Friday Favourites

Happy Friday!  You know the holiday season is heating up when I have a full Friday Favourites post from our week.

I did some work on our Christmas cards at the start of the week and got half of them sent out.  I will finish up the rest this weekend. 

We went Christmas tree shopping on Monday after school.  The place we go closes at 6:00 and with something happening every other evening this week, Monday was our only day to go. It was cold there and we didn't spend too much time picking something out.  

Figuring out the right height.

Q loves a photo op!

Tree home and up. We let it sit for a night and the started decorating it the next day.

Q wanted to lay by the fire one morning after he got up.

Unfortunately on Tuesday the city came to do some water repairs for the house across the street and needed to dig up part of our driveway.  We have a very nice concrete driveway and they said the would patch it with asphalt and the city would have up to three years to redo the concrete. I am now on a mission to get this repaired sooner than later, but an annoying Tuesday afternoon. 

Q doing a little twirl in the Christmas tree skirt.

I love Spotify Wrapped time!! I was not surprised by my first song, but I am surprised Defying Gravity didn't make it in the top 5 since I usually played it back-to-back with All Too Well.  My Spotify listening age is 33 which I assume was skewed by K Pop Demon Hunters. 

Dave went to his work Christmas party on Wednesday night. A festive venue at

Meanwhile I was with a group of moms putting together some shoeboxes for the Shoebox Project. Each box is worth about $50 and has personal care items, socks and mittens, and some little extras like make up and candy. 

E’s school had a Winter Arts Night last night. We were a bit late for the arts sale but did catch the music and drama performances! 

Have a great weekend! 

ICYMI

Part of the fun of Christmas is enjoying things that we have loved for years - I watch the same movies and listen to the same songs.  Occasionally I will come across something new and I wanted to share these with you in case you missed it. 

Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped doc - We all know the song “Last Christmas” but I didn’t realize how iconic it and the video were when they came out.  This documentary gives the background for all of that and makes you gain an appreciation for the song and Wham!

A Boy Called Christmas - This has been around for a few years but we finally put it on last weekend.  It’s about a boy who needs to go looking for his father and comes across a town of elves. Hijinks ensue.  It’s a story being told by an aunt to some kids in modern day, and the aunt is our beloved Maggie Smith. It’s wholesome family fun. 

The Holdovers - This movie had some Oscar buzz a few years ago.  It takes place over Christmas holidays at a private boarding school, the “holdovers” are the kids that don’t go home for the break.  Paul Giamatti is their teacher who stays at the school with them. There are some great performances in this movie.  

Jamie Cullen’s Hang Your Lights - I have posted several times about Jamie Cullen, a British jazz singer, as I love his entire Christmas album, but aside from The Pianoman at Christmas, Hang Your Lights is a very catchy tunes. 

John Legend’s Bring Me Love - Speaking of catch tunes, this one is a great one.  I love John Legend’s voice. 

Barenaked Ladies’ Jingle Bells - This one is unassuming but it will get you, trust me!

Cher’s DJ Play A Christmas Song - I heard this for the first time yesterday and it has quickly become my new favourite.  

Bonus ICYMI - Since most of Canada no longer imports Beaujolais Nouveau, I had to source a replacement.  I can confirm that an Ontario Gamay Noir fits the bill.

Weekend Recap

On Friday I met a friend for lunch.  When I was walking home I saw this cute blue jay mural.

Then I finished up work and got ready for my office Christmas party.  We went to Terroni on Queen West.

We had a nice time and it wasn’t too late. 

On Saturday Dave and Q headed out early to go to Home Depot and Canadian Tire to get some stuff for the Christmas lights outside.  

I made pancakes for when they got back and E got up.

We got this new inflatable for our front yard.

I dropped E off at the school where was volunteering at a Lego Robotics tournament and picked up a few things I needed at Bulk Barn and Dollarama.  Then I raked seven bags of leaves which should be the last of them!  Then I relaxed inside with Q until it was time to get ready for another party.  This time it was hosted by our friends in Burlington with a tropical holiday theme.  We borrowed these shirts from the boys.

We enjoyed some Jamaican patties and other goodies. 

On Sunday morning Dave and I were back at Canadian Tire for more lights, because if you’re doing any sort of project, there is a two visit minimum to the store.

I went to church for the first Sunday of Advent, including communion, and then the grocery store.

And after that it was time to get the Christmas decorations out.  Q and Dave worked on the lights and E and I brought all of the boxes upstairs.

Let’s do this!

Lots of work by Dave and Q (and E had helped with the tree earlier in the day).  

A little sneak peak of our decorations.  I’ll do a post of everything when the tree is up.

I made chili for dinner, and then we watched the rest of season 1 of Stranger Things. We have already seen it but E has never watched it so we are watching it all again with him. 

A very productive weekend!

Meanwhile…

I just finished a lovely book called How To Read a Book by Monica Wood.  This isn’t a review of the book but there was one concept that I have been mulling over since I finished it.  In books there is always the main story and then a “meanwhile”. When you apply it to your life we can get caught up in what we think is the “story” but “meanwhile” something else is happening.  Like yesterday I could give you a narrative of what I did - went to church, got groceries, put up the Christmas decorations, Dave and the kids put up the lights outside, etc.  and meanwhile memories were being made, love and beauty were being shared and appreciated.  Maybe instead the focus should shift to what is in the “meanwhile”.  We loved each other and made memories, and meanwhile we prepared food, we got upset with each other for different things, and moved stuff around the house.  

I think during the Christmas season when we get caught up in the tasks that must be accomplished, we should think about what is happened in the meanwhile.

I sort of wrote about this before here, and I don’t need to continue to be so philosophical, but I didn’t have another topic today so I thought I would share this with you.

It’s December!! Let’s Go! :)

Friday Favourites

 

Happy Friday! And Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans!

I went into my new office twice this week even though there is still a bit of work that needs to be done in the space, but it was nice to be out of the house and see some people in person. 

The skating rink will be opening soon.

I got our Christmas mugs out this week.  It's definitely more fun to drink coffee out of a Christmas mug. 

Look how pretty!! This is the ski resort town we picked for our March Break trip.

Big week for Q at school this week - the Scholastic Book Fair was in town! He was very excited to pick up the new Dog Man book.  They still sell posters, although no cat ones that I could see.

I picked up a few gifts this week and took advantage of Black Friday sales, but also bought myself a pair of sweatpants from Athleta.

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

 

Monthly Musings

This link up was last week and our Thanksgiving was last month, but I still wanted to do it. 

1. Favourite Thanksgiving dishes?

I just like regular turkey dinner with a goal of having a colourful plate. My family, and I think most Canadians, don't make many of those traditional American Thanksgiving things like green bean casserole, sweet potato with marshmallows, mac and cheese, or deviled eggs. 

2. Stuffing or dressing?

I call it dressing. I made it from scratch for years but found no one was really eating it and it was difficult to actually stuff the turkey, so I've made Stove Top in the microwave for the past couple of turkey dinners. 

3. Are you hosting any of the holidays this year? Please share any tips.

We hosted Dave's parents and cousin for Thanksgiving dinner. And my mom is coming for Christmas.  We also host a Christmas party for our friends and family in a couple of weeks. My tips are to keep it simple, don't reinvent the wheel if things have worked in the past.

4. Turkey trot or football game?

Neither thing is really associated with Canadian Thanksgiving. I would be more inclined to do my own workout and watch a football game from home, not as part of a big crowd for either.

5. If you decorate for Christmas, do you decorate before after Thanksgiving?

Because we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, then we definitely decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving. 

6. Are your holidays sit down meals or more casual affair?

Sit down meals, and this year we got to use the good china. 

7. Pumpkin or apple pie? Another dessert?

 Both kinds of pie make an appearance on our Thanksgiving table.

8. Are you travelling for Thanksgiving or staying close to home?

We stayed at home for Thanksgiving.  It's easier if people come to us.

9. Do you Black Friday shop?

Black Friday seems to extend to a two week period now, and there are things that I will buy during this time.

10. Thing you are most looking forward to this holiday season.

I can't really rank them, I like all of our traditions equally and for different reasons.