Ever since I started planning my year abroad I knew that I wanted to come up to Canada and spend some time with the little branch of my family in Toronto, and the thought of spending Christmas in my uncle's hand built cabin in the snow was just too good to miss. As you can see, there was no snow! However, it was actually lovely to have warm weather and to see some colour in the beautiful Canadian wilderness. It made deep frying the turkey on Christmas day all the more bearable when it was above freezing!
I loved spending Christmas surrounded by my family, but in such a different way to how we usually celebrate in the UK. We still opened presents, decorated the cabin with lights and adorned it with a hand cut tree, ate turkey and brussel sprouts, but everything was relaxed, there were nowhere to go, no one else to see, nothing we had to do. We ate and drank and chatted and no one judged me when I went for a nap in the middle of the afternoon! (Though we never judge my mother for napping on Christmas day back home either!)
It was interesting to spend Christmas with family as an adult, even if my six year old cousin did heavily judge my colouring ability and tell me that I should practice "so that I get it in the lines". It was fun to get to know my aunt and uncle on an adult level and just talk about life, both mine and theirs. As a child you constantly get asked about what you are doing, how your piano lessons are going, whether you had fun on that trip to the zoo, but you barely ever learn about the adult who is asking the questions. It was great to see a glimpse into their lives in Canada that I only see a couple of photos of on facebook. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to come visit!
The cabin itself is located in Maple Leaf, close to Maynooth, and it is breathtakingly stunning. I remember from my last trip to Canada way back when I was 13 how beautiful the landscape was, and even in the barren winter it really is amazing. On the land surrounding the cabin there is an active beaver dam and it was fun to spot all the signs of beaver activity and follow the path of destruction down to the water.
And I finally found somewhere that my dungarees fit in! I looked just like a local in my docs and denim, I was just missing the bright hunter orange hat and camo!
I loved the drives, I loved the rolling, gorgeous scenery, the evergreen trees and the semi-frozen lakes that could be seen through the branches. It really was something else.
It was everything I wanted and needed, to go away with such great company and unplug from the internet, stop showering and wearing makeup and just be. The end of the semester at Lehigh got pretty crazy with deadlines and life, so it was perfect just to retreat into the wild with old family but new friends. Thank you for letting me stay guys!
