Christmas Report

Merry Christmas, or whatever other holiday you happen to celebrate. My season has been good, despite the usual homesickness pangs, which were exacerbated by the dearth of snow in the Vancouver area. I had planned on spending as much time as possible at Cypress Mountain, but because of the rain and high temperatures, the whole hill is now officially closed. They kept the kiddy slide open for a few extra days (which didn't really help me, but allowed them to say at least one run was still going) but for now, all the snow is gone.

Christmas day was chock full of good cheer though, with monstrous amount of food, drink and presents thrown about in a storm of good tidings and joy. I ate enough turkey to sink a battleship, and drank enough root beer to float it again. It was also kinda nifty to be able to comfortably call my friends and family back in Australia from the back porch while dressed in only shorts, a long sleeved shirt and bare feet, but it did start me worrying about the state of the ozone layer. Vancouver winters are mild, but this is ridiculous.

As for presents, I think I did rather well. I scored lots of hockey-related gear from my Canadian friends, such as my first ever hockey stick, street hockey balls (they realized correctly that the only ice in Australia goes in drinks) a Vancouver pillowcase and a ticket to the Canucks vs Minnesota in February. That last one is double special, because it's almost impossible to get tickets to the games. I also scored How To Be A Canadian by Will and Ian Ferguson, GTA: Liberty City Stories for my PSP and most important of all, a Boba Fett pez dispenser. I also got the super extra double side of guacamole edition DVD of Sin City, and grabbed Civilization 4 as well, but they're technically ringers, as I bought them for myself at the Boxing Day sales. Not a bad haul at all.