December 2022 - finally! It was time for J to fly to Canada, which meant it was the end of our longest time away from each other. Over the summer of 2022, J and I looked at our options and felt that as long as the COVID-19 situation in both of our countries allowed J to safely travel to see me, we would starting book his flights, activities here, and prepare for a Christmas in B.C.! After not seeing each other in person for 2 years, you might think there would be a level of awkwardness to us reuniting in the airport. But, there really wasn't. I remember standing in the waiting zone, looking at the flights of people coming through the testing area, and finally spotting J. We gave each other a big hug and were on our way to my house. Things were good again.
I was so excited to have J here for Christmas and I did a lot before he came to prepare. I made lists of things to try and places to go; including various baked goods my family makes that time of year, the Vancouver Christmas Market, and the biggest item... find snow for J! Fortunately for us, once J was in B.C., we were hit with a huge winter storm! My sister and I shared snow gear with J and we went out in it as much as possible. It even snowed on Christmas morning! It was magical.
J arrived a few days before Christmas, giving him time to settle in and adjust after his travels, and allowed us to spend some quiet time before all the festivities. We spent a day in Vancouver, checking out the aquarium and a diving Santa, walking around Granville Island, and exploring the Christmas Market. We both found the Market in Vancouver to be different than the one we visited in Edinburgh in 2019, but still enjoyed it nonetheless.
Before J arrived, my sister and I included him in our gift giving ideas for my family. We baked treats (once J was here), bought caramel wafers from Scotland (found them for sale in B.C.), and a few other small things for each person. On Christmas Eve, we delivered the gifts and spent some time visiting family. On our way home, we stopped at a large drive-thru Christmas lights display. It was awesome and definitely worthwhile, especially as J mentioned the UK not being as into light displays. I also included a stop at Starbucks into this plan - which was another thing J had never tried! My list of things to do and try was super helpful, and while it included suggestions from J, he didn't know everything on it to save surprises. The biggest surprise for J was when I decorated the house for his birthday while he was getting ready for the day. I let my mom and sister know ahead of time, bought J gifts, ordered him a DQ cake to try, and pulled off an amazing day for him. His birthday was a few days after he arrived home, so he definitely wasn't expecting the party I threw him!
Our second Christmas together was awesome! Every day involved snowy walks (even sledding some days!), hot drinks, and being cozy in the house. I took J to Krispy Kreme, IKEA, and local areas set up for winter activities. We both started playing animal crossing during this visit, we watched movies in bed, and we enjoyed each other's company even more with each day. J also went home with an extra bag of goodies and gifts.
By time the new year rolled around and it was reaching the date of J's departure, we knew two things: 1) I would be visiting again at the end of the summer, having already booked my tickets while J was still at my house. And 2) I would be moving to the UK within the next year on a visa. Which meant a whole new adventure for J and I was about to begin!
Comentarios