Christmas Adventures

A collection of some Christmas-themed outings to get us into the festive mood!

Christmas photoshoot As we aren’t going home for Christmas this year, I wanted to get some photos of Rita and me for our Christmas cards. Tamara at TamaraRosePhotography fitted me into her busy schedule at one of her mini-sessions at Chickadee Christmas Tree Farm. How a mini-session works is the photographer books a space for the whole day and you can reserve a half hour slot where she takes a bunch of photos. This session cost $90 and included 10 digital photos.

When we arrived at Chickadee Farm, we were greeted by Julia who led us down the lane towards the spot where Tamara was set up. Julia was super friendly and made us feel relaxed, ready for the shoot! Tamara had several backdrops ready for us amongst the Christmas trees. She and Julia were great at giving me directions and using treats to capture Rita’s attention. We also got a gift at the end of the shoot from Nature Pup Creations. I’m really happy with the photos and I’m sure they will be the best-looking Christmas cards on the mantelpieces of my family and friends!

Benjamin Tree Farm It was time to get a Christmas tree for our condo! I really wanted the North American experience of visiting a Christmas tree farm, whilst imagining Taylor Swift in her childhood, “Christmas Tree Farm” playing on a loop in my head. For this, Nina and I went to (dog-friendly) Benjamin Tree Farm in Waterloo. We wanted to cut our own, but as I wanted a big one we ended up selecting a pre-cut one, which an assistant netted up and carried to my truck. The choices were endless; many varieties of tree and a range of heights and bushiness. There was a real buzz in the air and lots to do: complementary refreshments, face cut-out boards, and a large gift shop where I picked up some decorations for the tree. And you can’t beat the smell of a real Christmas tree in your home!

Rita was pleased with our choice of tree

Pingle’s Christmas Fest Pingle’s Farm Market is holding this festival from the end of November to the weekend before Christmas. For $10, you can add a Santa Paws admission ticket for your dog, and they even have a special “howl-iday” on the 11th December, when this ticket includes a free pupcake and there are special vendors at the market. Dogs are allowed everywhere! Rita and I had a wagon ride round the farm, listened to live music, saw some reindeer, met Mrs Claus and Santa’s elves, and got our photo taken with Santa himself! There was also a “Mistletoe Market” with local products for sale, from decorations to edible treats to children’s toys and candles. I opted for the Festive Foodie ticket which included a meal (butternut squash soup for me!), a hot drink (I upgraded to this fancy Gingerbread coffee!) and a butter tart. Although it was cold out, there were campfires to sit around and the great atmosphere really got us into the Christmas spirit!

Millbrook, ON

St Jacobs Sparkles