YOJO

Thanks all for your views! Will do internet shopping wherever possible in future!

We had our reccie in New Brunswick in October and curious as to how Christmas celebrations in the two countries differ.

NikkiB

We are currenty having our first Christmas in Canada (Victoria to be precise) and so far have been very pleasantly surprised.

For the first time in years we are actually starting to enjoy Christmas.

Victoria is decorated beautifully, not tackily, and like the other poster said of the flowers, nothing here is trashed yet.

In the UK we ran a pub just before we moved and replaced our Christmas decorations EVERY after Friday and Saturday night due to tossers wearing, throwing, breaking them etc. Here even the busiest downtown pubs have lovely decorations, fake Christmas presents under trees (that would have been opened at home) reindeer and sleighs (that would probably have been ridden home).

We have seen every company in the city that owns a commercial vehicles drive round dripping in lights for Charity, all the yachts in the harbour doing the same.

We have picked a 'bauble' from a Christmas tree in the bank and bought a Christmas present for 5 year old Kabob, something he has actually asked for not a generic 'here have some tat'.

I am finding there is much more sharing/giving over here at Christmas rather than drinking/trashing.

Yes there have been Christmas songs played in shops for 2 months, stuff for sale in Walmart since October but hey you can't have everything. If you want a commercial Christmas you can find one, but if you want a sharing/giving time you can find that too without feeling that what you do will be destroyed/wasted or feeling like your being ripped off or harassed into it.

It's up to you what you make of it.

As for the cards we bought a box of 20 from the Dollar Giant and it will be the first year any of our family have ever gotten a card so they'd better like it

Alberta_Rose

Our Christmas cards will be late this year, as hubby only made them yesterday ... he likes to use a photo and make his own, but always takes ages to get around to it.

These are this year's photos ... my brother has just been on a work trip to the Falklands.....and the other is Skating at Christmas at Bowness Lagoon in Calgary last year

Auld Yin

OldBag has Canadian friends? Now,why does that surprise me?

leepee

Love the Christmas cards Morwenna....We all love Bowness for skating....

Oldbag....I really sympathise! There are - of course, awful people the world over but you seem to have had ALL the awful Canadians....On the other hand I have been here for three years and before that had travelled here at least once a year for several years (grandkids to see grandparents) and can honestly say that I have met so few unpleasant people that I sometimes think I am living in Stepford!!! Really glad you are happy back in the UK.....!

Lisa

Jay Bird

It WAS unfortunate that our second time in Canada was not as happy as our first. We hadn't known that the very small town we'd chosen was inhabited by small-minded, and indeed hostile, people. Our mistake. We were both fortunate to eventually find work outside of that town, and we both made friends, all of whom we still count as friends and with whom we have regular contact. I just think it was that particular area of SW Ontario...... small towns, farming communities, bible-thumpers, that did not suit us. Our previous time in Canada, although again in a small town, was absoluetly wonderful, and we had not expected such a radical difference in attitudes. C'est la vie.
I was going to comment on sarcastic personal remarks directed at a completely unknown person, but I think it would be wasted

Ruby Murray

I was going to say 'don't take to the bait' bird....but you read my mind already, you lovely, funny, kind friend you!!