Our Airbnb was located about 15 minutes west of Chania, along the main road following the coast. During the high season, I can imagine this area is highly congested with tourists crowding the beaches and the restaurants. During the winter, the low season, the area is virtually deserted with many hotels, restaurants and shops closed until Spring. This was the perfect setting for us to start off our exploration of Crete.
The apartment was located on the second floor with views of the sea from the dining area. Outside of the dining area was a huge balcony that would be, in warmer weather, the perfect place for relaxing and hanging out. We were separated from the sea by the main road and several rows of houses, but it was cozy and comfortable for our family. The home was simply and tastefully furnished and had everything that we needed to make ourselves at home. When we were in the house, we spent much of our time in the living area where the children did their learning and were inspired to make Christmas cards for Leo’s family, with whom we were looking forward to spending Christmas in India.
We prepared most of our meals at home. After a month in Egypt with no pork and no Chinese food, we were all craving dumplings. AY took the lead in preparing pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings with homemade skins. We all did the wrapping together and when it was time to eat, we savored every single bite, lingering over the taste of home.
Over the past few months, RY has become our grill guy and all around chef, and he never disappoints. He prepared a massive meal of grilled ribeye, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower and creamed spinach. A few days later, he was back on the grill with two enormous pork T-bone served with roasted broccoli and rosemary potatoes. Leo and I are grateful that we have children who love to cook.
With the days leading up to Christmas, we came up with the idea to create a miniature Christmas tree. The children made some simple paper decorations and all that was missing was the tree.
When Leo and I were first married, we bought a 6-foot tall artificial Christmas tree that we have used ever since. We have a tradition to buy a Christmas ornament every year from a place that we travel to. We have ornaments from Helsinki, Perugia, London, Hoi An, Barcelona, Kyoto and many other places around the world. The other ornaments that hang on our tree were made by the children. Each one of our Christmas ornaments is special.
One overcast afternoon, the kids went on a tree hunt and scoured the hillside around our Airbnb. They came home with a little branch covered in greenery in the rough shape of a Christmas tree. We put the branch in some water and hung their homemade decorations on our little Christmas tree. It wasn’t the same as what we have done in the past, but figuring out how to celebrate in a different way put us in a festive mood.
