No Dishes!

It was different this Christmas. After the service at St. James' Cathedral, we strolled over to the King Edward Hotel for their groaningly expansive Christmas Lunch buffet, and WADDLED back to my home. Ok, I didn't waddle. My heels were hurting so I took a cab and got there ahead of everyone which was nice, as I could turn on the lights and get the refreshments going (like we needed any more)! I recommend the buffet, but... only if you're in the mood to indulge. Stretchy waistbands are also recommended.

My Little bit of Cabin Porn

Have you checked out the site yet?

Here's my little cabin, made from a kit from Lee Valley Tools, a catalogue I love almost as much I as I love L. L. Bean.

Stratford Goes Gangnam

So, the talented casts of Stratford Festival's 42nd Street and The Pirates of Penzance have produced their own homage to Psy (now over 1 billion hits on YouTube) a in this goofy, irresistible video. And here's my early Christmas present, a very clever idea from The Stratford Festival Shop: a Christmas tree ball, stuff full of scraps of fabric from the 42nd Street costumes. Off the cutting room floor, I guess. :)

Clever.

Littlest Tree

12 Days Start Now

I woke today, on the first of twelve days in a row that I will be off work. After so much intensity, it felt good. I puttered busily all day, including doing some gift wrapping. I love this groovy paper from Indigo. And I only noticed now, that I downloaded some piccies, that it matches my tea mug!

Really? I'm blogging about this sort of thing? REALLY?

Yes. My brain is on vacation too.

Scents

Currants soaking in cognac, and a mound of lemon and orange zest. The stollens are underway and I'm drunk on the scents.

Sunday at Home

Two weeks ago at the One-of-a-Kind Show, I bought a new pair of sheepskin slippers. Now, as a bit of a polar bear, I don't feel the cold easily. But wintering in Toronto sometimes brings the sorts of days and nights that are just brutally cold. And wearing my new red slippers is like walking on marshmallows - so heavenly! I breakfasted in my pyjamas before the tree.

The big mug.

Night time twinkles... I can't get enough of my table top tree. It's five foot tall. My parents found one for their home (available at Metro, for you Toronto types) that's only two foot tall and already set in a holder - so cute! Apparently as my dad was carrying it home, people were stopping them to admire it, and - yes - even pet it. Small things have that effect. Of course I'll get pictures of it sometime soon.

The Christmas Countdown

I've missed my little blog. And it feels good to have a quiet evening and an opportunity to start the process again.

I've been busy, but even when I've had a bit of free time, I've felt uninterested in blogging for some reason. But it seems the long nights and the desire to cocoon has resparked my interest.

And speaking of sparks, do you like my advent candle? I was so charmed by this tradition when I read it about it some time ago on the lovely Zuzana's blog, that I felt compelled to start my own. I told Zuzana about my interest a year ago, but I hadn't found my candle! It took a while, and then found it by mail order from the U.S.

I've had it nearly a year, and tonight I lit it.




What joy it will be to sit in contemplation each evening for just a short while, while my candle burns down to the next number of the month, all the way to December 24.

Thank you, Zuzana!

Table-top Tree

Each year I feel a tiny bit guilty for getting a real tree, but I know they're farmed, and - truly - the tree is my favourite part of the Christmas season.

This year, with rather a lot of people visiting, I decided, that instead of banishing the study wing chair to the bedroom, I would get a table-top sized tree, like the first Victorian Christmas trees, which were more modestly sized and always placed atop a table. First came the search for the tree stand. My regular tree stand is huge and would overflow the top of my study shelves. I couldn't find one anywhere that looked any good. And when at last I found one online, they didn't take online orders. I would simply have to fly to British Columbia. Sigh.

Today, on my way to continue shopping for baking supplies, I stopped by the place I actually buy my tree each year to ask them. Why didn't I go here to begin with? Because that's not how my mind works apparently. Yes, they had the exact table-top tree stand I had yearned for online. I bought it and thought I'd check out the trees in anticipation of the weekend's purchase. But, as it turned out, I spotted my tree instantly. And, creeped out by the idea that some rotter might snatch it up in the next couple of days, I bought it and carried it home, single-handedly. Literally... in one hand. Another benefit of the table-top tree.

The scent is amazing. I won't dress it too quickly. I love watching it there in its naked splendour.

The Road Less Traveled

For the last few years I have put together a family Christmas newsletter. It's an interesting experience, going back over the previous year. It's not one of those annoying lists of magnificent accomplishments... primarily because there are no magnificent accomplishments. Which reminds me of a great quote from a friend whose mantra in life was "Dare to be average." She took a different path from many... but wow, what a gorgeous, fulfilled woman she is.

Anyway, I'm collecting some photographs for this newsletter and I came across this from a trail walk in the summer. It was so hot, we had pause under every tree we came to. What a lovely day it was.

I usually don't make New Year's resolutions, but I am this year. And it's "Find a new trail."