Vancouver doesn’t see winters like this year very often. In fact, according to a lot of my colleagues in Vancouver, they have hardly ever experienced a winter with comparably long periods of snow and low temperatures. I love the winter so I consider myself very lucky to be in Canada this year, and even more so when I receive an invitation from my friend Darren to spend Christmas with his family in St. Albert near Edmonton in Alberta. When I tell people in BC about my Christmas plans, most seem surprised that I seek to be out in even frostier weather but I can’t wait: Alberta here I come!
Flying over the Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Edmonton is already stunning. The mountain range is completely covered in snow and I spot frozen lakes disguised with thick layers of snow and only recognisable as flat surfaces in the midst of the mountains. I notice with delight when Vanessa and Darren pick me up from the airport that people here actually know how to manoeuvre a vehicle in the snow. Edmonton, in contrast to Vancouver, is used to harsh winters and lots of snow.
After a welcome-egg-nog at Vanessa’s and Jeremy’s house, we head on to Darren’s family home, where the Christmas cheer is waiting in every corner. Darren’s mom Coleen has been collecting ceramic houses for years and she has built an entire miniature Christmas village surrounded by mountains and complete with a toy train. I have never seen such a collection before and it’s got such a loveliness about it that I admire it for a long time, studying the different interactions between the multitude of little figures which are all positioned in a meaningful way, and the houses glittering with Christmas lights. Coleen often has visitors coming around specifically to see the collection, and rightly so.
I’m really in for a treat this Christmas and I simply get spoiled all over with great food – traditional turkey dinners, steaks, ham, homemade pickles, Christmas pudding and so much more, until I literally cannot eat or drink anything anymore. I am made to feel as welcome at Darren’s wider family as if I was a part of it and I cannot be grateful enough – hoping that one day I’ll be able to return the favour, at least as much as I can, in Europe.
With so much eating, and after a boozy night out at the hockey team’s Christmas party, I really want to get out and about and do “real Canadian” stuff. Fortunately, we’re lucky with the weather – it sometimes gets so cold in Alberta that you literally can’t stand being outside, as in -30 degrees Celsius or less – but right now it is sunny and frosty yet still very manageable. So Jeremy and Darren make sure I have my first-ever ice hockey lesson on the outdoor ice rink in St. Albert. I just about manage to ice skate a bit shakily so I feel somewhat ridiculous trying to manoeuvre an ice hockey bat and hitting the puck without falling on my bum, but it’s actually really good fun, also thanks to my patient teachers. I very much appreciate their politeness, meaning they’re probably suppressing the temptation to roll around laughing in the snow. Most children in Canada play ice hockey from a very young age so Jeremy and Darren skate pretty much as well as they walk, as far as I can tell.
When Darren asked me before the visit if I had any specific activities in mind, I mentioned that I hadn’t yet seen an ice hockey match – this deficit is also made up promptly by Darren’s family and I’m taken out to a game of the Oil Kings – junior team to the famous Edmonton Oilers – as they happen to play over Christmas. Outside the stadium, a statue of famous player Wayne Gretzky is erected and I put myself to shame when I sheepishly ask who this person is, while Darren’s mum bursts into laughter. Well what can I say – I know now. Wayne Gretzky is often referred to as the greatest ice hockey player of all time; he is the leading scorer in NHL history and led the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships.
I really love the speed of the game and the atmosphere in the rink, which is so heated that at some point, all members of both teams are involved in a massive fight. The crowd is animated to cheer by means of screens and speakers hanging above the midst of the rink and the spectators, young and old, join in enthusiastically.
I just can’t get enough of skating and skating-related activities so Darren also makes sure to take me to beautiful Hawrelak Park, a big lake which is completely frozen over and just a jaw-dropping spot to skate. Situated in the middle of the lake is a little island where someone has lit a fire, and we sit down after a lot of skating to enjoy some cappuccinos around the fireplace. Because it is so cold in Alberta, a lot of pathways have also been iced over so another day, I find myself skating through a forest lit with lanterns which is simply magical.
I just happen to miss the ice castles, which are just being built at Hawrelak Park when we skate there on my last but one day. Only for the second time, a two acres surface within the park has been be covered with handcrafted, magical ice caves and formations resembling natural structures. Visitors of the ice castles can wander through a bizarre landscape of frosty beauty.
And before I know it, after a surprisingly exhausting stab at cross country skiing (I think I prefer downhill skiing just because it’s less work), I’m already on my way back to Vancouver for my last few weeks of living in Canada.
