elf.

Last night for a bit of spontaneous fun, we decorated our Christmas tree. Last year we went "artificial" and it is much easier to deal with, especially in terms of spontaneity. No picking and choosing, no thawing out, no vacuming needles. I never thought I would be an "artificial" type, but the trees you can buy now are so beautiful compared to years ago. Tyler entertained us with Christmas carols. Then we watched the movie "Elf" with Will Farrell. Sometimes, in our house, it is not so easy to find a movie that pleases both the 10 year old and the 5 year old, but this movie fits the bill. Great laughs all around-even from the adults. Will Ferrel is so silly in this roll. As a special treat, I made cinnamon buns for a bedtime snack. Tyler says that he loves "an old-fashioned Christmas!".

So Hunter & I went to the Symphony on Saturday night. It was their Christmas concert with a special guest conductor, an incredible jazz singer named Denzel Sinclair, two guest choirs and a dance troupe from the local school of performing arts. The performance hall was in the heart of the downtown, so we left plenty early to allow time to get lost and then find a parking spot. Well, we didn't get lost and found a magical parking spot right across the street from the Symphony venue, so we had a little time to walk around and enjoy the Christmas light displays in the downtown. It was a perfect night-not too cold and lots of hub-bub around. We went to Second Cup to enjoy a cuppa hot chocolate and then on to the concert. We even made it home in time for Ron to go to hockey in another part of the city. It was a wonderful evening.