Add Christmas to the list of things we've survived during a pandemic. 60 degrees and drizzling outside? Netflix in sweatpants inside? It hardly makes for a convincing Christmas, even with the TV framed with stockings. Luckily for us, Nicolas's compatriots from work were about as trapped in California as were we. We're all in a shared risk pool (there's not much getting around lunch time in a small break room), so what's one more meal together? We cranked up the French holiday tradition, from the pre-meal apéro to the foie gras and fig jam all the way to the bûche de noël from a fantastic French pastry shop in Berkeley called La Noisette. (Thanks, Mom!)
Since the French have this quirky habit of celebrating Christmas on what's actually Christmas Eve, we were already in full Christmas food coma by the time real Christmas came around. We managed to roll ourselves out of bed and pump ourselves full of caffeine in time to get a classic 2020 family photo, and then walked it off with a rainy stroll around the lake.
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| Aloia family Christmas, Corona-style |
Not exactly holly jolly, but the calendar said December 25, so I guess we just had Christmas.
The most memorable bit? Beginning to plan for a world post-pandemic. With vaccines already shipped across the country for front-line health care workers, we can imagine a day when we'll all be safe to travel. Air France is still offering fully refundable/exchangeable flights through September 2021 (shocking how airlines suddenly sorted out flexible reservations!), so we booked ourselves an August Eurotrip with all our fingers crossed. Come on, 2021!
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