You don’t really realize JUST how far Newfoundland and Australia are from each other until you actually go there. For instance, we left home on December 25th and landed in Sydney on December 28th. Travel was a 3.5 hour flight followed by an hour flight followed by a 15 hour flight topped off with a 10 hour flight. I was never so relieved to get off a plane than that morning in Sydney. The two are literally on opposite sides of the globe. (We’ve been telling our Mom and Dad to be thankful we’re getting the furthest destination over with, haha).

It’s also really different celebrating Christmas in summer. Funny how, growing up in Canada, we’ve always associated Christmas with winter. And snowmen. And cold temperatures. And dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh with Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Pretty sure Frosty would just not survive Christmas here in Sydney. I keep forgetting it’s Christmas until I walk past a store with “Boxing Day Sales” in the window, haha. It’s different. But a good different. Our Mom would love Christmas in Australia. (If only the flights weren’t so long, haha).

It’s probably fitting, then, that our flight from NYC to China took us over the top of the world. I think we were as close to the North Pole as we’ll ever get.