Our body clocks are so adjusted that we got up at 7:30am. We had a southern American breakfast of Biscuits and Gravy and set about organising for Christmas - wrapping presents and off to kill a Christmas Tree. Mum and Dad called me so I had a nice chat to them and then suited up like a munchkin we went up into the mountains to get "an opinion on a pinion". Claire, Marcia and I rode in the back of the pick-up and then we trudged through the snow and killed it. We then rode back with it in the back to the ranch. We had hot chocolate when we got in and then set about decorating the tree and the living room. Then we wrapped presents and had Chicken a l'orange with my roast potatoes for dinner. We then wrapped more presents and Marcia and Bruce, Claire and I sat around telling jokes.
Sunday 22nd December
Today we didn't really do anything to speak of. I played the piano, decorated the dining room, watched tv and helped make candy.
Sunday 23rd December
Marcia's Mum took us out into the valley today. We explored an old, deserted ranch which would have been a cool place to live.
Monday 24th December
Christmas Eve. Got up and ate breakfast quite early as we had to be in Ely by noon. Marcia's Mum and Dad left first and we met them later at their town house. They went to get their photos taken and Claire couldn't stop laughing the whole time, we were reduced to tears! We then went for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I got asked for ID as soon as I went to put a quarter in the fruit machine. The woman pounced on me and asked if I was 21. I went bright red, as you can imagine and produced my 2 forms - ISIC and British Drivers license whilst explaining that I was older than both Claire and Bruce. She let me put the 25c in and ..... I didn't win anything. We then went to the post office and back to the town house where we met Becky, a friend of Marcia's from high school. We went over to Becky's house and met her brother Aaron. Then back into town to find Gordon a present. We then proceeded to Grandma's. This was like Christmas of old, lots of kids, loads of presents and mountains of good food. I got quite a lot more presents that I expected; chocolate, T-shirt, smellies, bracelet and more. We opened presents and then played Pictionary which Claire and I were quite good at, we have to be after nearly 10000 miles together. Bruce had had quite a bit to drink so Marcia drove home but luckily the snow had stopped by this time. Once we were back at the ranch we perused our presents and then went to bed.
<these are extracts from my diaries written whilst travelling and working in Canada and the US in '97-'98>
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