As the year draws to a close, we find ourselves standing at the doorstep of a new chapter. The past two years have been a rollercoaster of emotions, challenges, and resilience. We've navigated the uncharted waters of a global pandemic, and now, with hope in our hearts, we are preparing to see what is beyond this world after the pandemic.

The whole of December, we stayed home and nursed ourselves back to health as we caught COVID for the first time last November. We were in quarantine for 10 days with symptoms. It was hard because it took a toll on our health. Even after testing negative, our body is still struggling. The cold weather did not do us a favor but we managed to push through. We didn't let COVID dampen our holiday spirits, we busted our Christmas tree out of the attic and decked our whole house with Christmas spirit. Although the general tradition here in the Netherlands is to wait until the Sinterklaas event is done before you prepare for Christmas. We decorated our house after the Thanksgiving weekend. 

We checked out Haarlem's Christmas market despite the weather being extra cold. That week before Christmas, the weather was so extreme that it snowed for days. The small lakes froze and everyone was in this holiday cheer. Unfortunately, it didn't last long as temperatures picked up again during Christmas. 

We also visited the Ice Village in Museumplein Amsterdam on its last day. It was packed with people as well. The chalets are diverse, but nothing tickled my fancy.  A lot of people also came to spread cheer as we eased into the holiday season. We had a simple Christmas spread and a boodle spread this New Year's Eve.

All is well this 2022 and all I can say is that We DID IT! We embraced the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel! 2023 will surely be a new start as everyone will be busy figuring out what the future holds.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! 

Let's all hope that 2023 will bring us more good things!