Last week AMH and I checked in the the Prince of Wales hotel in Niagara on the Lake for a romantic, pre-holiday getaway.

Do you plan on spending your holidays taking photos of your dog?

Settle yourselves in for the most picture heavy post I have ever created! I'm just so excited to share with you my Christmas theme/decor for this year and I'm also tagging a home tour on to it!

My dear friend Kendra, of Kendra Bester Design, and I share a love of being in the kitchen. We try to coordinate a day every few months where we can whip up a few treats (remember our lemon drop party?). It's always fun to come with ideas and then spend the day creating in the kitchen while catching up on what's going on in our lives.

Last weekend my trusty photographer, AMH, and I visited our favourite local chocolate shop, Reid Chocolates in Galt, Ontario (well, technically Cambridge but locals still call it Galt. It's a whole thing). I was literally a kid in a candy store and to make it even better, there was a flower wall! I have wanted photos in front of a flower wall ever since I saw the movie, Dior & I!

Reid's is a very special chocolate shop to me. It is where my hubby, then my boyfriend, bought my first box of Valentine's Day chocolates. And like the sappy girl I sometimes am, I still have that heart-shaped box from many years ago. So...I thought that this special place would make a great first giveaway to host on Celebrating this Life!

That's right, one lucky winner will win a one pound box of assorted chocolates courtesy of Reid Chocolates! Reid's makes the most melt in your mouth detectible chocolates, truffles, fancy nuts, candies, and even chocolate covered licorice! Reid's ships all over Canada and the rest of the world by special order. If you have any questions about delivery, just ask!

Good luck and Happy Valentine's Day! xx

*Contest open globally. Celebrating this Life will contact the winner directly to arrange shipment. Winner will be announced on this page at the end of the contest.

**Please be aware that this product many contain egg, gluten, nuts and/or soy. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am having a little family soiree at home on New Year's Eve. I stopped by my local Party City to pick up some decorations, I was thinking a hat or two and maybe a 'Happy New Year's' banner, but I left with a lot more! There is still time to pick up some decorations to throw your own party!

Here are a few of my favourite New Year's decorations at Party City this year:

Christmas Eve is always a sleepless night in our home. We spend all day baking and cooking, entertaining family and watching movies until late. Then, it's up early to see what treasures Old Saint Nick has left for us. No matter how old the boys get, we still wake up early to open gifts. The morning is spent lounging in new Christmas pj's eating far too many sweets until it's time to visit with family and friends.

I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend and fellow blogger, Jordana of White Cabana. Jordana and I met over Twitter and became fast friends, bonding over our love of blogging, home decor, fashion and education (she is currently pursuing her MBA!). While she blogs about her love of all things white, she does dabble in colour for the holidays. Today, let's tour White Cabana's Christmas decor! ~ Rox-Anne, Celebrating this Life

Thanks, Rox-Anne, for letting me share some of my home with your readers! I’m excited to be here, and I hope you enjoy this slice of Christmas décor.

While I live most of my design life in white, at Christmas, I do like to inject some traditional style into my home through the use of red and green. In my living room, I have a trio of small objets that are inexpensive but charming. I hand-painted the Ho-Ho-Ho rock many years ago, and I recently picked up the Made in Sweden Santa from HomeSense this season. The foxy snow globe was a Target purchase from a few years ago. It make me smile every time I shake it and twist the music on.



I love fresh flowers year-round, and when I saw the holly branches at St. Jacobs market last week, I had to have them. They’re easy to style and they last for ever. I have them placed throughout my home.


I know a lot of people collect Santas, but I’ve been trying to grow my reindeer collection. I adore the four that I have, and I’m always keeping an eye for other interesting figures to add to this set.


My Christmas tree is definitely my favourite holiday addition. I pick up my fresh tree from Ikea each year (not as charming as cutting down a tree from a tree farm, but it’s really convenient). This year’s tree is a fat and glorious gem! I filled it up with my ornament collection. I pick up ornaments when I travel, and I have some treasured pieces from my nephews and niece, too. This tree is full of love, let me tell you!





In the kitchen, I’ve hung my two most favourite Christmas crafts from my teenage years. These two people are made with loads of love. I found the pattern and instructions from an issue of Marie Claire Idées magazine, and I labored over every stitch. These two are sweet characters that bring me happy memories. I’m so glad my mom taught me how to sew when I was young!



I hope you enjoyed this short tour around my home. Thanks again, Rox-Anne, for having me! Merry Christmas, everyone!

This Christmas season I am committing to visiting a few museums in my area and I encourage you to do the same. It's a great opportunity to learn about your hometown, or adopted town's, history and it's an activity the whole family can participate in. Many museums hold workshops or special events, like the Traditional Turkey Dinner night I recently attended at the Delhi Tobacco Museum.

After our delicious dinner set to live music, including a Christmas carol sing along, we toured some of the permanent exhibits in the museum.