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| Whistler - From where you'd rather be!
To be surrounded by friends and
family at Christmas time is somewhat of a usual thing. To be surrounded by
those same family and friends at Christmas time overseas is something else! And
Whistler definitely made it something to be remembered, or at least retold by
those who kept their dignity.
To quickly set the scene, Nic and
I were lucky enough to have Liam, Amy and Co. plus the Forman Gang (not unlike
the Kelly gang of old) in town, as well as a few other close friends from home. With those numbers alone we would have had a packed party. Throw in some of the new Whistler family
and we were in need of a bigger place.
Cram 25 people into an apartment
built for 2 and it’s quickly going to get cosy or uncomfortable. Luckily for
us, everyone was easy going and understanding and the night was a success.
Everyone brought a plate of delicious food, so much so that we had food for
weeks. But special mention really must
go to Steph (if she reads this) who could have catered for all 25 of us on her
own – hang on to that one Wictor!
The Christmas Crew
The benefits of having so many
kids around was the fun of playing Bad Santa (or Kris Kringle as some may know
it). For those that don’t, the synopsis is that you can be a prick on Christmas
Day and not get in trouble for it! The hot prizes of the year were a couple of pairs
of socks (yes surprising isn’t it) and a selection of alcohol (not so surprising).
After these somewhat innocent
festivities, things may have taken a turn for the worst, or at least that’s what
the Grinch seemed to believe. 2230 Christmas night noise complaints just
doesn’t seem very festive to me, and one may be safe to assume that I informed old
mate of my opinion of him!
Being the good kids that we are, after a second Grinch complaint we decided to take the merriment out to the streets. How the cops weren’t called is somewhat beyond me (they are all over this kind of Australian behaviour in Whistler normally) but a few hours of beer pong on the footpath ensued and many of us were worse off for the experience. Still it is something to have kids walking home from the pub at midnight stop by for a few throws, and a few more casual skulls!
No one really knows what time it
all wrapped up, but it was one hell of a night! None of the crew remember how
they managed to stumble home, but 5 did set off together and all 5 stumbled in
a different times!
I do not want to offend anyone
reading this, but I would honestly say this was the funnest (yes it is a real word
[I added it to ‘Words’ dictionary’]} Christmas I have had. The hangovers the
next day can attest to that! Plus the unwanted sleep in’s!
Waking up at 8.34 m to your phone
ringing and it’s the boss is not how you really want to start the day after
Christmas. Realising you were meant to open the store at 7.45 am is definitely
not the best start to the day. Usually it’s wake up in time to crack a tin for
the Boxing Day test and drink away your hangover…Not in Whistler! Lucky for me
I had slept (passed out) fully clothed, and even luckier for me, those clothes
were my work uniform. I think I clocked in for work at 8.41am, slightly drunk,
moderately dressed and massively hung over, but still I made it.
The next big festive night was
NYE (I say the next big night, but truth be told, when you have so many friends
and family over, every night was considerably large, NYE was just one where the
rest of Whistler decided to get involved.) Unfortunately Nic and I both had to
work until 6-7pm and the rest of the crew from home were heading to one of the
local pubs (Merlins) at 6pm to beat the crowds and skip the cover charge.
Drinking over-priced beers for a good 6 hours didn’t really seem like the best
way to see in the New Year so Nic and I skipped the pub and went out with some
work crew.
By the sounds of it, the Perth
crew didn’t actually spend too much coin and all got the desired result of
having an inebriated NYE, so we really could have joined them. Liam even
managed to keep the Bradburn Whistler NYE tradition alive and met the local
constabulary who kindly offered him a place to sleep the night’s effects off.
He didn’t manage the scenic trip out to Squamish, but then again he didn’t have
to pay for his nights’ accommodation, so all up I reckon he came out on top!
Now that’s not saying we didn’t
have a sweet NYE, we just didn’t reach the dizzying heights that Merlins seems
to do to Bradburns on NYE! We trekked along to a few house parties, one that
slightly resembled Corey Worthington’s of a few years back, just less
craziness. Saw in the New Year with some of our new Whistler family and managed
to get home in one piece. A few of us may have needed some help along the way,
but we got there in the end!
Unfortunately for Nic and I, the
festive season also means the busiest time for those in retail, which meant we
worked a little more than we would have liked, and didn’t get out on the hill
with the crew as much as we had hoped. We still did get to fit in a few good
days riding with the kids, and special mention must go to the Forman gang. I
don’t think I have seen a group pick up the art of snowboarding so quickly. Ash
probably deserves some credit for that, or maybe you’re all just naturals.
We also managed to fit in a
decent powder day, complete with more face shots than you could ask for, more
cartwheels than a gymnast’s routine, and a few hard earned cold ones to
complete the experience. It’s what Whistler is all about!
To all those that were with us
over the festive season, thanks for making it one we will not forget in a
hurry. Nic and I spent a fair bit of 2014 on the road, and it’s always great
meeting new people and exploring new places, but having good friends and family
around during December makes it something else. Something special.
Cheers
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Whistler Village night lights coming to life
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