Happy Thanksgiving to you and you and YOU!

My Thanksgiving weekend has been quite amazing. I spent time with the people I really love and got do a lot of things that may not have been great for my waistline but were completely and 100% enjoyable.

My weekend started off with my best friend and that's how you know you're in for a great time. We went grocery shopping and practically cleaned out the place.

We cooked our traditional

Thanksgiving meal and even created our own recipe for potatoes!

The rest of the weekend was filled with Thanksgiving episodes of Friends, spending time with my brother who is home from university, YouTubing and tonight my mom made a meal for the record books: tender turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, scrumptious stuffing, steaming vegetables and smooth gravy.

Basically right now I am just incredibly thankful for everything and everyone in my life. I'm so thankful (and lucky) for my family and friends, I'm so

thankful for all of my good fortunes (my education, my job, my abilities) and I'm thankful

as well to all of you reading this!

I hope all of your Thanksgivings have given you a moment to pause and realize how precious life is and how we can truly appreciate life when we are thankful for it.

Does this make sense? Hope so. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Modern Family

I'm hopping on the bandwagon and have just finished my very first episode of Modern Family.

I think Modern Family is an extremely creative concept on many levels. While I already quite enjoy the comedic mockumentary aspect I think that the idea of showing real families is incredibly - and humorously - enjoyable.

Of course shows that display the "perfect family" are truly enjoyed by people like me (Full House, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, etc.) however, there is something about the honesty and brutality of the real family that is truly entertaining.

One of my favourite television shows growing up was Roseanne - a show which did not include the perfectly fit and always hair-and-make-up-ready mother like Mrs. Brady but instead a rather fuller-figured Roseanne Barr who never hesitated to give one of her kids a firm backhand or tease her husband rather harshly.

The three Connor kids on Roseanne dealt with real issues like pregnancy, smoking, drugs, alcohol as well as an unwed aunt with two kids.

Few would look back at this show however and think of it as a nasty, awful show that displayed a loss of humanity. No, people look back on a hilarious show that had people connecting to real issues and relatable humour.

On that note, I'd just to like to express my excitement for perhaps a new addiction: The Modern Family.

Christmas Favourite ♥ Tree

There is something so beautifully magical about the

Christmas Tree.

Every year, after putting up and decorating our tree, I always state that it should be there all year long. Christmas trees add so much happiness and joyfulness to a house and they are just simply fascinating to look at.

Over the years my family has collected quite the variety of Christmas ornaments...

There are the breath-taking glass ornaments which my mom bought a few years ago (when she trusted my brother and I were old enough to not break them)...

There are the cute little matching Santa Clauses, Reindeer, Snowmen and Drummer Boys...

And my favourite: the raggedy-looking ornaments which my brother and I made when we were younger. These ornaments aren't quite as expensive or uniformed as the others, but they hold a special place in our hears. Popcycle sticks, construction paper, ribbon and glue were all the materials we needed as kids to make us feel that amazing boost of pride as we placed our homemade ornaments on our tree.

I love the twinkle lights upon the tree that create a lovely glow throughout our family room, and I especially love the angel who sits upon the top of the tree that was picked out many years ago by my mom and her mom. Each year, I feel like the angel is watching over us which creates a very comfortable and cherished feeling.

Yes, I do think that our house would feel much merrier if this tree was around all year long. However, perhaps it is knowing that it is only in our home for about 35 days of the year that makes us truly appreciate the magic that the Christmas Tree creates.

Christmas Favourite ♥ Beauty

My Christmas Love

As the month of December begins I am filled with the familiar feeling of love, peace and joy.

This month has always been my favourite and practically anyone who has ever met me, or seen me during the Christmas Festivities surely knows that that is true.

While going out for a dog-walk last night, my brother asked me what it is I love so much about Christmas. A smile grew upon my face... my heart began to race... my steps became lighter and my eyes almost filled with anxious, happy tears.

What do I love so much about Christmas?

Everything.

Now, instead of sharing all of the things I love about my favourite time of year in just one post... I intend to start a little Christmas diary on my blog during this magical month.

It is my hope and plan that each day I will write about something I love about Christmas. Short, long, goofy, heart-warming, kooky... I intend to share all of the things I find magical during the happiest time of year.

Please feel free to provide me with feedback throughout the month! I'd love to hear your stories and if you follow any of the same traditions my family and I do!

Christmastime Officially Here

39 sleeps

I awoke yesterday morning with a smile as I realized the day had come... The Santa Claus Parade would be starting in a mere 3 hours!

Brushed my teeth, combed my hair, put on a red wool sweater and Santa hat... and before we knew it, my boyfriend and I were off to the subway station to head to the Parade.

I couldn't believe my eyes upon arriving at the station. Children everywhere!

A place that normally seems to groggy and dull was suddenly lit up with laughter and smiling faces galore! Upon getting on the subway, we weren't greeted by the usuals (the crazies, the miserable sleep-deprived university students, the tired business people, etc.) we were greeted by kids singing and talking and having a merry ol' time.

It was precious. I felt my true inner child arise as I began to sing along. The adorable innocent faces of these children encompassed huge, bright eyes and uncontrollably contagious smiles. Appropriate questions filled the air...

"How does Santa have time to visit so close to Christmas?"

"Will he remember me from last year?"

"Is Mrs. Claus still at the North Pole?"

It was such an amazingly refreshing feeling to be around these little dreamers. When we got to our stop, I myself jumped for joy and couldn't wait to find our spot.

As it turned out, we found an amazing spot to stand at, where we had a perfect view of the entire parade as it would march, float and dance by. What was even more wonderful was the fact that we had situated ourselves right beside a rather large and joyful family. The husband and wife truly made it fun for my boyfriend and I as we cahibited and joked with them almost the entire time.

Cheering and applauding was nonstop and truly a great way to unleash the Christmas Spirit.

For all of those who have never been before, I highly suggest making the Santa Claus Parade a definite "to do" next year and every year to follow!