December 15, 2013

Snow Falling on Condos

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain, and sadness
Leave your heart, let your road be clear
They said there'd be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on Earth
Hallelujah, Noel, be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve.

        - Greg Palmer

The first giant storm of winter has dumped a blanket of snow on Toronto and we are snuggling in our condo and watching corny Christmas movies (and loving it). 

I can't believe I have not posted since October. It's testament to how incredibly busy my fall has been. Now that the holidays are here I have time to take a breath and share some of our adventures over the past few weeks.

One of the nicest events we went to was the annual Lowe's Toronto Christmas Market in the historic Distillery District (see above picture). It was so fun to wander amongst the 19th century brick buildings and check out the vendors' booths, and enjoy Christmas music and a real sense of community and festive cheer.

We also took in the City of Craft, where Mark found a beautiful hand-made present for his mom.  We loved being able to check out local craftspeople showcasing their wares in a fun atmosphere. Despite the frigid temperatures we managed to get out and check out the Toronto Indie Arts Market, dedicated to  small presses, zines, chapbooks, poets, and comics. Mark made some great contacts and I purchased a wonderful anthology from Brick, Canada's finest literary magazine.

In other adventures,  I attended two lovely Queen's alumni events at the hip new Beverley Hotel and the magnificent Granite Club. We went to a book signing and met the Canadian horror writer Michael Rowe, and I attended an excellent speakers series on philanthropy presented by The Walrus Foundation that featured, among others, Margaret Atwood.

In gastronomy journeys, we checked out the new Italian bakery Forno Cultura, and new Italian wine bar, Cibo. I checked out the Drake Hotel's great new outpost  in the Financial District called Drake 150 for lunch with a client, and we had drinks at the stained glass infused Amsterdam Bicycle Club.

That's all I can think of for now. Up next is our annual Christmas family and friends tour. To all may I say leave your hearts, let your roads be clear.