My sincere apologies for taking so long to update you all! We have been very busy-- more on that in soon to be published blog updates. I completely forgot to post this update which was written on January 2.
In December we saw the return of the giant ferris wheel and the Christmas tree at Place de Jaude and the holiday lights on the streets. The energy situation suggested there would be less lights this year but to us it seemed just like last year. There may have been a reduction of holiday street light decor in other areas. I do know the "holiday period" was shortened a little to reduce energy consumption. The early portion of December was the coldest on record, but the rest of December seemed to be unusually mild so it balanced out.
We tried a special little Christmas bread (only about 7 inches in diameter) from one of our favorite boulangeries. It was a sort of panettone but was so much better!! This is only available at Christmas time and yes, there is an actual spruce branch tied to it.
We were able to take a trip back to the US to spend some holiday time with family during December. We got to spend a little time with mom, sis, niece, nephew and now 8-month-old Emma (our great niece). The family also welcomed baby Owen (another great nephew). Luckily, we weren't impacted by the strong snow storms that hit parts of the country including western New York state. [ Note: the kids are now 2 months older!]
Part of our visit included a meet up with B's brother and our sister-in-law. Our visit included a stop at the Lyman Plant House and Conservatory at the Botanic Garden of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. On a cold December day this was the perfect spot to visit. Lots of orchids, succulents, ferns, palms, ornamentals, a pineapple, bananas and more. Just a few photos from our visit.
Happy New Year! Here's hoping spring is just around the corner.
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