Every day I keep reaching for my phone to scroll through the photos of my sister’s visit! There’s something unique about hosting family that feels both wonderfully full and fleeting—especially when the visit is short and packed with little moments.
Rebecca and my niece, Elizabeth, were only here for a few days, but we fit a lot of things into that time: shared meals, winter-ish walks, Christmas clearance shopping (of course), and the kind of conversations that pick right back up where you left off.
This is a photo-heavy recap of their visit for posterity <3
(Unfortunately, John was under the weather for most of their visit. He rallied a few times, but spent the majority of the time recuperating in bed/trying to not spread anything. The bugs this winter are NOT messing around.)
DAY 1 | WEDNESDAY
This year my parents knew Rebecca was coming (she surprised them last year, visiting with a different daughter), so they collected Belle at school and went to the airport. Everyone was back at our place in time for a late supper.
Menu: sweet and sour meatballs, rice, peas, and fiddleheads. They love fiddleheads, which my parents harvest and freeze each spring. I also discovered that my mom’s meatball recipe is my niece’s favourite meal! I didn’t know that when I planned the menu, so that was a fortunate coincidence. My mom brought up various and sundry desserts as her contribution to the meal.
The roads were quite icy, so my parents left early to get back to their rental.
I don’t have many pictures from the first night, but the highlight for me was having them open their gifts. My sister is all about consumables and Canadian things, so we gifted locally made soap, a maple candle, handcrafted earrings, a maple leaf ornament for their tree, a reusable bag featuring graphics of the Maritimes, Canadian-themed candy, a thrifted sweater (!), and… Corn Squares.
Rebecca’s kids love Corn Squares, but you can’t buy them in the U.S., so in addition to buying a box for breakfast while they were here, I gifted Elizabeth a box to take back to South Carolina. She was thrilled!
Belle managed to find the only chocolate bar Elizabeth likes (Rittersport Marzipan Dark Chocolate) and bought them a few other Canadian-centric gifts. We only exchange gifts when they visit over Christmas, so it’s a rare treat to give them things.
DAY 2 | THURSDAY
We started the day by meeting my parents at a coffee shop. It was crowded, but we managed to push a few tables together.
Elizabeth left to wander around town for a while, but eventually called looking for advice. She had stumbled upon a 75% off sale on Christmas items at a local gift shop. That’s my girl 😉
Rebecca and I went to meet her, and sent my parents back to my place. Well… there was so much cute stuff, and when you factor in the exchange rate, everything was incredibly inexpensive. We spent A LONG time shopping.
…and left laden with Christmas goodies!
I got a modest, but cute, haul!
Lunch menu: pumpkin/butternut squash soup with assorted toppings (I prepped this in the Instant Pot the day before), plus fresh brown rolls my parents made for the side.
Elizabeth’s main goal for this trip was to experience WINTER. We had plans for skiing and sledding, and then it rained. A lot. Womp, womp.
While conditions were far from ideal, she made the most of it. After lunch, we walked through the woods together, and she was positively gleeful about the (pretty paltry!) snow.
After Belle got home, we headed back downtown to buy more 75% off goodies at the same store. I got wrangled into buying wrapping paper I didn’t technically need but was so cute and such a good deal. Mostly, though, it was Elizabeth buying mice figurines for her tree.
We checked out the sledding hill, thinking we might go after supper, but the base of the hill was a giant puddle (literally!), so we scratched that plan. We took some photos of the Christmas decorations and called it a day.
Supper menu: sweet or savoury homemade waffles. These were a huge hit.
After supper… I honestly cannot remember what we did. I think this might have been the night I collapsed into bed at 8:30 p.m.? I have zero photos and zero recollection of what happened next. I’m pretty sure Belle and Elizabeth watched some old episodes of Dancing with the Stars.
DAY 3 | FRIDAY
Mid-morning we walked to my parents’ place for coffee and a visit, making a quick stop in the woods first. More snow which was very satisfying for Elizabeth’s winter wishlist.
Then it was home for lunch: ham and cheese croissants, with fruit and veggies on the side.
After lunch, Elizabeth gave John a full tour of her Christmas haul. (He loved to poke fun at her “rat collection” but they are ADORABLE felted mice.)
Elizabeth also wanted to visit Grand-Pré, so the two of us headed out together.
We stopped at the Deportation Cross (the site of the 1755 Acadian expulsion), and then randomly came across the sweetest photo vignette in a farmer’s field while we were driving.
We headed home long enough for Elizabeth to collect Indy from the bus, and then we (well the girls) picked up Belle from school because we were headed to Starbucks!!!
In addition to caffeine, we also stopped at a thrift store (Belle and I each found a sweater) and two more gift shops to check out Christmas clearance. My sister and niece each found one final Canadian-themed ornament, and my sister also bought some lovely high-quality taper candles.
Then it was home for supper. John had made a lasagne the week before and frozen it, so we came home to lasagne—and it was delicious. He also made an unbaked cherry cheesecake (our favourite).
After supper, we played Just One. This was one of the highlights of the entire visit. We now have so many inside jokes and hilarious videos from this night. For context: my father hates games, but watching him play Just One is an absolute riot. R.I.O.T. We were literally worried about peeing our pants we were laughing so uncontrollably.
DAY FOUR | SATURDAY
I stayed home in the morning and sent everyone else off to run errands. I used the quiet time to vacuum and blog.
They went to a local farmers’ market, and Belle and Elizabeth decided it sounded fun to film a food vlog. They picked up olive bread, cheese, cookies and other sweets, a cheese pretzel, a sausage roll, and local apple cider, and then filmed their reactions as they tried everything. It was hilarious.
Before supper, we played Scattergories. It was uncanny how often my sister and I cancelled each other out. We only see each other every few years, but the mental connection is undeniable.
My sister made an incredible Instant Pot meal for us—Tuscan chicken spaghetti—and then we slowly wound down the evening and the visit.
It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it few days, but we really did pack so much in! Nothing too grand and exciting, but just lots of special memories. There are so many little moments I didn’t capture here or in photos: Belle and Elizabeth chatting in Belle’s room, looking through old pictures of my sister as a toddler, watching videos of my great-nephew (the newest addition to the family). It really was a wonderful visit.
They left early Sunday morning, and despite some pretty rough weather—rain, snow, sleet, and freezing rain—they managed to make all their flights!
Your turn.
- Did you host company over the holidays… or do you prefer being the one who travels?
- What’s a nostalgic meal that instantly takes you back to childhood?
- What’s your favourite family game for mixed ages?
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What a lovely visit! You captured everything perfectly, from the fiddleheads from your parents and the corn squares to Belle finding the exact chocolate Elizabeth likes. And the 75% off Christmas shopping spree just simply HAD to happen.
I remember those kind of game evenings from my childhood – it was just like your gloriously chaotic “Just One” evening!
I don’t like hosting much, but I do love travelling and visiting! Weirdly, my childhood food would be Weetabix with milk and sugar sprinkled on top. I haven’t had it since I was five, I think!
I’m not really a “games” person, but Just One and Scattergories are the two main exceptions. And Monopoly deal.
This sounds a bit like my husband’s go-to childhood breakfast in Portugal!
What a delightful visit! And Christmas clearance sales are always fun.
I don’t host often, but it’s usually family who are low maintenance and fun. So I just relax and let them tell me what they want. I just make sure I have coffee on hand, as we don’t drink it.
The game Set can be done with mixed ages. And Uno is accessible. My daughter with DS seems to win every time we play- no one even cheats to let this happen.
We went through a 2+ year phase of playing UNO all. the. time. I’ve never heard of Set.
Indy loves Monopoly Deal and I’m a big fan, though Belle’s not too keen on it.
A beautiful visit all around! I am jealous of that rat collection- I want them all :))
You beautifully captured the mood and the smiles! And the landscape.
The felted mice are SOOOOO cute. I couldn’t resist buying one; my niece bought… a dozen? She’s going to give some as gifts and have a little collection on her own tree.
You packed in a lot of fun adventures and good food into their visit. That butternut squash soup looked amazing! YUM! Well, you already know that my son’s family stays with us for a week for holidays, now that they’ve moved out of state. Some of my fave childhood foods are chipped beef over toast, any form of sweet potato or yam, sauerkraut over mashed potatoes, and my mom’s ham and navy bean soup.
Those all sound like hearty, stick-to-your-ribs foods and I can see why those were favourite/comforting!
Lol, so when I read this I hadn’t finished my first coffee yet and I was like “Wait, I thought they were there during the holidays.” Duh, Nicole, RECAP. Anyway. This is not about me and my caffeine addiction (OR IS IT). This was fun to read, I am so glad you had a great time. CORN SQUARES. Lolololol! That’s awesome. It’s so interesting what is and isn’t available between our countries. It’s always a bit startling. Like I would have never guessed corn squares.
I think they have OATMEAL SQUARES in the US… but not CORN Squares. Random. But they were the sleeper hit of their visit a few years ago and there was fighting over the box I sent back down which was a giant win in my book (not the fighting, but the fact I hit the gifting nail on the head).
What a fun 4 days! I loved reading about everything you did together. You have a wonderful relationship with your sister and niece! And I love your niece’s bond with Belle. And did Belle recently get glasses? They look great on her!
We always host my MIL for one night at Christmas but she’s easy to have around since it’s just one person. We rarely host people, though. I am hosting a friend in Feb who is coming to go to the Brandi Carlile concert with me and some friends. I can’t wait to host her. I haven’t seen her since my wedding which was almost 9 years ago!
I’m usually the one visiting my sister as she has younger kids and more kids than us. Plus she lives in an area I’m always happy to visit (DC). I did host her before she had kids but that was a long time ago – her last visit was Paul’s first birthday back in 2019.
They’re blue light glasses which she asked for this Christmas. She now wears them constantly because she loves the look of them (they do suit her). I appreciate that they are $10 and she doesn’t actually need them to see anything. So it’s a “win” in the glasses column for me as I was blind as a bat by her age.
I LOVE Christmas clearance shopping!!! It’s my favorite January activity. It sounds like your sister and niece had a great time (in spite of the lack of snow, grr.) And yes- sister bonds are strong. I’m sure my sister and I would have similar responses in games like that.
Bummer that John was sick- yes, there are some nasty viruses going around now! I hope he’s all better now.
Jenny, you should see the snow today. SO much. Heavy, thick, everything is white and looks like a winter wonderland… one week after they left 😉
Poor Elizabeth! She came for snow and she got rain! Yep, real winter in action.
I am fascinated by fiddleheads. I had to google them because I had never heard of them before.
I love hosting anyone, but the best part of family/long time friends is that they can truly be at home, and they know their way around your kitchen so that they can cook.
The irony is we just got a MASSIVE dump of snow.
Fiddleheads are delicious! And very expensive to buy in a store, so we’re spoiled that my parents forage them and share the bounty.
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I love the photo of the old truck with the Christmas tree in the back.
I used to host regularly and travel to family at Christmas. Years ago we all found it tiring and agreed we prefer to stay at home as we can visit at other times of the year.
I pumped the brakes so fast when I saw the truck! I was just begging for me to pull over and snap some photos! It was on a back road, too, so not many people likely would see it. So cute and I’ll have to go back next year and see if it’s there again.
Travelling over the holidays can be exhausting for everyone (traveller and host); we stopped doing it years ago!
It took me a minute, I’d glossed over your niece’s name and for a minute I thought you were speaking about yourself in the 3rd person. Bah ha ha. Such cute photos and the visit sounds like it was so much fun. The meals look amazing.
I did not host anyone overnight at Christmas. I hosted my side of 34 adults and a handful of kids on Christmas day and Coach’s side (smaller, fewer people in town) of like 20 adults and a few kids on the 27th. That was enough for me. Coach’s side was fun and my side was stressful. Understatement. We always love a good game of Guesstures. It’s like charades. Probably my meatloaf (same recipe as my mom’s with pork sausages mixed into the meat and bacon on top) and mashed potatoes (mashed potatoes with anything) takes me back to childhood.
That is… a lot of people to host over the holidays. I would curl up in a ball in the corner and cry, I think!!!!
What great photos of your lovely visit! Your niece is beautiful and I love her curly hair. And Belle looks so gorgeous with her new glasses! And I love her hair too. The Christmas sale must have been so much fun, and I love the cute little houses and mouse you got! The food vlog sounds like fun – did they post it online? Thank you for sharing your lovely family memories!
They didn’t post it; it was just for fun and they love rewatching videos so this will be a treasured memory for years to come I’m sure <3
What a wonderful visit. I chuckled a little bit when I realized that your sister named her child after her sister, but with a “z” (did she just really like the name or was your niece named in your honor? :)).
Both your kids are beautiful girls and I cannot believe how grown up Belle looks with every new post!
We don’t host very much – usually it’s me/us who travels to see family. Last year, we played “Hitster” (a music game for all ages). So fun!
I think she just liked the name… but this is also the same sister who got married on my birthday AND this sister was born on my dad’s birthday so she appropriates a lot of things 😉
Belle is looking SO old. Of course, I don’t really see it and then I look back at pictures from a year or two ago and it slams me in the face. Wow. She looks (and acts) so much different.
Hitster sounds so fun and we LOVE music.
Random list, late to the party:
1. So much shopping, so much stuff. I’m relieved to hear that your sister is into consumables.
2. Never heard of Corn Squares, but I LOVED Oat Squares. I don’t buy cereal anymore. It just is too easy to eat, and too easy to eat too much. I miss it.
3. The only game I am willing to play is Yahtzee. I usually lose. It’s something to do at the cabin when hanging out with neighbors in the evening, although the score cards are sort of hard to see with our propane lamps.
4. You wore glasses as a kid? Contact lenses now? I am super near-sighted, so there’s one more piece of the twins-separated-by-30-years. (^-^)
5. May I have your permission to draw the old pickup with the shed in the background?
6. Is that a real church?
7. If you sent me that email again, maybe it landed in outer space. Sigh.
Yes, they are like Oat Squares but, in my opinion, 100x better. I never buy oat squares. They seem denser? Corn squares are delicious.
Ha! Yes, I wore glasses for many, many years until finally getting laser surgery a few years ago.
You may certainly draw that pickup! Let me know if you want me to send you a high resolution picture.
It is a museum, not a functional church. But it’s a beautiful photo op!
I sent you TWO e-mails; one to both address… how is this happening, especially since your e-mail is getting through to me. I responded to it AND I tried the other address you sent me. Argh. Do you have What’s App?? If so, if you e-mail me your number, I can text you.
This was so enjoyable to read. I love visits like this: No big plans, just enjoying each other and of course, FOOD. I’ve not played Scattergories in forever!!
You and your sister look so much alike, and she and her daughter have the most amazing curls! I’d give my left big toe for hair like that.
My friend, I had to google Fiddleheads—-I’ve never heard of that being a thing before!
It was nice to not have gorgeous weather and feel like we needed to do All The Things!
I wish I had their curls, too. (Though it is definitely a lot of work to maintain).
Fiddleheads are delicious, but definitely a local delicacy 🙂
I had to google figgleheads. Very interesting. What a wonderful few days you all had. That massive wreath on the gazebo is amazing, and the pickup truck, adorable. Such great decorations. We always spend time with my parents over Christmas and this year was no exception. There were a number of days when most of the siblings/nephews and nieces were also around. I love the lazy days we have just hanging out and chatting in the back yard between preparing all the food for everyone.
I love the decorations! They make for great photo-ops and really brighten up the landscape.
Lazy days are so nice. That mix of food and conversation and just relaxing in each other’s company.
SO fun to see many spots I visited, but now in the winter! What a great visit. They look like a blast to host and seem like they’re so much fun and easygoing! It makes me so happy every time I see pics of your house and I’m like omg I was THERE! Sometimes that trip still seems like a dream! 🙂
It’s so fun to me that you know all these little nooks and crannies of both my house and the local communities <3
I had to laugh when Kyria came into my house and already KNEW THE LAYOUT (basically).