Holiday Season

This fall, as we dropped off our youngest son for his last year of university, he and his 29-year-old sister, who came along to help, chatted about how excited they were to celebrate Christmas at home this year (they never really grow up!). Their childlike enthusiasm had me reflecting on those Christmases we have spent away from home: we have celebrated "down under" on the beach in Sydney, Australia, in warm, colourful Bermuda and in snowy Alberta, and we have experienced epic cities like New York and Seattle during the holiday season. But, as cliché as it sounds, for me, there really is no place like home at Christmas.

As I start to plan our “home for the holidays” agenda, I am aware that this past year has been a challenging one. We lost my husband’s vibrant, healthy mom very suddenly, and so many of those we love have undergone various hardships this year. This chapter of melancholy has inspired me to create a space this Christmas where family and friends can laugh and play—and yes, eat, because there’s no better place to enjoy community than around the holiday table.

We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season filled with an abundance of love, laughter and lots of tasty food. We also want to thank you for your support; it’s an honour to share the local culinary stories of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and we couldn’t do it without you!

–Karen Elgersma, Publisher

"Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you've got a Christmas tree in the living room." –Nora Roberts