New Year's Eve

Happy New Year!

OK, I'm aware that it's the middle of January and I'm just now posting New Year's Eve photos. Maybe I'm celebrating Chinese New Year's!

After sitting around moping a bit and wondering what we were going to do on New Year's Eve without our Canasta-playing and potato-cannon making friends, we decided to start a new tradition. We headed into downtown Edmonton for the big fireworks display.

The party was at Churchill Square, which is surrounded by City Hall, a library and several other important buildings. So important I can't remember what they are. There were hot dog vendors and guys selling glow-in-the-dark 2008 glasses. There were bands we'd never heard of performing all around the square, both in the buildings and outside. And there were about 50,000 people. OK, I actually have no idea of the real numbers, but you get the idea.

But get this - it was orderly and family friendly and fun! No drunk rowdies (the cops were stopping people coming into the square and sending them politely away if they had been imbibing) and only a tenth of the amount of pot smell that you get at an average Abbotsford city fireworks display. This is Alberta, after all. It's too cold to grow pot.

Most wonderful of all, there was a huge nativity display right outside city hall, complete with live sheep! I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture, but on the wall of the building behind the nativity scene it says "Edmonton City Hall." Now THAT'S something you won't see at Vancouver city hall! I love conservative Alberta.

The other picture (not the one of sheep, manger scenes, or people you should know if you're reading this blog) is of the inside of city hall where there was a concert happening. I love the cool coloured lights on the glass pyramid ceiling!

It was cold but not too cold, the fireworks were AWESOME (every bit as good as Vancouver's Celebration of Lights, which is not an easy thing to top) and the people were friendly. We had a really good time.