MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hailey arrived home from Whistler safe and sound night before last, so yesterday morning Michael went over to be with the boys so the girls could do the Christmas grocery shopping and I could knit in peace and do a little sorting and wrapping. Finished the sox...

... and a 'coffee cozy' with the left-over black yarn.

Last night we all bundled up and went out to the Esquimalt Navy Base to tour the ships all lit up for Christmas. It's a great evening -- you park and then they put everyone on buses to go round the base, with a narrator explaining the base history and describing the ships and their duties. It was too dark and the bus was moving just fast enough that I didn't get many pictures...


(That second one is the HMCS Calgary, for those of you who recognize the giant 'C'.)And while I'm on the subject of Calgary, a special Merry Christmas to my sister Julie, my niece Doneen and her partner and my nephew Jordon and his girlfriend, who are celebrating the holidays together at Doneen's in a town called Cochrane, near Calgary!

All of these ships have been overseas in the past two years, at least once, and one of them was in world headlines recently for thwarting pirates off the coast of Somalia.

When we left the bus, Hailey said 'Merry Christmas' to the woman soldier who was our host on the bus, and she said, 'I'm already having one.' Hailey replied, 'Oh! Why?' and the woman said, 'Because all of our ships are home.' Wow ... I almost cried, because the image that came to me was that all those folks could be here with family and friends for Christmas.

Which is exactly where I'll be if I don't post again for a few days ... I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas -- and stay safe, and be grateful!