with love, I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow.