It’s 2:36 pm on January 1, 2022. After weeks of dreading the thought of ushering in a new year (honestly, how much of a clean slate can be expected with COVID still very much exerting its influence over everyday life), it happened at midnight last night and does feel cathartic in a way. A bit like ripping a Band-Aid. 2022 is now officially here – ready or not – and after a week of rest and reflection, I’m feeling a lot more ready.
I did not stay up until midnight, nor did I celebrate with any form of bubbly drink. We had a quiet (delicious) date night at home and watched The Lost Leonardo which was exactly the pace of documentary I needed (art, intrigue – this had it all), the kids listened to an audiobook, and I turned out my light by 10:15. We had been scheduled to celebrate with another family but because of some sniffles and the high COVID case numbers in our area, we all stayed put.
The next thing I knew, it was 6:59 am on January 1st (the kids are allowed to get us at 7:00 am, and their clocks always end up running fast) and our pint-sized humans were knocking on the bedroom door looking for the all-clear to get breakfast.
It’s officially 2022 and the world continues to revolve and kids continue to wake up hungry.
With warm temperatures and some cabin fever setting in, we opted to do a short hike on a local trail and then meandered through the very quiet downtown. Aside from a Christmas Day walk years ago, I can’t remember another time where things have felt so deserted. On that note, I have to give one last huge gold star to Wolfville for helping spread holiday cheer.
You may be tired of my constant celebration of all things Wolfville (and our town definitely has lots of challenges, like any other)…but I couldn’t help but snap these final pictures of all the festive displays. They have just made me so – happy.
Our local university has a tagline: You wouldn’t want to go to an ordinary university. We wouldn’t want to be one. I feel like the same sentiment applies to our little town. It doesn’t feel ordinary, and for that I am so thankful.
ONE LAST FESTIVE HURRAH
We started and ended our walk on the waterfront. I always love when the tide is in and the retaining wall rocks make a great jungle gym.
The giant wreath is starting to sag, but the greenery is still a boost to the spirit.
And the wreaths – there are wreaths everywhere! Dense and wild, with all sorts of natural textures and different varieties of greenery. I love the vignette created in the window display at this vintage clothing store in town.
I’m currently reading Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee and can’t help but imagine she would smile to see the bright, inviting colours on some of our downtown restaurants (with bonus points to the Rolled Oat for their in-window potted plant display)! The Naked Crepe happens to be my favourite place to eat in-town – look at that bright red door. How can you help smiling when walking by that such a cheerful burst of colour?
Then of course there is the iconic Acadia marquee outside the movie theatre/ local coffee shop.
Further down the street…check out the aesthetics of the Annapolis Cider Company storefront – bright decals and more of that lush greenery. And a little half-pint in the flesh, relaxing and completely oblivious to the fact we are so, so blessed to live in such a safe, wonderful part of the world. Ignorance is bliss and it’s moments like this that I want to bottle the kids up and keep them this young and protected and happy and carefree forever.
Happy New Year to those of you reading this blog. It’s been a fun few months for me getting this writing outlet up and going, and I’m looking forward to the giving and receiving of ideas and inspiration in 2022.
Now tell me – did you manage to stay up past 10:15 pm?
I have enjoyed a snap shot from a part of Canada I have not had a chance to visit yet!
We did make it to midnight. The kids were determined to make it (they are 11 and 9). We had appetizers, watched a movie and played a game of rummoli. We are also being hit extremely hard with Covid and the high the last few days has been hovering around minus 25. All that to say staying in warm was a goal as well.
I’m wishing you and your family a good year ahead.
We went to a New Year’s Eve party at my in-laws, but we had to leave at 7 since we had a two-hour drive to make it back home and get the kids in bed 🙂
We ended up in bed around 11, mostly just because that’s how late it was once we’d gotten home and then put all the kids to bed.
And wow! How charming is your little town?! I loved the beautiful colors and wreath displays and glimpse of the waterfront. Always so fun to get a look into what other people are surrounded by.
It is a great little town. It’s very small, but feels like it has all the amenities (or is close enough to them)! We’re an hour from an international airport and world-class children’s hospital…and just a few minutes from big-box stores like Walmart and Home Depot.
Well you made it one hour longer than I did!
Happy New Year to you and your family. Hope 2022 holds lots of fun memories, joyful moments and positive vibes.
Your little town is so picturesque – I am in love. It feels a bit like Stars Hollow. All that holiday cheer. I would definitely spend a few days there.
It’s been a while since I walked such a quite town. Berlin is always buzzing, always lighted, too hectic. But I guess I need to get out at a different time.
I am looking forward following along your blogging journey in 2022 and I hope I can keep up with reading.
Thanks for following along, Tobia!
My brother lived in Munich for a few years and I was so disappointed I never got to visit; Berlin is also on my list of must-visit cities!
Your little town is adorable!
I did stay up to midnight to ring in the New Year with my husband and younger son. My older son was out – with my car – and he got home just before 1. That’s pretty late for me as I tend to be asleep by nine. The three of us watched a movie, and I drank some wine, and that was my New Year’s!
I like to be asleep by 10:30, but it’s a bit sad I was asleep every earlier than that on New Year’s Eve, of all nights!
Maybe next year?
I also feel like the kids will really want to do this in the coming years, so I’ll have more incentive to stay up late (and they’ll no longer be waking up so early in the morning). I laughed when I heard someone say going to bed early is the parental equivalent to sleeping in…and it’s so true.
This photo series and your obvious love for your town are so lovely and bolstering! What a fun way to spend the beginning of a new year!
(I stayed up until 12:30, as did my daughter, who, when the ball dropped, promptly burst into tears because she was so exhausted.)
Sorry about the tears, but a fun memory nonetheless?!
Because of our timezone, we’d have to stay up until 1:00 am to see the ball drop which is definitely not going to happen!
I basically want to move to your town. It is adorable! Really great to see all of those photos – thank you!
Aww. It really is a lovely town. I’m not even sure pictures do it full justice!
we literally fell asleep before 9pm on 12/31, only the girls woke up at midnight due to sounds of fireworks, the adults were at deep sleep. signs of getting old. hahaha
love seeing all the Christmas decor at your city. I miss winter Christmas, maybe we will get it this year. 🙂
happy new year
Makes me glad to know I’m not the only one! I feel like staying up to midnight will feel more appealing as the kids get older and want to stay up until midnight as well (and then sleep in the next morning)?!
Thanks for the lovely mini tour of your beautiful, quaint town! If I made it past 10:15 on NYE, it wasn’t by much, LOL. I’m usually up well past midnight, but not this year (due to our crazy week of travel and busyness). Happy 2022!!
Your town is just so charming! Thanks for sharing it! I love our neighborhood of Minneapolis but we do not have the charm of your community!
We were supposed to see friends on NYE. Our boys are in the same room at school so we are kind of in the same immunity bubble. But their son had a stomach bug so they cancelled. It was going to be hard to go anyways since Will goes to bed around 6:30 but has been struggling to stay up that long lately since he’s not feeling well. I had some wine and Phil had a beer while we watched part of “Don’t Look Up” on Netflix which was entertaining. I had my lights out by 9:30. I think the boys were up at 6. Paul has an ok to wake clock that turns green at 6:15 but it’s hit or miss on him abiding by that. But his room is next to Will’s so Will often wakes him up. I spent the morning of New Years in Urgent Care with Will. He was up 4 times during the night so I wanted to get his ears looked at and sure enough, he has another double ear infection. So it was not a good start to 2022… plus I ended up in the ER with him yesterday when he spiked a 104 fever… Covid, flu and RSV were all negative so it’s his body fighting this ear infection or a virus or God knows what. But 2022 can only get better I figure…
Oh no. Those darn ear infections are just such a nuisance! I’m so sorry for all the sick bugs.
We spent so many Christmas Eve’s in the ER (3 out of 4)…so I can relate. Levi was off this Christmas Day, but it was very manageable. Even when they get sick, as they get older it is just so much easier to manage. They can tell you specifics about what is wrong, self-monitor symptoms, and it tends to be easier to distract them.
Hoping you’ve gotten all the bugs out of your system and the rest of 2022 is virus free!
Your town truly is quite lovely.
I did make it to midnight, in fact, stayed up until 4 am reading (what an indulgence, both because I don’t have kids and the luxury to take a nap later! Ha.)
Happy new year, my friend. You’re one of the lovely ‘things’ I am taking along from 2021. 🙂
4 AM! Reading a good book, that sounds lovely! Followed by a mid-day nap…what a perfect way to find in the New Year.
Thanks for your kind words and look forward to our little blogging community supporting each other in the year ahead.
I love your town! i can see why you want to live there (in spite of the winters.) i love living in Florida but it’s kind of… soul-less. There is beauty, but you really have to look for it. We all stayed up till midnight on NYE, but then went immediately to bed. It was a low-key evening, which was perfect.
As “Canadian” winters go, it’s a pretty lovely spot, but I am NOT a fan of winter at all, so it is definitely in spite of the weather we stay here…
I think I’d have an equally hard time with Florida, maybe, too, as I don’t really like extreme heat/humidity?
Fun that you all stayed up until midnight!
I love these snapshots of your town. What a festive place! Like someone above mentioned, it reminds me of Stars Hollow! 🙂
I did stay up until midnight on NYE, but I didn’t watch the ball drop or anything like that. I was reading my book in bed with my cats next to me and I looked at the time at one point – it was 12:15am! I missed the year turning completely, haha. I said, “Happy New Year!” to my girls who had no idea what I was talking about, hehe. 🙂
Happy 2022!
Ha! That’s so funny that you missed the official change in to a new year. I was definitely asleep!
Wolfville is such a sweet place!
As always, I love seeing pictures of your town. I think we all <3 Wolfville now! You are lucky to live in such a place…despite the winters. 🙂 I love that you spent time outside, as well – the hike to the waterfront and playing outside seem, to me, to be an ideal way to start of 2022.
Speaking of which, mine was much the same, but I was in bed even earlier. Sad, but necessary.
I am curious, however – what DOES the Naked Crepe serve? Plain crepes? 🙂
Happiest of new years to you… looking forward to reading more (and hopefully catching up) in 2022…
The Naked Crepe sells…all sorts of things. Thin crust pizzas, salads, soups…and lots and lots of crepes. My favourite is the Parisian which has ham and a Dijon mayo and green onion. They make a donair crepe (of course, it is the Maritimes) and a Mexican crepe and spicy Thai crepes and all sorts. They also have delicious savoury crepes filled with cream cheese and fruit, they have banana and Nutella, an apple crisp crepe with apples and a crumble…so, so good. Definitely not just plain crepes.
Wolfville is lovely. It is very white today – we just got a huge snowstorm overnight. Thankfully we didn’t lose power this time, but sadly many houses did (about 53,000 homes)…and it is bitterly cold outside.