Another Merry Covid Christmas

 Are we downhearted? Discouraged? Depressed? After two years of mask-wearing, sidewalk-swerving, people-distancing and event-avoiding thanks to Covid, we had our hopes up that this Christmas would be different. Then came Omicron, and yes, we are mightily teed-off.

No family Christmas, no trip to Saltspring. But railing at Omicron has a limited shelf-life, so we’re making as merry as we can. Here are some photos of our amusements:

Sometimes, we are the only Grinch house on the block -- no decorations! -- but in the last couple of years, John has decided we should at least put lights around the door. In this photo, he's using a remote to control the camera at the foot of the stairs. We're laughing because it was much more fun in the old days when he set a timer, then raced to get into the photo -- the best ones caught him in mid-stride halfway to his destination. Photo by John Denniston. 

Many people use deer as outdoor decorations at this time of year, but we'd never seen one that looked like this. Instead of the usual rattan structure, it was made of wire with triangles of foil that reflected the light. The beautiful blue, pink and gold colours reflect the sunset that was happening when the photo was taken. Photo by John Denniston. 

Someone in our area is an artist with found wood. Every time we pass, something different has happened on the boulevard -- at Easter there was a huge nest woven from branches, with three egg-shaped rocks tucked within. The latest structure is this turtle. It was plain at first, but in honour of the season, now stands on a bed of evergreens with a few sprigs of holly on one side. Last time I passed, its back was mounded with holly. This artist keeps you wondering what is next. Photo by John Denniston.

Much less elaborate and nothing to do with Christmas is another wooden critter made of found wood, on a boulevard elsewhere in the city. I guess people don't like to just toss interesting sticks.

We had a trip to West Vancouver -- a huge event when you mostly go nowhere! At the end of the seawall, West Van had its usual display of Christmas trees, decorated by various organizations, businesses and individuals. We were amused by the middle one, with its minimalist decorations reflecting the sign. Photo by John Denniston.

Another Christmas tree, built out of loose wood and decorated appropriately. Photo by John Denniston.

Some Christmas displays you just can't ignore, even if you're not particularly in love with inflatable decorations. This one had just about everything, including a Santa popping in and out of a toilet. Photo by John Denniston.

Another of those displays you just can't not photograph. To the left, you can see the Santa in the outhouse. Photo by John Denniston.

And here's the boulevard bathtub lady, who always gets redecorated to reflect the season. Last year she had ice skates; this year evergreen boughs and poinsettia blossoms. It's interesting to watch, now that we have so much time for observation, how people entertain themselves -- and us -- with these public displays.