christmas ski day

This year we did something a little different on Christmas Day - we spent it out in the snow! With Christmas Day falling on a Thursday, it was the perfect opportunity for us to use our "custom season pass" at Solitude Mountain Resort, which allows us to ski/snowboard every Thursday. (Much cheaper than a full season pass). Mark's brother Ben joined us for the day. Here he is with Santa, who was handing out candy on the slopes!

It snowed pretty much the whole day, so we had to get the snowblower out to clear the driveway when we got home so we could get the car back in the garage.

christmas eve

No sooner had we arrived home from Australia than Christmas was upon us! Heather managed to get a real Christmas tree for only $5 from Lowes. (One advantage to waiting until the last minute!). After all the celebrations in Australia, there were few presents left to be had under the tree.

We did however enjoy a nice Christmas dinner with Mark's Dad, Norzela and brother Ben.

downunder 08 - family christmas

Unfortunately, due to Mark's work schedule, we had to return to the U.S. before Christmas, so this evening many of Heather's family gathered at her brother's house on the Gold Coast for an early "family Christmas". There were 13 of us, which made for rather a lot of presents under the tree! Per family tradition, all the presents were handed out, and then we took it in turns to open the gifts, starting with the "youngest" (Jasmine) and working our way to the eldest (Nanna).



















Something got Nanna going, and she just couldn't stop laughing!




The table was beautifully set with fine china and "goodie bags". We dined on prawns (shrimp), roast turkey, ham, stuffing and assorted vegetables, rounded off with plum pudding and custard for dessert. It was a fun evening. Thank you Ian & Maureen. You were great hosts.

downunder 08 - more family time

We hit the road again, heading north east another 165km (102 miles) to the city of Gympie, where Heather's mother, and Heather's sister Margaret & her husband Deryck live. Margaret & Deryck retired to the quieter pace of Gympie after many years living on the Gold Coast and then travelling around the world and around Australia. They have since been very busy renovating and adding personal touches to their charming old house.

After picking Heather's mother up from her unit at a nearby retirement village, we spent the afternoon on the verandah, chatting, reminiscing and looking over the scrapbooks that Heather had made for Ben & Kate.

In the evening, Heather's niece Brenda and her husband Vince joined us for a wonderful "Christmas Dinner" of turkey, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings. (No we're not drunk in this picture, just having fun popping our traditional Christmas Crackers!)