6 Shopping Days Left!

The holidays are so busy for everyone~ myself included! As energy runs low and the To Do list finally starts to dwindle, blogging time also shrinks. I miss overflowing with inspiration for this love of mine... but please stay tuned for fun posts next week. In the meantime, here are a few beautiful images to take you into the last weekend before Christmas! 

Happy shopping and celebrating everyone! 

 

Christmas at Home

Here are a few images of Christmas around my home~ as you can tell, I get a little overexcited and every surface has to be decorated! I realize it's a little "much" but I adore it for one month of the year. Every time I come home to the pretty tree, the smell of cinnamon scented pine cones and the cheerful decorations I feel warm and fuzzy inside. It truly is a magical time of year! 

Now... if only it would snow! 

A Cold Winter's Night

If it were up to me I'd be here today. Instead, I will shortly be heading to work (which is festive and cheerful in its own way...kind of). Still, I wish I were heading to this beautiful outdoor skating rink (it would be a long trip, it's Somerset House in England), followed by spiced rum and egg nog, a fire and a night of Christmas movies. In this ideal world, later some gorgeous man and I would go for a walk while snow fell. 

I can't think of anything better. 

ps- I know it's technically not winter yet. Shhhhh....

My Favourite Christmas Music Ever!

I'm truly a nut about all things Christmas, even when it comes to the music. Come December, I love walking into stores that are blasting the determinedly cheerful tunes. I am that person who, on the 1st, puts my burned holiday compilation in my car and doesn't eject it until January. The same goes for the ring tone on my phone (I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas) and what I press play for on my iPod. I truly don't understand people who insist they hate Christmas music! Okay, some of it may admittedly be rather too cheerful or even downright bad, but there are so many beautiful and stirring choices as well. I have honed down the best list over the years, with both old classics and new loves, and have decided to share with you my absolute favourites. These songs are all available for purchase on iTunes and make the perfect holiday season mix for any party or get together. Or burn a few copies and give them as gifts! 

1. Happy Xmas (War is Over) ~ John Lennon

2. O Holy Night~ Josh Groban

3. Christmastime is Here~ The Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack

4. Carol of the Bells~ John Williams, Home Alone Soundtrack

5. River~ Robert Downey Jr. and Vonda Shephard, Ally McBeal Soundtrack

6. I Believe in Father Christmas~ Greg Lake or Emerson, Lake and Palmer

7. White Christmas~ Bing Crosby

8. The Winter Song~ Eisley

9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)~ U2 or Death Cab for Cutie

10. Winter Wonderland~ Dean Martin or Bing Crosby

11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman~ Charlotte Church or The Barenaked Ladies

12. Do They Know It's Christmas?~ Band Aid or Band Aid 20

13. Driving Home for Christmas~ Chris Rea

14. A Spaceman Came Travelling~ Chris de Burgh

15. Baby It's Cold Outside~ Lee Ann Womack and Harry Connick Jr. 

16. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas~ Judy Garland

17. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)~ Nat King Cole

18. Same Old Lang Syne~ Dan Fogelberg

19. Please Come Home For Christmas~ Eagles

20. I'll Be Home For Christmas~ Bing Crosby

I hope you enjoy this compilation as much as I do! And~ If I had to choose only one CD for the duration of the holiday season I would definitely choose White Christmas by Bing Crosby~ it reminds me of putting up the tree as a child and is truly the perfect mix of all the most iconic Christmas songs. Plus, his voice is as smooth and dreamy as it gets! 

Christmas Movie Marathon

Well, it's almost December! When the calendar finally turns to the 1st the nonchalant pretending that I don't care in the last few weeks of November turns into a full on Christmas love fest. Christmas decorating, Christmas baking, Christmas shopping and Christmas music... I adore it all. One of my favourite traditions is my month long marathon of the absolute greatest Christmas movies. Movies dedicated to the holidays always hold wonderful sentiments... family and friends, love, hope, dreams and generosity of spirit. I have a long list that I watch every December, year in year out. I could not do any countdown, because I love them all. However, number one?

1. It's A Wonderful Life~ Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are magical together and I cry like a child every time. One day I imagine a marriage like theirs for myself. The most beautiful Christmas movie I can imagine.

2. Love Actually~ Not a Christmas movie per se, but it's set during the holiday season and is a wonderful testament to the power of love at this time of year. Plus, many of my girlfriends agree on this~ the cue card love scene between Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Mark is one of the most romantic movie scenes. Ever.

3. Scrooged~ Bill Murray at his finest as the vicious Frank Cross in this modern day (well, 1980's) re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. My first favourite and it still endures for me. I never get tired of it.

4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation~ Chevy Chase? Check. Weird family visiting? Check. Hilarious scenes involving Christmas lights, a squirrel in the tree and Elaine from Seinfeld? Check! A ridiculously funny classic and a must see for
many laughs out loud.

5. The Holiday~ What can I say? Jude Law as a yummy single dad and Kate Winslet in her first romantic comedy role are enchanting. Again, not a veritable "Christmas movie" but set during the holidays, it is wonderful and heart warming. Eli Wallach as Kate's 90 year old neighbour steals the film, to be sure.

6. Home Alone~ Childish, I know. I first saw this in the theatres when I was ten years old and it still resonates with the kid in me. Although Kevin's hijinks when he is left behind are sweet and funny, the true heart of this movie lies within the importance of family, between the McCallisters and the family reunion of Kevin's mysterious next door neighbour.

7. The Family Stone~ Beautiful, touching and sad~ my favourite combination. Diane Keaton as the Stone matriarch is magnificent (with a touch of malice) and the bevy of Stone kids? Dermot Mulroney, Luke Wilson and Rachel McAdams with Sarah Jessica Parker and Claire Danes also in the supporting cast. A big, dysfunctional family Christmas. I love it.

8. The Family Man~ I'm not normally insane about Nicolas Cage but he is lovely and endearing in this role as a man who, while living a purely selfish life, is given a "glimpse" on Christmas Eve of what his life would have looked like had he married his college love. A beautiful, simple movie about family and the things truly worth having in this life (hint: it's not money and success). I watch this on Christmas Eve after all our family has left, in bed, nearing midnight.
I usually fall asleep to it.

9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas~ The 1966 cartoon version of this Dr. Suess tale is the one I love. A magical half hour about how a person (or creature) can truly change through the wonder of this holiday season. Boris Karloff's iconic voice in itself is worth watching the film for. Perfect for Christmas lovers of all ages.

10. A Christmas Carol~ My dad's absolute favourite, this 1951 black and white classic features Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and is the most famous and enduring tale of this holiday season. This is always on in our house late Christmas Eve and I watch (part) of it with my dad every year while we drink champagne or rum and egg nog. Half an hour into it my adorable daddy is usually snoring happily
and so I retire to bed.

What are your favourite Christmas movies? Is there anything I have missed that are must sees?

It May Be Way Too Early But....

The stores are filling up with Christmas decor and ornaments and I hate to admit it.... but I'm already planning my holiday decor! Christmas is by far my favourite time of year. I love the smell of apple cider brewing to sample in Williams Sonoma. I love the persistent cheer of carols in the stores and (I shamefully admit it) on a permanent loop in my car. I love sending and receiving cards in the mail, if for no other reason than to express love at such a time of the year. I love it all, the happiness and gushiness of it all. 

I decorate my place faithfully on the 1st of December. Sadly my apartment building won't let me have a live tree so mine is a fake. It does a good job but I love the smell of a real tree. Still, there are plenty of pretty decorations to sustain me through the holiday season and I love to spread them throughout my entire apartment, even the kitchen and powder room. I'll certainly post on the upcoming holiday more as it draws closer but I wanted to share some of the holiday decor seen at my favourite place, The Cross. Isn't it all heavenly? 

I utterly love this white Christmas tree. I want one for myself this year!

Owls are my absolute favourite! I adore both the owl lamp and the tree ornaments like crazy! 

Cupcake and pink reindeer ornaments? These are so on my list! 

Snowflake scatter is perfect for a seasonal party! 

(Photos via The Cross' Facebook Fan Page)

Thanksgiving

Over a chilly Thanksgiving long weekend all I want to do is this: 

Eat pumpkin pie. Lots of it. Or pumpkin cheesecake. I'm down with that too.

Be cozy. Spend time with my family. Wear fuzzy socks and an oversized sweater. Lose myself in a good book. Relax. Hole up in front of the fireplace above (sadly not mine, but the one in my dreams). 

Turkey turkey turkey. But more importantly, stuffing. 

Sleep in. Wrestle with my purr monster. Have late brunch. 

Bake something fall-ish. Maybe something with apples and cinnamon. Then eat it. 

Best of all, give thanks for all the wonderful people and things in my life. I am truly grateful this year. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

(Photo via This Is Glamorous)

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Birthday Canada! I love being Canadian and am genuinely proud to call this my home, on this day and all others. I love so many things about being from here~ its beauty and diversity, medical care we can count on, a solid educational system, music from the likes of Arcade Fire and Metric, the birthplace of Ryan Reynolds and Rachel McAdams! This country has so much to experience and offer, despite not being perceived as glamourous or as sexy as the States or as cultural and historical as Europe (I'm not arguing here, I'm just sayin'). I hope one day to explore my country better, but in the meantime I'm a happy girl here on the West Coast! 

Today was a wonderfully celebratory Canada Day! My beautiful friend Nicole and I headed out to Steveston to take part in the annual Salmon Festival, which is (as our waiter later told us) the largest celebration across the country~ even bigger than in Ottawa! We and 50,000 other people wandered around the sunny (and very very windy) fishing village and took part in the general festivities, including yummy salmon burgers and, of course, ice cream cones! Despite being incredibly crowded (and a little overwhelming) I enjoyed the exuberance and feeling of community amongst the throng of happy revelers! The patriotism was infectious and the enthusiasm in the crowds endearing. Yet more reasons to say I'm proud to be Canadian!