Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Holidays

The holidays were a wondrous and low-key affair on our little island. Much food was eaten, many presents were given and received, and quality time was spent as a family.

First, let's rewind to last week...We went on a tree hunting mission at a friend's farm on the east side of the island.  It was a windy day, which made for a quick and rather uneventful tree hunt.  Previously, the weather has been mild, but for a few days around Christmas the wind howled and caused a dip in the air temperature. Because of this, we quickly settled on a very pretty pine, which has turned our house into a giant, festive pine-scented candle.


Then, on Christmas Eve, insane windstorms ravaged the island and left us without power, and our power and internet continued to flicker in and out over the coming days. Rumors of 20+ foot waves on Lake Michigan have been circulating.  It was that windy. Trees were down on the roads, which essentially blocked us into our house for a short time.  We didn't mind one bit though.  It gave us the perfect excuse to stay in our pajamas and not leave the house for the two days of Christmas.  It was an absolutely wonderful way to spend the holidays.




To pass the time (and have little fun), we did a ton of cooking over the holiday.  As a tradition, Cody and I like to cook "breakfast for dinner" on Christmas Eve.  This year we did homemade waffles, eggs, and fakin' bacon. We got extra lucky because a family from the school gifted us with homemade maple syrup.  Then, on Christmas Day we made big salads and individual pot pies.  We do a lot of "individual" food dishes in our house because it allows us to make one option meat-free and one option meat-y.


The few days following the holiday have brought us relaxation, projects around the house, and hiking. Other than the windstorms, it wasn't too chilly during Christmas week, so we've been trying to get outside and enjoy ourselves.  I know that this oddly warm winter can't last forever and it makes the dogs happy to frolic in the semi-warm weather.


All in all, it was a beautiful holiday. We took part in some of our old family traditions, and then we started a few new ones.  The weather was unpredictable, which allowed us to get out and enjoy ourselves one day and trapped us without power the next.  It was a great balance and kept us on our toes.

Your turn...What were your holiday highlights this year?
Currently listening to...White Christmas - Bing Crosby

21 comments:

  1. I've had three Christmas gatherings already, but haven't seen my parents. They are in the process of moving from Georgia to Ohio so we put off Christmas with them until after the move. I am anxious to see them! Glad you made the best out of your crazy weather. We had a tornado here in Canton, but not near us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I heard there were some nasty storms in that area. Thankfully, no tornadoes here! I hope your Christmas festivities are wonderful when they happen :)

      Delete
  2. I had appetizers with my parents and opened presents on Xmas day, and then had dinner with my boyfriend at his dad's place. Both meals were fun, and there was plenty of delicious food.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We hosted breakfast and then went to my parents for dinner. It was nice to see so much family in one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the idea of hosting breakfast for the holidays. It's such a fun (and underrated) meal!

      Delete
  4. I spent Christmas Eve eating shrimp cocktail, salmon and French silk pie at my Dad's. My sister and I dug through his wine collection for his nicest bottle. Lots of gifts that night, too! I had a very Kate Spade holiday. :) Christmas day was spent at my mom's with gift opening around the tree followed by mimosas and movie watching. We ended the day with a festive feast, for which I made Paula Deen's delicious sweet potato bake. I'll be posting the recipe to EpicureanTravelerBlog.com soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, I love the idea of digging through the wine collection-haha! I'll be checking out your blog :)

      Delete
  5. my parents went very simple this year when it came to holiday decorating. Just a small tree with a string of lights on it. Kids were a bit shocked when we visited Christmas day as grandma's house is normally very festively decorated but it was nice showing decorations don't make the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did a very simple tree in the classroom too. It's certainly a nice way to show that decorations don't make the season!

      Delete
  6. We enjoyed Christmas Eve with the extended family at my brother's new house, and then a low key Christmas day at home with the kids. It was really nice. I've really enjoyed the pleasant weather too! I'm not quite ready for Christmas to be over though, so I'm going to continue listening to Christmas music, and the tree will stay up a bit longer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sounds like a pretty great Christmas! I wouldn't be surprised at all if you guys do get those 20ft waves with this current storm! It's been crazy down here in West Michigan, I can only imagine how much more so on the straits!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are certainly getting winter weather now. They are predicting 8-12 inches and nasty wind!

      Delete
  8. Our highlight was playing games with the kids. We had such a great time with the whole family.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We had a very busy holiday, bouncing from house to house. After 2 years away, it was exhausting but lovely to spend the holidays with our families. And there was oodles of good food, wine/mead, and sweets!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is nice to be back around family for the holidays! Much busier than when we all lived in Juneau and didn't have any relations for 3,000+ miles ;)

      Delete
  10. Can I just say, again, how jealous I am that you live on an island? Looks like you had a great Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a very interesting lifestyle to live on the island! Have you ever been up to BI for a visit? I highly recommend it, especially in the middle of summer when the weather is perfect.

      Delete
  11. Not a friendly weather this Christmas for you but nonetheless, you guys spent and celebrated it well. Happy Holidays!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weather was a little crazy, and it only seems to be getting crazier! Happy Holidays!

      Delete

Leave me a comment :)