I did the math and it had been over 10 years since last seeing snow and spending Christmas in Canada! Over the past decade I was able to visit Canada during summer months, so I conveniently skipped the low temps and need to scrape ice off car windows.
Even though the weather grew tiresome, I must admit it was a nice temporary change of scenery from Thailand and a good wakeup call to what I had been missing all these years.
It was also great to spend time with family and friends in their daily environment and even act as a tourist to see some Ontario sites. For instance, this was the first time I got to see Niagara Falls in the winter and watch a Kitchener Rangers hockey game in years -- both described in different posts.
For the time being, I'll mention how great it was to have relatives come celebrate Christmas with us in Guelph. It ended up being a wonderful time with dinner and getting in a round of White Elephant afterward -- not to mention coming to realize how quick my family was at stealing gifts from others -- all in fun of course =)
I must admit I learned a lot about playing games during my stay here this Christmas season, including a board game I particularly grew to appreciate called Wingspan. I liked it so much I actually brought back a copy with me to Thailand, ready for local friends who might be interested in the game as well.
