Christmas morning

We created our own Christmas tree with cedar clippings and a ceramic water pitcher at the rented farmhouse in the Eastern Townships. The Hub was surprised by the perpetual calendar; I ordered it from Lucky Little Dot. A protein-packed breakfast to energize us for a day on the slopes.

No. 7

Take 10 classes of yoga at Mandorla to 'aggressively relax' for the holidays. Tomorrow is class number ten.

No. 26

Our first Christmas tree as Hub and Wife.

No. 31

Looks like we'll be spending our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. in the picturesque Eastern Townships of Quebec. I'm excited.

67 Ways to Enjoy the Holidays

Inspired by this Molson Canadian ad, I am putting together my own list of 67 ways to enjoy the holidays:

1. Gaze @ celebrity portraits at the Vanity Fair exhibit @ the ROM (until Jan. 3. 2010).
2. Indulge in buttery perogies @ Granowska's in Roncey.
3. Make my own gift wrap and tags with recycled materials.
4. Skate circles around the Hub @ Harbourfront.
5. Breathe in the tropics @ a local conservatory one afternoon.
6. Do a crossword @ the Red Rocket.
7. Take 10 classes of yoga @ Mandorla Yoga to help 'aggressively relax' for the holidays.
8. Pick up a winter wool sweater @ H&M.
9. Paint my nails a festive colour.
10. Drink hot chocolate and stroll through High Park.

11. Take pictures at all our winter outings.
12. Order in Firenze's when it is too cold to go outside.
13. Drink boozy eggnog with nutmeg.
14. Indulge in the chocolate of Stubbe's on Davenport.
15. Build a snowwoman.
16. Wax and use the cross-country skiis.
17. Read two new books.
18. Go tobogganing.
19. Gear up for snowboarding - new helmut, jacket and boots.
20. Drink good hot chocolate.

21. Eat homemade soup and good bread.
22. Relax, take a swim, steam or sauna at Body Blitz.
23. Two massages - post-party and pre-Christmas.
24. Make a donation with our empties $$ to The Inn of the Good Shepherd.
25. Christmas clipboard art.
26. Our first Christmas tree.
27. New winter stockings from The Bay.
28. A new hair cut.
29. Solstice in Kensington Market.
30. Snowflakes on my tongue.

I need 37 more...

Christmas wish list

Poppytalk Handmade's Holiday and Gift-Themed Market opened today and there are some very lovely goodies I'd love to find in my stocking on Christmas morning. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, hub, hub.

From top to bottom:

1. hand-printed fat quarters from repeat.

2. le sac from lines by davis.

3. precious recycled soft wool gloves by dear pony.

4. anything from the letterpress wizards pistachio press.

Christmas countdown

The calendar tells me that Christmas is only five weeks away. The thermometer however, tells a different story. One of climate change and a late November reading of nine degrees c. Sure, I'm not quite ready to done my sleeping bag parka for five months but it's hard to ramp up the holiday mojo when its so temperate outdoors.

(Christmas letterpress blocks via Style Files)

A Darn Sarn-inspired Christmas

Okay, I know I am rushing it but this pic always cracks me up. The hub and I, inspired by our Sarnia 'neighbours', did a holiday photo shoot on our balcony last winter. One of the resulting pictures made its way onto the front of our Christmas card; the hub is wearing his $35 Made-in-Winterpeg down parka and his vintage Adidas running shorts (he actually ran a race in those in Melbourne, Aus.), and I bought the lovely green sweater and sparkly pin from a hand-me-down shop. Giggles.