Oh Come All Ye Faithful...Or Whatever

As some of you may or may not know I can be a bit of a grinch about the holidays. Maybe it's because my birth was unlucky enough to fall on the same day as the sweet baby Jesus or maybe I just hate how commercialized Christmas has become OR maybe I'm just an angry person underneath and crowded malls and the sappy, stupid look people get this time of year just really get my blood boiling. Either way I can at least admit that I am a tad irrational about my holiday hatred and you know...they say the first step is admitting you have a problem.

No spirit eh well...here I am dressed as Santa for charity. I was also the victim of a random mistletoe attack.

Now don't get me wrong, some things do still give me that warm, goofy feeling of sugar plum fairies and candy canes. Very few. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the way my mom won't let anybody in the living room in the morning so we can't see what "Santa" left us, and in the past couple of years the Holiday Makers' Market on James Street North are what get me in the Christmas spirit.

Market Poster

James Street North has become so popular in Hamilton thanks to art crawls and supercrawls and yes many of the vendors at the holiday market are regulars at those crawls but something about going to this particular market just screams Christmas to me.

I have been a regular attendee to this market for the past few years and I have found amazing, beautiful, handmade gifts every year. Something about giving somebody something they can't buy in a store and that nobody else in the world has but them is so special. Plus getting my shopping done there and avoiding the chaos of the mall doesn't hurt either. 

Make it one of your traditions!!

Plenty of great, original gift ideas all under one big beautiful roof. Christ's Church Cathedral, located at 252 James St. North really reminds me of Europe. The cathedrals I've seen over there are just awe-inspiring. Even if you're not religious the beauty can still really move you. I've had those experiences. I cried in Notre Dame in Paris because I was so moved. Christ's Church doesn't bring me to tears but for a church in Hamilton it is really very beautiful. I think it's funny that I love churches so much but am not religious, funny really.

Anyways the whole point of this was not to go on a tangent about religion, or churches or hating Christmas but it was to tell you that the Holiday Makers' Market is taking place THIS Saturday at Christ's Church Cathedral!! If, like me, you are not finished (or started) your holiday shopping you should definitely come check it out. I can almost guarantee you will find something wonderful. In fact it may be so wonderful that you decide to keep it for yourself instead of giving it as a gift.

Happy shopping.

Oh and PS. If none of this is enough to draw you down to the holiday market I must tell you that many of Hamilton's food trucks will also be attending. There. Now you have to come. See you there!! I'll be the slightly green one who's heart grew 3 sizes.

Mitt and the MO.

So unless you've been living under a rock for the past week you would have probably encountered the craziness that was the American Presidential election. Now I am not American but I do believe that the choices and decisions of America can really affect Canadians and even the world. That being said you can imagine how nervous I was when Mitt Romney came so close to winning. I'm not going to talk about this a lot because it is all over and thankfully Barack Obama won and will be in office for another four years, but seriously...HOW did it get that close? It scares me to think that there are so many close-minded, ignorant people out there. Absolutely terrifying.

Hates the poor, the gay and the women... unless of course,  they're in a binder.

But it's all done and kudos America. You made the right choice! I mean sure Donald Trump is pissed but luckily he can't "fire" the president. Way to go neighbours. Way to go. My uterus thanks you.

4 More Years!! Phew.

So now that that's all over I want to move on to something less disgusting than Mitt Romney possibly being in power...MOvember. Yes it's that time again. Time for men to grow dirty, pedophile mustaches in support of men's health and cancers, such as prostate cancer and men's mental health. The problem is that most male illnesses can be an embarrassing topic and lots of men shy away from talking about it or having themselves checked out.

So now during the month of November women are fleeing away from the scratchy upper lip scarves of good hearted men, but even though the Tom Selleck faced bros aren't getting much love because of their MO's, they sure can feel good about why they are doing it. Prostate cancer is a real problem for men but it seems to be overshadowed by fundraisers and awareness about other cancers. This is a wonderful way for men to bring light to a somewhat shadowed topic. I wish that MOvember had been happening when my grandfather was sick, it wasn't something that was talked about. Now I know that my grandpa would be happy to see me donate to it and hopefully some guys will be compelled to go get checked out. For more MO info handlebar here.

My friend Steve Gillon has thrown a MOvember event the past few years and since I can not grow a MO I go to show my support and donate to a great cause. Steve is the founder of High Fives 2 Help Lives which is a visionary way to raise awareness about cancer and heart disease prevention. He's a great guy and is starting to get some real recognition which is super. For more info on how to give a high five to help a life High Five Right Here!! And if you aren't busy Sunday evening head on out to wonderful MOvember event!

Come MO-one, come MO-all!

And last but very not least... one more reason to love Ryan Gosling and the whole Hey Girl series. LOVE it.