My favourite part of Christmas is the time leading up to it. I like the anticipation, the prep, the magic. I dig down deep, go way back and feel like I'm 9 years old again.
So, what better time to have a pre-Christmas Adventure? The plan was to surprise my son and his wife who were flying into Toronto late Friday night. But since we were heading that way, why not make the most of it?
Our first stop was in Port Hope. Now this is a pretty little town that I need to spend more time in!
Sheldon discovered Mercury Chocolates, a tiny shop that makes beautiful bites of chocolate goodness.
You can check them out at "www.mercurychocolates.com". But I recommend the spicy chili one.
From there, we headed to the Toronto Distillery District to take in the Christmas Market. It was a busy, slushy Christmas mess.
Shoppers, music, food, atmosphere: this place has it all.
We stopped in a Bistro, surprisingly not overly busy, and shared a ham and cheese crepe with spinach. For dessert there were these chocolate rum croissants, warm and fresh out of the oven that I would almost sell my firstborn for (just kidding).
It was off to the Toronto Airport around 10:30 as the kids were to fly in at 11:20. But this was the Friday before Christmas, the weather was dicy and needless to say, it was more like 1:00 am before I saw them in the flesh. I would have taken a picture, but it was 1:00 am. And I was bawling, as usual. So I snapped a shot the next morning, all bleary eyed and jet lagged.
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| My Handsome Adrian, Carolyn's Mom and Sweet Carolyn |
Snow, and lots of it, just kept on falling. Not to be deterred we made our way to the St. Lawrence Market in the centre of Toronto.
I could, and did, spend a lot of money here. All on food but if you are looking for a legitimate reason to spend an illegitimate amount of money on food, it's called Christmas baby.
I'm going to create a charcuterie plate so cheese and meats were on the menu. The cheese options here are beyond your imagination.
We settled on a smoked cheddar and a couple of raspberry and merlot infused softer cheeses. Thank you cheese guy for the free samples! Loaded down with cheeses, smoked sausages, fresh fruit, vegetables and crackers, we made one last stop at one of the many bakeries for strength and sustenance on the slow, snowy drive home down the 401.
And here I am, home safe, in front of the fire, typing this up on my favourite time of the season, Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for reading my musings this past year and here's to a holiday full of adventures and magic.
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