Christmastime on Pictou Island

We kicked off the holidays with the ugly sweater competition.  It was a small turnout as several Islanders had to unexpectedly leave for the mainland that night.  Unfortunately, we don't currently have the ability to haul boats here and Colin received word while we were prepping for the party that it was go time. Chef Sarah was the unanimous winner, and I can safely say she would have been even if the others had been in attendence.  Ed and Rob had the embarassing misfortune of showing up in the same top, except being Ed and Rob, they relished the extra attention.

The weather has been horrible, very windy, so I opted to forego most outdoor decorations this year, and stuck with window candles.  One of the few things I miss about the mainland are seeing everyone's Christmas decorations, but with the invention of Led lighting, it's not completely impossible over here and at least the Laws have their place decked out in beautiful lights.

One of the only times I look forward to the mainand is our annual Christmas shopping trip. Our Christmas shopping trip doubles on our final winter prep, grabbing things with shorter expiries, like chips, as well as other goodies only available in the city (I'm looking at you Bass Pro butter pretzels). My goal is to basically have my Christmas shopping complete before this trip, so I can saunter around the mall, listening to the music and just taking it all in.  Highlights of our trip include the few things we miss from the mainland, like Cora's and getting a mall pretzel.

We have the best neighbours and Sarah volunteered to stay at our house so the dogs didn't have to leave the island.  Leaving the cottage in December is not without it challenges as we rely primarily on wood heat and also this is the time of year where we have to run the generator regularly, even with the upgrades we made to our solar system this year.  I also had my island elves busy on the mainland doing some last minute running around picking up Christmas presents and wrapping others.  It takes a village to keep me going and I am very fortunate for Colin, Jevan, and Stretch, who inexplicably still continue to answer the phone when I call.

Next up was the annual Christmas tree lighting at the church.  We waited until as many Islanders were able to make it back, while watching the forecast as the church has no heat and power.  Our tree was once again donated by Scott McEwen.  The Laws display their Christmas village each year.  Hot chocolate was offered, gifts were exchanged, and Kenny and Dolly played from the speaker.

On Christmas day we opened our presents from the Islanders.  They run the gamut from donations to charities and Nancy's famous cbd cream which we look forward to every Christmas, to Christmas baking, Billy's well thought out, individually selected gifts,and Colin's touching notes.  The dogs are never an afterthought here.  We selected woofsicles for all the island dogs, the recipe for the treats is found in our new community cookbook!  We gave Islanders day of the week clocks, as figuring out what day it is over here is a constant struggle. 

On Monday, the last of the people will switch sides as Christmas visitors leave and the few people that left for Christmas return

That means for New Year's Eve, we will gather once again to put a cap on the holidays and mark the real start of our peaceful winter season with the Winter 25/26 Island family.

We are a lucky bunch.