My colleague Camille from reelyActive joined me in decorating my Christmas tree. It will be her first holidays in Canada, and I was glad she accepted my invitation to share in the tradition passed on to me.
Better yet, my American friend Will, a central figure in Startical 1.0, drove up to join me too. The timing just worked out great. And I'm glad Camille and Will got to meet and exchange stories and ideas. They set up the (Incan) nativity scene under my tree, with Caganer in the baxkground (a great reminder of my 2016 work trip to Catalunya - look up Caganer for a laugh about Christmas traditions!).
We ate a great meal together, prepared by Will. And then celebrated the first Advent, another tradition from childhood that I'm glad to keep alive. I got to introduce the pair to stollen and schokoladen lebkuchen and other delicious treats that I grew up on.
Too often my weekends represent an opportunity to catch up on work, generally in relative isolation. This afternoon and evening reminded me how enriching it is to enjoy spontaneous social relations, as well as to share traditions. I couldn't have imagined a better start to my Startical!