Christmas in Aberdeen

Our family, as well as many others, has its own Christmas traditions and customs. Whether it is our annual Scrabble tournament or taking a stroll before the Christmas supper, these things bring out the genuine festive atmosphere. So, I think it is unnecessary to explain how different this Christmas was from the previous ones.

Under normal circumstances, I would have come home a few days before Christmas, met my high school friends, spent some time with my family, and enjoyed meals that I did not have to cook. Instead, I only called my family a few times, texted my friends and I spent more time in the kitchen than is commonplace. However, December was not different only in a bad way.

I finally had the chance to see a small part of Scotland and especially Aberdeen itself. Before the strict measures have been enacted, I managed to escape the buzz of the city and visited a small nearby town called Stonehaven. Not far away from there lies the Dunottar Castle, which is currently closed, but even to see it from the outside was well worth it. I also went for a hike to the adjacent village of Dyce, where two Czech aviators who perished in the vicinity of Aberdeen during World War II are interred.

I have also seen the still-active Girdle Ness Lighthouse on the Aberdeen coast and to mimic our real Christmas at least a little, I went to see our university campus on the Christmas Eve before our supper.

This Christmas could also be described as a learning experience as I taught myself how to make several types of Christmas confections and prepare a true potato salad.

Even though I enjoyed this Christmas, as we were standing on the hill near the beach and watching the fireworks above the city on the New Year's Eve, I was hoping I would spend Christmas back at home in 2021.