We are less than a month away from Christmas! Where did November go? As the days get darker and colder, I find myself searching for ways to keep warm and awake, especially with the high amount of on-line shopping I am doing this holiday season! I like to browse while sipping on one of my favourite holiday-inspired hot drinks: Peppermint Mocha! Peppermint is such a Christmas flavour – combine that with coffee and one of my other favourite flavours, chocolate (of course!) and you have my favourite holiday caffeinated beverage.
It’s that time of the year – holiday baking season! By this point, you may have your Christmas tree and Christmas lights up, eagerly anticipating the holidays. In my house, I like to add to the Christmas sensory experience with some holiday baking and my Maple Gingerbread Oatmeal cups contain some of my favourite holiday flavours like maple and gingerbread. They literally fill my house with the smell of Christmas!
I was born less than a month before Christmas, and my brother was born less than a month after Christmas. Growing up I always remember my parents commenting on how it can sometimes be frustrating having children born so close to the biggest holiday of the year. In my case, they were planning Christmas gifts but also had to buy me a birthday gift around the same time. In my brother’s case, they had to buy him a gift right after he already received everything he ever wanted!
As we all prepare for a holiday season like no other, you may be feeling the pressure of making this year’s celebrations extra special for your kids to provide some much needed delight after the challenges of lockdowns, school closures, and cancelled birthday parties. The annual mission of finding the perfect gift for every age—one that is both fun and educational—is coupled with thoughts of a long winter spent at home where kids need to be kept entertained for hours. For some holiday shopping inspiration, look no further!
It’s starting to look a lot like NOT Christmas. This holiday season is going to be different, that’s for sure. What can we do to survive a socially distanced holiday season? I’ve been wondering the same thing and came up with a few ideas.
I may be 40-something, and married with kids, but I still love my rom-coms like I love chocolate, and the holiday flicks the most. In fact, I wrote my first novel to the tune of the holidays, watching my favourite rom-coms and crying into my Kleenex boxes. So, I’m so excited to share my favourite holiday rom-coms with you here. Put on your coziest PJs, grab some Christmas cookies and a blanket and don’t forget that Kleenex box—for the happy tears!
My daughter didn’t intend to take a gap year. She intended to go off to university to do all the things that first years do; the good, the bad and the ugly, and then post about it on Instagram after blocking all followers over the age of 30.
I’ve had “Watch Ted Talks” on my to-do list for the past eight years. I cut and paste this directive into my agenda from week to week, year to year, in hopes that this week, this year, I’ll find the time to watch them.
Last month, I snapped.
Like so many people, I was outraged to learn that the parents of more than 500 children separated from their families at the US border in 2017 and 2018 could not be found. That’s more than 500 families torn apart by cruel, “zero tolerance” government policies. I couldn’t stop thinking: who’s comforting these children? Who’s in charge of reuniting these families? What’s being done?
Unprecedented. Unpredictable. Uncertain. Unusual. Unheard of.