About a week ago, my flatmate Pim revealed she had a surprise for our flat. If you read my post "The World is Changing and I'm Behind on Laundry" from June, you may remember that Pim has surprised us in the past. Because Sienna and my birthdays are back to back, and because they happened in the middle of lockdown, Pim put together a 45-minute video of our friends and families wishing us happy birthdays! It was so sweet and wonderful.
But the moment Sienna and I heard the words "There's a surprise," all we felt was pure exasperation.
See, the days leading up to Pim's heartfelt birthday surprise, she kept giving us conflicting hints. "Make sure you wear protective gear for the surprise" or "Wear something you wouldn't mind being photographed in" or "We're going to have to walk to the surprise, and you might be sweaty."
By the time we actually got the surprise, we were done with her shenanigans. This time around, it was: "There are going to be men in kilts" and "There will be rockets" and "There will be men in kilts on rockets."
We set out Thursday afternoon, following Pim up the hill towards Princes Street. To our immense shock, we stopped outside The Dome. Picture a building that looks like a museum; at least three stories tall, with enormous columns out front. In the winter, those columns are wrapped in Christmas lights.
And the surprise? Pim booked afternoon tea for us at The Dome! We got our own pots of tea (Sencha Green for me) and an assortment of sandwiches, scones, and cakes. They were absolutely delectable. And very filling! I couldn't even finish all my little cakes, which was a bummer, because they were SO good (The Dome also has vegan and gluten-free options). It made us feel very fancy.
It was a lovely surprise, even without any men in kilts on rockets.
There's a song from the movie Home Alone called "Somewhere in my Memory." It goes like this:
Candles in the window
Shadows painting the ceiling
Gazing at the fire glow
Feeling that gingerbread feeling
Precious moments, special people
Happy faces, I can see
Somewhere in my memory
Christmas joy's all around me
Living in my memory
All of the music, all of the magic
All of the family, home here with me.
A couple of weeks ago I was laying on our couch, reading. It was pitch black outside, with our Christmas tree shining in the window and fairy lights glimmering over the fireplace. The room smelled like gingerbread. Pim was wrapping presents on the floor while Christmas music played in the background.
It felt like this song. (Listen to it now, if you haven't heard it recently.) A flickering candle, that gingerbread feeling (and scent, thanks to the candle). Precious moments. Special people. Music. Magic. Home.
Our Stockbridge flat has come to feel like home over the past few months. But we don't have much time left here. Our lease will end on January 20th, and our visas not long after. By February, Pim will have moved back to Thailand, Sienna will have gone back to Philly, and I'll have flown back to Pittsburgh.
No more shopping trips on Princes Street. No more walks in Dean Village or brunches in little cafes or late-night orders from the chippy. No more surprises from Pim. The adventure will be over.
It's strange, to already feel nostalgic for a time of life I'm still in.
But we remind ourselves every day that it's not over yet! I spend every morning reading at the desk in my room, drinking a cup of tea; Pim bakes cakes and brownies in our beautiful kitchen; Sienna teaches online and does tarot readings in her room. There's always someone in the bathtub. We crowd into the living room and watch TV shows together, critiquing the plot and character development. Pim writes at the table by the window, I write at the roll-top desk, Sienna writes on the couch. We laugh so loudly it probably annoys our neighbors.
Tomorrow is Christmas, and I can't think of a better gift than my time in Edinburgh. I've loved every second of my year and a half here, and I'll love every second of the coming month, too. Sienna will make more guacamole, Pim will sing more Taylor Swift, and I'm sure I'll keep falling asleep at weird times.
And all the wonderful moments we've had - the hikes up Arthur's Seat, doing homework in the writer's room, watching Love Island in flat 17, eating chips on Calton Hill - will still exist somewhere in our memories.
(Too cheesy? You might be right.)
I don't have any books I typically read around Christmas, so here are some movies you should watch this Holiday season:
Home Alone (and Home Alone 2 - but none of the other ones)
Klaus
It's a Wonderful Life
White Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended editions - a tradition in our family)
Happy Holidays, everybody!