About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas Traditions

Only two more sleeps until Christmas morning when we can rush downstairs to see if Santa came while we were dreaming of sugar plums and fairies. So I thought I'd share with you some of our Christmas traditions. (click on photos to enlarge them)
Today I made my annual pilgrimage to "Mary's British Home" about a 20-minute drive from my place. There I purchased 3 varieties of shortbread cookies and the all-important black pudding for Christmas day brunch. For those of you who have no British DNA, black pudding is like a curved sausage that we cut into pieces and fry up with eggs and bacon. I passed on the Ayrshire bacon this year, opting instead for our traditional Canadian bacon.
I politely asked the owner if it would be okay with her if I took a couple of pictures of the interior of the shop so I could show my British friends. I just had to photograph the wall just inside the door and the flag hanging proudly from the Christmas-decorated ceiling.


















Do you still hang stockings somewhere in your home, even if you don't have a chimney that Santa can maneuver? I haven't done it for a while, but thought I'd start this tradition up again. I shopped quite a while until I found just the right ones for Lorne and me. I loved these ones as soon as I saw them because they're grown-up and elegant as well as complementary to each other. Also, I picked up two pewter stocking hangers, a snowman for Lorne and an angel for me. Then when my daugher decided she'd come over Christmas morning to open prezzies and have brunch with us, I went out and bought her a new one...just like mine only the green with a burgandy bow. Lorne has never filled a Christmas stocking before and has absolutely NO idea where to even start, so he gave D#2 some $$$ and she's going to shop for him. I assured him that next year he'll be able to do it himself. Notice the two little "toys" on the hearth. They're really old Avon toys that I bought when my girls were little and now my grandchildren play with them when they're over. The merry-go-round plays about 10 different Christmas tunes and the Santa lights up and he moves his head.
I always have a bowl of Christmas balls and pine cones on the coffee table, but this year I don't have a coffee table so put the bowl on our new dining room table.
Lorne bought us two poinsetta plants that we'll proudly display in his antique brass firewood holder. And of course, we have a tree, albeit "fake" but nice all the same, with my ancient angel gracing the top.
This year is going to be a bit different as I'll be spending Christmas afternoon and evening with Lorne's extended family instead of with my own.
However, my grandchildren will be here on Christmas Eve to open their gifts with us and stay for Gramma's famous mac' & cheese with scissor buns, salad, and a special dessert. I'll have them help me set out the cookies and milk (or beer) for Santa before they go home to prepare for their own big day.

Do you have any special traditions you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about them as they might be something I'd like to start for ourselves.

Merry Christmas to everyone and have a wonderful celebratory season with loved ones.
By the way, I'll be making another pilgramge to "Mary's British Home" in January for the annual haggis to celebrate Robbie Burns Day.

9 comments:

Mimi said...

Leslie, I just loved this post.
I hadn't realised you're British. And the black pudding, well you don't have to explain that to me. Rudd's a company here in Ireland, have started to do a "roulade" of black and white pudding, it's to die for!
Your co-ordinated stockings are fab, just what I'm looking for for me and hubbie, now that Santa doesn't come down our chimney any more.

And the idea of baubles and pine cones is, again, perfect for me, if I haven't thrown out the baubles that have lost their hanger thingie. Pine cones on their own are nice but dull, the baubles are perfect to jizz them up.
I'm hoping to post about our Christmas traditions tomorrow.

nancygrayce said...

I love the stockings! How fun to hang stockings.....this is the first year I didn't have stockings over the fireplace! We are all so scattered this year and were gone so much, then sick....I just said NO! But I hope to get back into the swing next year! Have a wonderful Christmas!

Anonymous said...

poinsettias are purdy!! and YAY!! I love Robbie Burns dinners!!! I wanna ask Cavan to come, is that ok? He's just as Scots loving as I am, and even more of a true-blood! And Jody too :P And of course I'll pitch in!!! OOOOHHHHH How I love RBD!!!

D#2

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to you all.

Poor Lorne, shopping is bad enough but when it is for the stocking too! We don't do stockings for us, in fact this year not doing presents either...well only a small gift.

I didn't realise you were British either. Funny what you have in other countries ... Shops for Brits!!

Powell River Books said...

I have some British DNA but must not be enough. I haven't ever eaten black pudding. Now that we are a family of three (Mom, Wayne and me) we have few traditions left. We just spend the time together and enjoy each other. - Margy

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Love the flag and your description of your purchases and traditions. Yes, Simi and I both have stockings and Santa is expected any minute now! Buon Natale and lots of love from Sicily xxxx and a woof!

Trubes said...

Merry Christmas Leslie and Lorne,
All good wishes for 2010.

Di.x

Liz Hinds said...

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, leslie, starting new traditions as you begin your new life with Lorne.

I wish you both a very happy and healthy New Year, and look forward to seeing you, next year maybe.

xx

Shrinky said...

Oh, I simply love this place! I had no idea such a store existed over there. It's funny, our Christmas breakfast this year consisted of fluffy fresh blueberry pancakes with lashings of maple syrup - seems we have exchanged traditions this year!

Have a wonderful New Year Leslie, wishing you all that is good for 2010.