A White Christmas

One certainty when you live in the arctic is the promise of a white Christmas. We've had snow on the ground for almost 2 months now, and winter has a firm grip on Iqaluit. So far it's been a lovely winter here with temperatures warmer than usual, averaging -10C to -15C. It's nice weather to walk around in, though the warm temperatures have brought a little more snow than usual, and the ice on the bay is still not thick enough for safe travel. I understand from watching the CBC news that Southern Canada has been suffering through a dreadfully cold December and is looking at a colder than average winter (incidentally the temperatures there have also been in the -10 to -15 range).

The hospital is decorated for the holidays and we put up a small tree at home to bring some holiday cheer. Since we're way above the tree-line it's a fake tree with fiber-optic lights (it's sort of like a cross between a pine tree and a discoteque). Regardless, it brightens up the house and feels Christmas-sy. We have a lovely seal-skin angel to top it all off.


The small town Santa Claus parade is an event familiar to anyone who grew up in a non-urban environment. Everyone in the town is either in the parade or watching the parade, and the parade itself is mostly composed of any truck in town that has flashing lights. The Iqaluit Santa Clause parade started just outside our house at the Arctic Winter Games Complex, and we had a great view from our back porch. I'm happy to report that Santa did make an appearance, after all it's only a 25 minute reindeer flight from his place...