Visited the drive by Polar display by Pearson on Saturday with the family! Saw both Santa Claus AND Scooge Santa! #PolarDriveTO

On Sunday, spent four hours playing virtual games on google meetup with Louie, Karen, Patrick and Flo (with a short drop in from Eugene)!

My travellor's spirit is peaked in checking out the town of Santa Claus, Indiana after watching Lara Spencer from GMA on HGTV's Suprising Santa Claus, where her team renovated and redecorated two houses in the town.

Also spent the day binge-watching First Man - 2018 with Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Ad Astra - 2019 with Brad Pitt and A League of Their Own - 1992 with Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna. I haven't seen this movie since it first came out during the Blue Jays world series. What a nice refreshing reminder of how good it is!!! With the likes of Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna, Bill Pullman and other phenomenal actors! SUCH a FEEL-GOOD MOVIE!!!!

Merry Christmas 🎄

Happy Holidays and all the best for 2021, much virtual love!!!

Countdown towards Christmas...

My presents (thanks to Fayewood's delivery & my pickup from Winnie's...minor case in point, even though it was so nice to see them...very difficult to resist the innate social urge to hug...even just fist bumping is borderline considering...) are lined up and ready for Friday!!!

Had a quick chat with Ling in Oz this arvo (Wednesday morning for them) where she sent me several photos of the kids where one looked like they were all snapping their fingers...but apparently (when I brought it up) they were making they were making 'love hearts' similar to how they're done from Korean shows (that I DO NOT watch. Case in point...details...)

Decided (can also enter different synonym as my recordings are getting to the timeframe where it'll be deleted regardless of whether it's saved or not...I question this...hrm...) to watch The Tenors -- Fan Favorites with Victor, Clifton & Fraser where they sang classics and hits from the Great American Songbook such as 'Hallelujah', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'My Way', 'Sweet Caroline', 'Always on My Mind' to name a few!

This weekend included binge watching:

- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom featuring Viola Davis & Chadwick Boseman

- PLAY ON (from Dec 15) that Celebrated the Power of Music to Make Change. Hosted by Kevin Bacon & Eve with performances from Bon Jovi - American Reckoning, Yola ft The HighWomen & Sheryl Crow - Hold On, Gary Clark Jr. - Feed the Babies, LL Cool J ft DJ Z-Trip - Illegal Search, Sheryl Crow - Beware of Darkness, Ziggy Marley & Andra Day - Justice/War/Get up, Stand up, Machine Gun Kelly - Forget Me Too/Bloody Valentine, Maren Morris - Better Than We Found It, Sara Bareilles, Jon Batiste, Emily King & Steve Jordan w/ Pedrito Martinez, Chris Bruce & Meshell Ndegeocello - People Get Ready

Appearances were also made by: Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, John Legend, Noreen Springstead (Executive Director - WhyHunger) & Sherrilyn Ifill (President & Director - Counsel NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund) and Micheal Bloomberg.

- Also finished watching season 2 recordings of Songland. The composer in me LOVES this show as people come in with songs that a variety of artists sit around, brainstorm and creatively change towards a larger goal!
For example, the episode with Bebe Rexha, who originally (pre-pandemic) was looking for a song towards the 2020 Tokyo olympics (that’s now been pushed to July 23, 2021). I was especially ecstatic in seeing how the song, Miracle was put together through a collaboration of two original & different songs that Bebe had the foresight to see and combine together. Definitely brought me back to To my musical theory days of harmony and counterpoint…
I also relished the season finale episode where Usher was the recording artist considering the song he would record. It's so fascinating to get a glimpse into the background of making songs!

- Garth & Trisha Live! A Holiday Concert Event last night who's song request list included 'What I'm Thankful for', 'Little Drummer Boy', 'Silent Night', 'Santa Baby', 'Belleau Wood', 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', 'Ugly Christmas Sweater', 'Oh Holy Night', 'Frosty The Snowman', 'Wish You A Merry Christmas', 'Hard Candy Christmas', 'Feliz Navidad', 'Shallow' (from A Star is Born), 'Baby Jesus Is Born' and 'Same Auld Lang Syne'

- Also last evening's The 22nd Annual A Home for the Holidays hosted by Gayle King with performances from Josh Groban (Celebrate Me Home & Angels), Miranda Lambert (Bluebird), Andrea Bocelli (I believe), Leslie Odom Jr. (Heaven and Earth & Snow) and Meghan Trainor (It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas). It's a great way to motivate people in the push towards adoption!

- Tonight's Sketchy Times With Lilly Singh (I miss her 'A Little Late With Lilly Singh' show)

This week's Boss Family Workout schedule!!!

Soooooo extremely helpful to help curb my sweets intake...(a leftover Afternoon Tea treat from Ames) :)

The Prom & Nutcracker flashbacks

Really enjoyed watching 2020 film, The Prom which is filled with the most extraordinary famous actors (Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells - come on, I enjoy all of them in general!). To me, it was like opening an early christmas present!

Personally, I totally enjoyed this fun, feel-good movie that achieved it's goal of distracting me life in general. Even though I'm disappointed that people aren't able to put judgement aside to find offense in it, I choose to disregard and to take in the joy of my own prom flashbacks (that weren't as dramatic)!

Also watched Debbie Allen's (from Grey's Anatomy as Catherine Fox - she's the mouse in the image...😉) documentary 'Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker' that in a sense, rescue's Christmas 2020 with it's original and inspirational dance take on the traditional Nutcracker.

Guess what’s back? 😉

Something to look forward to!!! 🤗

The Original Santa Claus Parade #SANTACLAUSPARADETO

Normally, the parade occurs along University and Front St where I enjoy it viewing from the window while brunching at The Hot House Cafe. However, this year the parade took place at Canada's Wonderland virtually this evening.

The parade lineup included: Mother Goose, Polar Bear on ice, Phillipine Heritage Band, The Tooth Fairy, CTV holiday sleigh-in with DJ Tyrone and his daughter, Toronto All Stars Steel Orchestra, Molly Maid, BMO Bear, Power of Sport (MLSE), Snow Day (Canada Protection Plan), E.L. Crossley Secondary School Marching Band, The Dalton Owl (The Dalton School), TD Music (TD Bank Group), Winter Forest (McDonald's Canada), Hitmen Drumline, Mr. Peanut (Planters Peanuts), Imagination Starts Here (Indigo and Chapters), Holiday Treats (Metro Grocery), Penguin Pizza Party (Pizza Pizza), #FILLUPWITHLOVE (Dairy Farmers of Ontario), Go Bear (Go Transit), Automotive Partner: Volkswagen, All Christmas Music (98.1 CHFI)

Appearances from: Tyra Banks, Shay Mitchell, Paris Jackson, Lily Aldridge, Sting, Sam Smith, Bebe Rexha, Hannah Gadsby, Ruth B, Mayim Bialik, Iain Armitage, Giacomo Gianniotti, Matt Bomer, Shaggy, Joyeuses Fetes, Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest, Jason Priestly & Cindy Sampson, Pentatonix, Johnny Orlando, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Brett Kissel, The Reklaws, James Barker, Scott Helman, Jullian Shea Spaeder, Kalen Allen, Tyler Shaw, Saweetie, Mrs. Claus, Jose Feliciano and last but not least...Mr. Claus himself!

Performances with Meghan Trainor - "Holidays", Ruth B - "Silent Night", Shaggy & Carys - "Catch Myself Some Rays", The Toronto Symphony Orchestra - Excerpt from "Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker", Ridley College Cadet Corps - "Marching Band #162", Kelly Clarkson & Brett Aldridge - "Under The Mistletoe", Malvern C.I., Malvern Band Toronto, Burlington Teen Tour Band and Dolly Parton - "Holly Jolly Christmas"