The Last Word About the Gift Exchange

 ... Richard with Christmas's best treasure ...

The permanent residences of Larch Haven keep reminding me that I am a seasonal, not a regular.

I still feel that having spent a couple of Christmases there – and well into January, makes me more than "temporary resident" on the land.

Still they are right. I don’t have a BC health care card, nor pay my taxes to that province.

... there is a lot of unwarrented competition around here ...

 So many years of travelling the Trans-Canada to that spot give me a false sense of it being my permanent home. I have been thinking lately about change.

 I notice it especially each year in the Christmas game we play. Not that I like the game. I think it is the goofiest thing we do for the holidays.

Every year I try to cancel it. No one joins me, so on it goes.

 ... Landon wondering if Grampa is really going to take him skiing ....

The rest of us had agendas – either to take home the very good gift we had purchased ourselves (since it is possible to go home with what you bring), or to scout out the best of the gifts and try to make sure that one is sitting in your lap when it is time to go home.

 .. a good joke going on somewhere ... even if David is hiding ...

I have pictures that show we have played it at my house in Calgary, at Doral’s in Citadel, at the lake on lot 3 and this year at Glen’s house.

We didn’t have anyone under the age of ten, except those who like to lay in their parent's arms or be bounced on their laps.

Alex / Joaquim / David  / Bonnie

We had a glorious meal before we began the gift exchange.

All of us who were at the lake were here ... except for Steve could no longer fight off the five weeks of sickness where he was thinking, yes, I will be well next week and I can just press on through this week.

... no prize for the best wrapped present ...

Even those of us who had the flu shot (him being one), succumbed to another strain that took its toll, the worst part being that it took 5 weeks to fully recover.

Steve was sick. He stayed home.

And since there was some alcohol in the gift exchange, Duncan spent his night trying to take that home as a suitable gift for his dad who would probably have preferred antibiotics, but they weren't in the game.

Rebecca, treasuring her pottery glaze
 ... comfortable in her belief no one will steal from her ...

This year was no exception to fun around the presents that circulated.

And the players are all seasoned ones – waiting their turn to swoop in for the if not the ultimate, at the very least, the penultimate of gifts.

Hope the pictures show you that we had a good time.

Arta