8am. That was the moment every Christmas morning when we could finally leave the confines of our bedroom and go jump on Mom and Dad to wake them up. It was the time, down to the very minute, that we had been waiting for all year. It was when the waiting was finally over. We…
Christmas
The Hottest Gift of the Year
Every year around this time, one product is heralded as The Hottest Gift of the Year. Recent years we have seen the iPad and the eReader and the Keurig coffee maker come out on top. These items become hot commodities around Christmas time, and suddenly everyone has one. Receivers of these gifts feel spoiled while…
The Best Giver – a NOVICA Giveaway
Do you remember when Christmas changed for you? As a child, I remember feeling like Christmas Eve was the hardest night of the year to endure. I was so excited to find out what I was getting the next morning that I could barely close my eyes. Morning would come and I would be awake…
Monsters Are Coming for Christmas
As December picks up and I am desperately trying to keep my head above water (I must have been nuts thinking Christmas on maternity leave would be simpler than normal,) I can honestly say that I have felt like my life has been overrun by monsters for the past little while. Mostly, it is…
Surviving Your First Christmas: Tips On How To Merge Family Traditions
This Christmas marks my fourth Christmas with Dan. It is Cameron’s third Christmas, and Gavin’s very first Christmas. Most notable, however, is that this year is my family’s very first Christmas on our own. That’s right. For the first time since our lives merged, we need to fuse our traditions. When I was dating, I…
The Christmas Creep
As the leaves begin to change colour each year, we start talking about “Christmas Creep”. If you haven’t heard this term before, it refers to the practice of merchants who try to take advantage of the holidays earlier and earlier each year and start putting out Christmas stock long before consumers are ready for it….
Sharing Cookies
When my toddler walks out of his bedroom each morning, the first thing he asks for is a treat. “No Cameron. We don’t eat treats for breakfast.” As soon as he finishes his cereal, he asks for a treat. “No Cameron. You just ate.” When I ask him what we should have for lunch, he…
R is for the Rambunctious Rascals making a Racket: Giveaway! (CLOSED)
There are two very special things that my family values: Reading and Music. Reading has always held a special place in my heart and although my husband probably doesn’t want to join book clubs or watch book awards being handed out on television, he reads even more than I do. Now that we have children,…
The Best Gift
I really wasn’t expecting much under the tree this year. Thankfully, I moved beyond worrying what I was receiving long ago when Christmas started to lose its magic for me. I realized that Christmas would always be disappointing until I learned to focus on the joy of giving and the blessing of those surrounding me….
What if Christmas: Embracing my Inner Grinch
Last year I shared how I would ideally like to teach my children about Santa. I grew up in an environment that focused on the birth of Christ, the gathering of family, and the kindness of Saint Nicholas. Santa was just a fun little game we played. I don’t ever remember believing in Santa Claus. I, of…
Christmas Time is Here
I remember last Christmas questioning what Advent meant to me. How could I possibly enter into a spirit of waiting for something that comes every year when I had grown out of the Santa stage? How could I transform that into anticipation for a child who came two thousand years ago? What did Advent mean…
