First, Ryan was delightful and bent over backwards to accommodate the 8 of us over the Christmas holidays. He put up Christmas lights, a tree and decorated it for us; he left us detailed notes for the electronics; he went out of his way to bring us extras and all we had to do was ask. He was terrific and went all out to ensure our comfort.
Second, his house was equally terrific! It sure received a lot of compliments. The kitchen was perfect for us to pull off cooking a big meal, the bathroom was divine with its heated floors in -30 C weather and the big rain showerhead; lastly, the space all round worked for two siblings with spouses and teenagers so we could make a Christmas like we've always enjoyed even though our aged parents downsized and our childhood home got sold. Being in Ryan's home was the next best thing! Even parking on the street worked out well with our huge vehicles. The dizzying array of movie options with Neptune Rising was awesome -- Polar Express on Christmas Day! -- but the news junkies we are were unable to get our fix because there's no live TV feed. No matter, there was lots to watch all the same.
Thanks again for the house and hospitality, Ryan!