When we were in Australia on sabbatical at Christmas time, it seemed odd to have a warm Christmas day. We played backyard cricket. Friends said it was a sure sign we’d settled in. Our sons were arguing about the rules, each preferring different versions.
The family we rented the house from in Canberra had an annual Christmas day hike as part of their holiday tradition. They would hike up Mt Majura to Mt Ainslie coordinating with another family, each leaving cars at opposite ends and swapping keys in the middle.
And they’d meet up for coffee and car exchange after. Nice!
In New Zealand for Christmas two years ago (hard believe it was that long ago, feels like yesterday) we spent Boxing Day exploring a local beach.
Here at home in cold snowy Canada it can be a bit more challenging. It’s all weather dependent. But you can count on some dog walking! That’s not optional. In past years we’ve gone tubing or tobogganing. This year Christmas morning will start late, 11 am, so early rising teen and I might go for a run. And there’s talk of snow shoeing on Boxing Day. If I lived in Ottawa I’d definitely go outdoor ice skating.
What’s your favorite active thing to do over the holidays? Do you and your family have any active holiday traditions?
Here’s Participaction with five active holiday traditions to start this year.
For the past decade, we seem to go on a snowshoeing vacation around/during Christmas. Snowshoeing in the mountains in British Columbia and Alberta is a wonderful celebratory Christmas active sport. You really do see the fresh snow lush magic in these areas. It is also a very elemental outdoor experience. We’ve been lucky that it snows at least one day during our trips.
Or if it’s no snow, we go for a cold bike ride somewhere and have a coffee.
Walking in snow especially when snowing in the evening with Christmas lights is lovely and does play into my childhood memories when I actually looked forward to doing some snow shovelling. It seemed less arduous at night!