This past weekend, I was able to make the drive to Lethbridge to visit my family again.

It will probably be the last trip I make until Christmas.

While the roads were the worst I’ve driven on and it took me almost double the amount of time it usually takes me to get there, I was still glad I went.

I was able to spend a bit of time with my brother opening packs of hockey cards from Tim Hortons.

Every year we both try and get the full set and I am close to completing it after making some trades with him.

It’s always fun when the cards come out.

I was also able to see all my moms Christmas decorations put out.

Her village was out, angels were positioned on ledges, and the nativity scene was front and centre above the fireplace.

I love when my mom decorates for Christmas, there’s a Christmas decoration anywhere you look but at the same time it doesn’t feel cluttered.

It’s the perfect amount of Christmas.

While the day is still over a month away, I’m getting excited for the time I’ll spend with family.

There’s still uncertainty over how much we’ll be able to see each other but I’m hopeful to have as normal a Christmas as possible.

The traditions my family has always made this time of year special.

One tradition that we kind of forgot after my siblings had kids was our gingerbread house competitions.

Every year, we would have a guys vs. girls gingerbread house competition and more often than not, the guys were victorious. (Ok, I could be lying about that last part).

I’m hoping that since most of the kids are older now, we’ll be able to resurrect the competition this year.

Maybe we’ll even add in some of the kids.