“On the first day of Canadian Christmas, my true love gave to me:”

A stocking-full of firsts:

On Christmas Eve – Elaine and I went, for the first time, to a 3 PM service at Willow Park Church in Kelowna. We were invited by Ron Cannan, MP, to come enjoy the sermon and singing. Ron played drums in the church band. The pews were packed. We sang along and loved it

 

 

 

After Church – Elaine and I, for the first time, drove down to City Park to soak in the nativity scene on Bernard Avenue. Little did we know that right next to the manger was a winter wonderland display with Christmas lights outlining shapes such as Santa’s sleigh and a toy train. The night just kept getting better. Elaine easily captured the lights against the pitch-black sky.

 

 

 

 

Later that evening at home – Elaine, for the first time, made corn chowder and crescent rolls for dinner. With our Christmas tree all aglow – we chowed while listening to our favorite carols.

On Christmas morning – Elaine served, for the first time, a homemade hearty breakfast casserole that included: tater tots, bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese. Burp. It was filling and dee-lish.

 

 

 

 

 

On Christmas at lunch time– we bundled up and, for the first time, took a birthday-of-Jesus hike up Knox Mountain. We weren’t the only ones out getting out exercise. Passed lots of cheery folks and bikers on the dry trails. We spent almost two hours in the fresh air. We earned our supper.

 

 

 

 

At Christmas dinner – Elaine dished up, for the first time, a spread of maple ham, candied yams, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Seemed like a healthy trifecta – maybe not?!

 

 

 

 

 

For Christmas dessert – Elaine prepared, for the first time, a jelly roll that was chocolate-y on the inside and outside. It was moist and gooey. Thank heavens we hiked earlier!

 

 

 

 

 

On Christmas night, we didn’t, for the first time, watch any television. Instead, we double-teamed our 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and made significant progress. Neither of us are puzzle experts, but we are grinders who wanna finish this bad boy way before the confetti falls on New Year’s Eve.

 

 

 

News Alert – Elaine opined, for the first time, that all of the above activities and dishes are now our yuletide traditions. Write’em down. Every year. Even if company comes to town. We’ll make more grub and hike with more mountaineers. I’ll ask Santa for sturdier hiking boots.

 

 

“On the first day AFTER Canadian Christmas, my true love suggested we:”

Pull no punches and get retail therapy on Boxing Day. Huh?! Yes, dear.

Here’s how we packaged Boxing Day. Friday, December 26, 2014:

Up to 70 percent off Christmas ornaments.

Up to 50 percent off bed-sheet ensembles.

30 percent off certain Kitchen Aid appliances.

An additional 25 percent off bath towels and wash cloths.

To my American audience – you know this day as Black Friday. The “debt-do-you-part” day after Christmas. The much-hyped day bargain hunters and brave souls venture out into the retail menagerie of traffic, turmoil and two-for-one teasers. Yes, we have exactly the same door-busters and blowout bonanzas in Canada.

 

 

 

Elaine and I voted to become those bargain hunting brave souls, Kelowna-style. What the heck, we thought?! Neither of us had ever traveled this curious road. We mapped out our strategy on Christmas night and greased-up the points-earning credit card.

 

 

 

On the road at 7:40 AM. First stop was a “bed, home, and bath” store called JYSK. The first 50 customers in line for the 8 AM opening received a $20 store gift card. Plan your work – work your plan. We arrived in the parking lot at 7:49, Elaine bolted out of the car. She was 27^th in line. I parked and ended up 39^th. Excellent first round.

 

 

 

Next stop was the Wal-Mart, Bowring, Michael’s, Home Outfitters, and Home Depot corridor.

 

 

 

All were within walking distance of each other. We parked and leisurely strolled to each emporium. Crowds were light, surprisingly light?! Ditto for checkout lines. Had we really beaten the system as early-bird banditos?! Apparently so?! Excellent second round.

The rest of our agenda included stops at Canadian Tire (don’t be fooled by the name, we bought toys and kitchen appliances), Sears, Target, London Drugs, and Toys R Us. By Noon the roads and stores became way more crowded and we began losing steam. We stumbled home at 1:15 PM, unloaded the trunk, and finished off the corn chowder for lunch. Excellent finish.

 

 

 

Bottom line – we found bountiful bargains. We stuck with the plan. We had fun. Best of all, we drove about 12 miles total and did not have to pay for parking. Oh, no – is Boxing Day about to become another Christmas tradition?! Direct all questions to Elaine.