Off to TO for the weekend...

...in an unprecedented, but highly anticipated event, I will be taking my little family to Toronto this weekend for a very early Christmas gathering of my 'side' of the family.

I'd heard about this trend of families getting together a month ahead of the actual date to celebrate Christmas and I was one of those who scoffed at the concept - at first. I was young - forgive me. I didn't realize just how busy Christmas could get and how much less I would enjoy it because the people I wanted to see most were either sick, stressed out, working, on call or just plain frazzled due to the 'happiest time of the year'. And I usually had to travel 4 hours (or more) in the worst of winter weather just to see the closest of my relatives - don't get me started about what happened last Christmas en route to my mother's. I'd need a bottle of wine just to get started.

However this year my cousin - how I love her - invited 'the family' to her place this year, in the lovely Beaches area of East Toronto and if the weather network is to be believed, the weather will be a nice, sunny 9 degrees.

It's going to be a lovely day all the way around, with all the little great neices and nephews in attendance (all 5 of my Nana's Great-grandchildren being together happens all too rarely. I'm putting a prayer in now that we can get a good pic of them in one spot, and maybe smiling?). In fact every single member of our little clan has all agreed to come and that in and of itself is a Christmas Wish come true. I'll be able to spend time with my cousins, who are awesome, talented, smart and beautiful and I am blessed that they love me and I get to love them. My mothers siblings and their best friends will be there too...looking on as my generation deal with the children and loving not have to be 'the heavy'. Being grandparents sit very easily on their shoulders.

Where do I sign up for this Christmas? I'll take two please.

The only question that remains is this...should I tell my cousin that I bought 3 gingerbread kits today and that I plan to bring them up to her place so all 5 kids can get super charged on icing and gum drops? Or should I leave it a big suprise...

Oh she'll love it. Maybe I'll wrap them in a Scrapbox Apron.

Have a great week.

Jenn