Christmas was different this year but we made the best of the restrictions.  We had a great video chat with our grandson Benjamin and his partner Danika on Christmas Eve.  They opened their gift during this chat and it was almost like we were with them in person.  Hopefully next year we will again celebrate in person.  Their gift to us was an Amazon gift card and we are busy making our order today.  

On Christmas day we chatted with our daughter Natasha and her family.  Natasha and Mike were exhausted after an incredibly busy week with Natasha’s gift basket business.  Natasha’s dad went into Winnipeg for two days during the week before Christmas to help deliver baskets.  Christmas day we also had a video chat with our son and his wife in Seattle.  No snow for them but they had experienced several days of heavy rainfall just before Christmas.  

Peter and I put up a small Christmas tree with lights at my parents’ headstone on Christmas Eve.  I took several pictures that did not turn out that well.  I will post one of them so you get an idea of what I am talking about.  Private individuals and businesses decorate trees around the hospital each Christmas.  The result is really quite beautiful.  I took several pictures on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day my husband cooked a wonderful Christmas dinner for the two of us.  We also ate too many New Years Cookies which were amazing especially when combined with a Caramel Macchiato coffee from Starbucks.  Portzelkys (New Year’s Cookies) are a Mennonite tradition in our family.  They are only made at New Years’. According to Wiktionary Portzelkys are a Mennonite dish of raisin fritters — fried, roughly ball-shaped pieces of dough with raisins in them — eaten especially on New Year’s Day.  My mom would roll them in icing sugar to make a wonderful glace.

I have been hunting for new authors.  Helen Pearson, a dear friend has been sharing her favourites with me as have a few other readers of my blog and Facebook page.  Last week I discovered another Swedish author by the name of Helene Tursten.  January should see the release of several new books by some of my favourite authors.  Some of them are Reginald Hill, Ann Cleeves, Minette Walters, Martha Grimes, William Kent Kruger, Elizabeth George, Peter Robinson, J.D.Robb and Louise Penny to name a few.  

Before I close I want to wish all my readers a wonderful and Happy New Year.  May 2021 bring you much joy, good health, many blessings and leave you with many memories to cherish.