All I want for Christmas

Well it's been Christmas mode since Halloween here in TO.  Because that's when all the Halloween decorations come down and all the Christmas stuff goes up and then it's week after flyers with the the perfect present for whoever you are looking for.

It's amusing and overwhelming the amount of marketing that is all around us.  From all the flyers to the online flood of emails.
How much stuff do we really need?
I'd like to put order back into our house.  That doesn't necessarily mean a finished bathroom and kitchen.  It means order.
I'd also like to not feel so tired.  So maybe this Christmas break is what the doctor ordered.

So I did manage to tidy up a bit in the computer room where I spend most of my days making my eye's worse and twitchy looking at presentations, reports and project statuses.  So that was a good thing.

I did manage to finish the subfloor in our main floor way before it snowed. However it did get chilly. And I did get a bit of a cold. But not matter what, I wanted to get at least that done and clean out the garage from all the building materials from the kitchen.

I discovered that I used the wrong stuff to put down as the subfloor.  There's this other product that is tongue and grooved called OSB.  But what I ended up using was sheathing which normally goes on the roof.  But it's better than the OSB stuff.  So I ended up putting better product down (ha!). There's no flooring yet, but that's ok.  The squeaks in our floor have been shushed.

We did get a tree.  And some new LED tree lights.
That ring at the top is the leftovers of the 2nd set of lights.  I got to the top with the 2nd set and left the remainder in the loop it was in and used it as a star.  Cuz we've never had a star on top. So it looks real cool.
These lights seem a bit fragile but it's really pretty when the lights are out.

Since it's Dec, I typically put my reno stuff on hold until after the groundhog tells me i can go.  Or whenever i get the itch to get started.  Usually that's after the thaw.

So that also meant I could play ice hockey again and it's been fun.  I got new skates on sale and then Hong got me a coupon and I got more money back. Then more flyers and sales notices came out for a tax free weekend and got more money back on my CC.  I felt slightly cheapish doing all this, but I thought if they allow me to do it, then I may as well take advantage of it.  And it wasn't harming any one.  A sale is a sale is a sale + 20% off. Ha!

Our house is modest.  Storage is a premium and without a kitchen it meant purging and minimalism was a must.

Gas prices have broken $1.00/L. I haven't seen prices like this for a few years now.
What more do you really need?
Simpler is better, yes?

A Violin Christmas Concert with a gift of music for the Seniors at the Grenadier.

And we took Max out. Too bad we didn't get to see Marika and Anna.  They were at hockey.


Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus Group
Musette
Minuet II Group
Minuet III Group
Jingle Bells Group
We Wish you a Merry Christmas Group
Away in the Manger Group
Joy to the World Group
Opera Solo - Claire


A gingerbread christmas house fit with candy and icing that you are not allowed to eat.  Because mama says it's only for show and not for consumption.  I think because it's been sitting on a shelf somewhere, and that means either preservatives or cockroaches.

But that didn't stop someone from taking a candy or two.


Simpler is better.
This Secret Santa lunch was his classes' idea.  Instead of a toy, it was a prepared lunch from the Secret Santa.  With the help of Santa's father.
But the preparation and direction and final assembly came from the student.




I was kinda surprised by the bag of chips request, but other kids did the same and got Costco Sized ones.
Mango, tomatoes, milk and a cheese pizza.

Since we have no oven, the pizza we made on our bbq.
The rest was easy






It was a way of giving a gift without all the retail marketing.
Clever and simple. And good.
What more do you really need?