Winter ocean has its warmth

I was very tempted to travel south. Images of Caribbean beaches and warm waters in the middle of December looked so appealing that I almost made reservations.

Instead, I went to visit my parents just nine hours south of Ottawa. I got what no luxurious vacation can offer – love and care at my parents’ home. My mom’s yummy dishes, backgammon tournaments with my dad, walks on the beach and lots of sharing of plans for the future. I got to be their little girl again and it was precious.

That's my favourite thing about holidays – spending time with family.

Maslenitsa brunch

Today we said our “goodbyes” to winter and “hello” to spring by making and eating lots of blini (pancakes). That’s what Maslenitsa is basically about. In Russian tradition, we celebrate the beginning of spring and end of winter by making lots of blini  that are to be shared. You can eat them with meat, caviar, sour cream, jams, pretty much anything you like, as long as you have blini wrapped around your stuffing.

I like this celebration and would like to continue the tradition. Blini are easy to make and their shape represents the sun that we are getting more and more of at this time of year. I think that deserves a celebration.

A friend of mine got so excited about the season change; he decided to express it with a little “blini art”:

Alternative holiday shopping

Handmade Christmas tree decoration from "Originals"

I made a pledge to myself this year: stay clear of the shopping malls for gift shopping. And I kept the promise. And I feel great. I ignored all the tempting offers that have been bombarding my mail and email boxes for the past several weeks. And I feel great. I feel that I beat the commercialization of the holidays to the punch.

That is to say, I am not against the tradition of giving gifts to our loved ones during this time a year. Not at all. Maybe we just need to rethink how we do it? (Homemade food is a great gift, but this post isn’t about that.)

Do the gifts have to be from big and fancy retailers? Do they have to be mass-produced or designer labeled? Or can they be original, affordable and locally made?

I’ve decided to stick to handmade and original this year. And I couldn’t be happier with my finds.

My first source: local craft shows. I’ve been to quite a few prior to holidays that I wrote about here, here and here. The biggest one was “Originals” at the beginning of December. I got most of my list crossed out right there. The selection was amazing. Lots of original works from jewelry to furniture, holiday decorations, fashion, you name it.

My second source was Etsy. Yes, I did my research. I spent some time looking through their e-shops. To make my task a bit easier and to be safe on timing and shipping, I only ordered from Canada and States this year. Again, great finds.

Do you have an alternative sources for gift shopping?

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

We are still in transition period in regards to North American holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Helloween – aren't the holidays we grew up with before we came here. They are close in meaning and significance, but still different. We are taking our time adjusting to new holidays and traditions. It takes time and patience. Believe me.
Part of my family, however, had a longer adaptation period and became accustomed with new traditions a long time ago: my dear sister. She makes the best turkeys, pies, baked ham, ginger bread cookies and other yummy seasonal/holiday dishes that I still feel foreign to. So yesterday, we got to enjoy the delicious pear and pumpkin pies she made from scratch. Yum!