I swapped my house for the holidays and discovered an unexpected connection with my hosts!

At HomeExchange, we love giving a voice to those who can best describe it: our members. This testimonial was written by Katy and Jacinthe, two members who, by using HomeExchange to plan a home exchange over the holidays, were able to reconnect with their respective families and even discover family ties.

Katy's testimonial: the magic of Christmas blends with that of HomeExchange

In September 2022, I received a reciprocal exchange request from Jacinthe, who lives in Pointe-Calumet, 400 km from me. She wanted to spend a few days there over Christmas with her partner, Mario, who is from the Charlevoix region. This exchange would allow them to see her family and spend quality time with Mario's sons.

Since my brother lives 30 minutes from Jacinthe, I thought it would be a great opportunity to visit him and spend time together for the holidays, so the timing was perfect. I remember we spoke on the phone before confirming the exchange. I simply asked Jacinthe if she knew any "Jarvis" in Pointe-Calumet, as I have uncles on my father's side who live there. Well, imagine my surprise when I learned that her sister is married to a Jarvis, and they are her neighbors! A completely unexpected bond has already united us! Jacinthe is the sister (and neighbor) of Carmen, the wife of Gaston Jarvis, my uncle! How small Quebec seems to us! But that won't be the only surprise I'll have during this exchange... My little family and I arrived at Jacinthe's on December 25th, a little before midnight... Christmas magic, you might say... perhaps, but I would say Home Exchange magic!

An unforgettable home exchange

The house was perfect; you could feel all the love Jacinthe had poured into it over the years, and all the effort she'd put into making us feel so welcome. The Christmas decorations, the homemade desserts laid out for us on the counter, the lunch she'd thoughtfully left for us—I felt so at home! It was like when I was little and arrived at my grandmother's house for Christmas; everything was magical, and I rediscovered my inner child.
That's when I noticed a personalized scrapbook album waiting for me on the table, one that Jacinthe had patiently created. Without saying a word during our phone call, she'd made the connection! I was going to sleep in the house my father had built 20 years earlier. My father, my hero, had passed away three years before from a sudden cancer at the age of 58, and it was he who had built Jacinthe's magnificent house with his own hands.

Wow, that's a lot of emotions for Christmas Eve! A real-life house swap, a happy coincidence, destiny?

I can't explain it, but this exchange, this encounter, with this exceptional woman, Jacinthe, will forever be etched in my heart. Jacinthe poured all her love into the photo album filled with pictures of my father building his house. Step by step, I was able to watch him construct this home in which I was sitting there, at the table, on December 25, 2022. This exchange also allowed me to gather my extended family for an evening and pay tribute to my father in this exceptional house.

Thank you, Jacinthe. It was my best Christmas ever.

Katy.

Testimony from Jacinthe, a memorable first exchange

My boyfriend Mario's family lived in Charlevoix. I had just signed up for HomeExchange, and I told Mario, "I'm going to look for a family who would like to come to Pointe-Calumet for the holidays so we could do a home exchange." He said, "Well, let's see if anyone's going to want to leave Charlevoix to come to Pointe-Calumet." I told him, "If I don't try, it's definitely not going to happen."
That's when I fell in love with Katy's house, which looked strangely like mine, almost a carbon copy. Her calendar wasn't open for my dates, but I still dared to make her a proposal. After a few discussions, we agreed to do our home exchange. She told me she knew Pointe-Calumet. She asked me if I knew the Jarvis family, I told her "My sister is married to Gaston Jarvis", imagine that Katy's father is the brother of my brother-in-law, who lives in the house next to mine.

At that moment, I was thrilled to learn that Katy was the daughter of Mario Jarvis, whom I know very well. We ended the conversation, and I hung up the phone. It was only afterward that I realized Katy would be sleeping in the house her father had built with Gaston. That's when I had the idea to surprise her with a scrapbook, featuring a story and photos of the construction of my house, including pictures of her father.

I arrived in Charlevoix. I was able to meet Katy in person and her little family. She gave me the keys and left us in the evening to go to my place.

It was upon her arrival that she discovered the album I had prepared for her, in memory of her father, who had passed away a few years earlier. I had met him quite by chance one Monday at lunchtime during a quick bite at McDonald's in Boisbriand. We had lunch together, and he had shown me photos of his daughters and a newborn baby. Life's twists and turns truly create beautiful encounters.

My first HomeExchange experience was wonderful and full of emotion, and since then, four years have passed and I've completed 44 exchanges. I have many more beautiful stories to share, but this one is truly hard to top. Thank you to Katy and her family, and thank you to life.

Jacinthe.