fly away home.

i almost didn't go home for christmas. for the most part, i have been very happy here, and felt that part of growing up was potentially having to miss my traditional canadian christmas. but, when the school offered me the trip home (on them!) i realized that even adults have to admit that they could benefit from a little taste of home.

it was a jam-packed week full of family, catching up with old friends, new random encounters and good old canadian comforts. and here, with no further delay, are the best parts of going home for a fleming canadian christmas:

1. travel, with an edge: i booked a flight with a so-called illegal connection in houston that is known for being an impossible flight to make. but the secret to life is to truly believe, and you will succeed. ha. and with a little luck thrown in, a long sprint through the airport and some good research done beforehand (by a friend, not even myself!), i did manage to make the three flights and get home for my mum's official bday. nothing like a little adrenaline to prepare for holidays with the parentals.

2. santa claus: no guitar hero 3 video game for me, but santa clause is still definitely alive and well at our house. he is getting better and better at following requests, and even still wraps his 'big' gift under a blanket on the couch. and mrs. clause must have been helping because i managed to acquire a hot diesel purse!

3. trippy traditions: christmas wouldn't be christmas without dad's eclectic creche covered in fake snow, opening stockings on my parents bed, eating croissants for brunch and wrapping presents while watching old movies from circa 1990.

4. a little bit of canada: in order to expose me to as much canada in one week as possible, i was served beavertails, walked around downtown to see the christmas lights, ate mini wheats for breakfast (i can't get them here), got to see a few snowfalls and had to slip back into my winter boots.

5. everything is eclectic: christmas dinner was totally random and turned out splendidly. the spiess family joined us, which always leads do some good laughs, but this year we also had some interesting additions. a young family who recently moved from africa came with their one-year old bundle of joy simba. along with other friends, we had about 15 people over! to me, it fully encompassed the christmas spirit of sharing joy and spreading love. my mom ended up on the floor when the table fell over, simba kept trying to be DJ and we played an out of control game of outburst - in other words, it was perfect.

6. foooooood: my mom certainly knows how to make home attractive for us. she went on a cooking spree and made ALL of our favorite meals in one week. i got my favourite comfort food (lasagna), my all time favourite side dish (broccoli casserole) and even a beautiful sky-high yorkshire pudding! she certainly makes it hard to stay away.

7. friends: while i did not see everyone that i wanted to see while i was home, i did get some quality time with many of my friends. since i only had time to visit ottawa, there were lots of people that i missed. i felt so regenerated to have had some quality time with people who have known me for more then six months. i introduced kristin to the famous 'works' burgers (try the sweet ride), met erin for brunch and a visit to lululemon, had a quick catch-up with elena on the run, and went and saw the kite runner with my brother.

i can't believe i almost did not go home.

i hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing and rejuvenating holiday season. feliz navidad!