Lots of things were different about Christmas this year. We were in Montreal instead of Sydney. It was just Michael, Austin, my sister and me instead of our whole family on both sides. It was cold instead of hot. So how did we manage to spend our Christmas Day this year? Well, nothing too fancy, just a morning skate and then some roasted elk for dinner!
Austin woke up not too early on Christmas morning and opened his presents. I was just thinking about how we were going to spend the morning when we had the brilliant idea of going out for a skate. A Christmas morning ice skate in the local park. Now there's something you can't do in Australia!
There are a few local parks whose ponds were emptied in October and which now functioned as outdoor skating rinks. The prettiest one in my opinion is Parc Saint Viateur, about a 10 minute walk away. It's also one where ice hockey is not allowed, important to be aware of when you have a 4-year-old first-time skater!
So, Saint Viateur it was. We arrived at about 11am and the sun was bright and warm, taking the edge off the -15C. We were the only ones at the park at first but after a while lots of other families and couples turned up, strapped on their skates and did a few circuits. Nobody stayed long, either because of the cold, or because they had delicious Christmas feasts awaiting them back home.
There are a few local parks whose ponds were emptied in October and which now functioned as outdoor skating rinks. The prettiest one in my opinion is Parc Saint Viateur, about a 10 minute walk away. It's also one where ice hockey is not allowed, important to be aware of when you have a 4-year-old first-time skater!
So, Saint Viateur it was. We arrived at about 11am and the sun was bright and warm, taking the edge off the -15C. We were the only ones at the park at first but after a while lots of other families and couples turned up, strapped on their skates and did a few circuits. Nobody stayed long, either because of the cold, or because they had delicious Christmas feasts awaiting them back home.
Austin and Michael both had their skates and I was going to share with my sister. I hadn't been skating since I was a teenager but I think it's like anything you've learnt and haven't done in a while, it all comes back. I found myself trying to turn like I do when I ski and that was a mistake, nearly sending me sprawling a couple of times! Michael looked like a natural and my sister too!
Austin probably spent more time on his bottom on the ice than standing but he seemed to have a good time and quickly learnt to balance enough to stand and step along by himself. He soon tired of skating though, and ended up playing with his new snowball maker instead!
Austin probably spent more time on his bottom on the ice than standing but he seemed to have a good time and quickly learnt to balance enough to stand and step along by himself. He soon tired of skating though, and ended up playing with his new snowball maker instead!
It was such a fun thing to do on Christmas Day. We walked away refreshed, ready to eat a truckload of food, and with Austin saying how he wanted to become an ice hockey player. Hmm, we'll see about that one. But in the meantime, I'm planning to ice skate as much as I can here before we leave!