One month ’til Christmas, people! As much as I don’t like the cold I could never imagine the festive period without snow before moving to Martinique. I’ll be honest and say that I did hope for a tiny sprinkling in London last year. Alas, no such luck. What I did come to appreciate is that Brits…
Christmas Lights Bicycle Tour of London
When Tom came to visit me in Canadialand, we rented bikes three times over the span of 9 days: once in Toronto, once in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and once on Beausoleil Island. I knew that he really liked to cycle around places so I thought it would be fun for him – but I realized after that…
The Wonders of the Christmas Market
It’s officially safe to talk about Christmas. It’s December, Black Friday has come and gone – as has some strange new addition we’re calling Cyber Monday. Ugh. Consumerism. In my new job, I had to do a lot of research and writing about Christmas markets in Europe for an airline comparison website – picking the…
How to Survive the Holidays Abroad
I was never particularly sentimental about holidays. As a kid, I kind of saw it as a nuisance – getting dressed up so I could be preached to and teased by older family members. Now that I am that older family member, I miss getting together with everyone to hear what they’re up to and…
A Traditional Family Christmas in Martinique
“MARIE ACCOUCHE!! Agathe yelled to everyone a few minutes before midnight, as she acted out the giving of birth. At midnight on December 25th is when Mary gave birth to Jesus and specific songs from the cantique be sung just before, exactly at, and directly after midnight. We were hurried to the terrace to sing. *** I’ve…
A Caribbean Christmas
As the Alizés pick up in December, the evenings become cooler meanwhile the people become warmer. Christmas in the Caribbean is typically associated with relaxing on the beach and getaway vacations; however, the holidays are the best times to visit in order to have a truly cultural experience. The fleuri-noël—or Christmas Flower—blooms its snowflake-shaped petals,…
Les Années Nous Viennent Sans Bruit – Happy New Year 2012!
Les années nous viennent sans bruit – The years pass quietly Well, hello. It has been awhile. I’m not even sure where to start. This last holiday was a blast. I went to a bunch of parties, including one next to a yacht, a friend’s Christmas party, a birthday party, a pool party, a Chanté Noel,…