Christmas tree

This morning we woke up really early (6:30 a.m., which is early for me at least), bundled up in warm winter gear, and drove about 15 minutes up into the mountains to get our Christmas tree. I know it's only two days before Christmas, but we've been busy doing a bunch of other stuff, so this was the first time that we really had to all go get one together. When I got out of the truck I thought about not even wearing a toque, but about 20 seconds later I rethought that and was glad I had brought it along with me anyway. It was freezing up there. Surprising how 15 minutes and about a 2,000 foot increase in altitude can make so much difference. Dad had checked the temperature when we piled out of the truck and it was -16 C. That's pretty chilly, especially when we've been experiencing weather between 5 and 0 C since we've been home. We traipsed through the woods for about five minutes before I pointed out a tree I thought might be OK. My dad started to knock some of the snow and ice off the branches to see what he thought and Bryn came along, looked at the tree, and grimaced in disgust. "That one's ugly. What about the one right back there?" She pointed beyond my choice to a tree standing alone in a circle of much taller trees. "Hmm, yeah, that could work," Dad said and walked over to check it out. We both agreed with Bryn that it was better. Then we had to call Ty and my mum over from examining the hide of a dead animal. Ty was trying to identify it while my mum was trying to take pictures of it. When they finally made their way to the chosen tree they agreed that it was good. My dad started cutting it down and then each of us kids took a turn with the saw while my mum got pictures of that, too. Then the three of us followed my dad out of the forest. He cut a wider path for us so we could get the tree back to the logging road and our truck. About halfway back Ty got tired of sharing the carrying load with Bryn and me and hoisted it up to carry back all by himself. Then we posed for some pictures near the road before jumping back into the truck to warm up. My feet were completely frozen and my hands were getting cold as well. The temperature had gone down to -17 C as we started driving home. When we pulled up to our driveway I was surprised to see that it was still cold down in the city at -11 C. We put our tree in the garage to let it thaw (notice my appropriate use of the word "thaw" as opposed to the non-word "unthaw") so we could put it up and decorate it later this evening.

In the early afternoon, when my mum, Ty and I were out shopping, I saw the cutest sight. We were in Lululemon, a yoga apparel store (no, I'm not into yoga, but the clothes are super comfy) and I was putting something back on a hook when I turned and saw a baby sitting on the floor of the store. He was probably around five or six months old and wearing a dark brown snowsuit that covered his entire body except for his adorably chubby face. His mum was standing beside him looking at a table of sweatshirts. She was in between me and the baby. How she was standing was exactly perfect for her son to peek through her legs to watch the customers in the store. As soon as I saw him I couldn't look away. I grinned down at him. He stared back at me for about three seconds and then broke out in an infectious baby smile. I kept grinning at him and he kept smiling back. It was the absolute happiest I have ever seen a baby look. We just stood there happily gazing upon each others faces. Then my mum walked up behind me and I half-turned to tell her to look at the baby. She looked down and gasped. "Oh, that would make the most gorgeous picture!" she exclaimed. "Why don't I have a camera with me." I looked back at the baby. He was so roly-poly-looking in that brown snowsuit that he looked like a cuddly little brown bear cub. I just wanted to walk around his mum and scoop him up and cuddle him. Then he started to kick his legs in glee, all the while still giving my mum and I a toothless grin. Ty came up just then and glanced over to see what had captured mine and my mum's attention. "He looks just like a seal pup," Ty said. It was true. His snowsuited feet looked like the end of a seal's tail. Several seconds later the baby's mum reached down and picked him up off the floor and the moment - and perfect photo opportunity - had passed. But I'll never forget that exuberantly happy little baby's face when he first started smiling at me.

After leaving Lululemon, we walked across the street to Mosaics, "the largest independently owned bookstore in the Okanagan Valley" (according to their motto or tagline or whatever that's called). It used to be my very favouritest bookstore when I was a kid. My mum would drive all the way downtown just to shop there and if we were already downtown for an appointment or other shopping, she'd take us there as a treat if we were good. I like it less now that it's moved to a new location. I especially feel that their kids selection has gone downhill since then, but maybe it's just the quality of kids books as a whole that I'm not as impressed with (what is with all this magic and sorcery in kids books these days anyway?). So, in any case, I still like to stop in there to see what gems I can find. Mosaics usually has quite a good selection of Canadian books so that makes me happy. Today I saw my dream book there. I had actually just read about this new book that is newly released during finals week. I went on CBC.ca to check out some Canadian news (something that I have been extremely delinquent in doing this past semester) and saw a link to a story and soundslide by the editor, Mark Reid, about the book. It's called "Canadian History: 100 Photos That Changed Canada" and I desperately want it. My mum told me she'd had it in her hands to buy for me yesterday but then put it back before getting to the till. I told her that I wouldn't mind having it, despite all that. She reminded me that I also have a birthday coming up soon. So I guess we'll see what becomes of all that.

Later in the afternoon Bryn and I picked up my dad early from work (these days he usually walks to and from work) and then went to look for snowmobiling boots. We tried the place that Ty and I went to yesterday to buy boots for my dad. I was a little scared the guy that helped us yesterday would recognize me and say something about our purchase to my dad but, although he was in the store again today, a different guy helped us, so it was all fine. They ended up not having any women's boots at all and the smallest size they had in men's was a seven, which our feet would be swimming in. So we went to the place the guy suggested we try and they did have women's boots and they fit. They're rated for up to -100 C weather (year, I was shocked to hear that, too) so I'm pretty excited to try them out. I've never not had my feet get cold when participating in a winter sport, so I'm really curious to see if these boots live up to their rating. I do have to say that they were the most comfortable pair of boots I have ever put on in my entire life. It was like putting my feet into their own little quilt-covered beds (bad analogy but if I think of something better I'll come back and change it). I kind of just want to walk all around town in them, but I have a feeling that it's not quite cold enough down here in the valley for my feet to like that too well after a little bit. I really wish that we'd bought the boots yesterday so we could have tried them out this morning as we got our tree. Oh, well. Along with the boots, I also got my first pair of Smartwool socks. I can't wait to try out the socks and boots when we head up to the mountains on Sunday!