Happy #SantaLuciaDay! It’s traditional to have cardamom buns, but I made our usual #vegan bacon, cheddar & egg sandwiches with vegan croissants from Gigli Caffe up the street. It’s also traditional to wear a crown of live candles on your head, so I’m okay with breaking tradition. #Estonia #Eesti

Our tree is an animal menagerie. ❤️🐙 #Christmas #ChristmasTree #ornaments #animals

Thanks, Norm & Lenore, for making it possible for me to eat my hat. #Christmas #AdventCalendar #TorontoJunction #ShopLocal

Thank you, Caribou Gifts, for having this terrific little origami kit, going to our youngest niece. I bet I’ll end up making a few animals with her when we see them. ❤️ #Christmas #origami #kids #TorontoJunction #ShopLocal

Look, the wildlife is at our doorstep every day—we may as well invite them in for mulled wine at this point. #birds #UrbanWildlife #wildlife #Toronto

It was a marshmallow world. #snowTO #snow #Toronto

If only it would snow these. Seemed like the perfect day to pick up two Mad Batter Bakers’ snowflake cookies from Grumpy Gourmet, going to our two youngest nieces. Our teenage son immediately ate the Santa one I got him. ❄️ #Christmas #gingerbread #cookies #BloorWestVillage #ShopLocal

Tonight’s Vegan Butter Cauliflower with brown rice & whole wheat naan. Always tasty. Recipe from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. #vegan #plantbased #Veganuary #GoVegan

Cheers, all! First mulled wine of the season, a perfect accompaniment to snow. #Christmas #MulledWine #glögi #glögg

It’s like having galaxies at my fingertips. Thank you so much, M&P Charm Nail Spa! I love it. ❤️ #Christmas #nails #glitter #BabyPoint

He came back. #CoopersHawk #hawks #UrbanWildlife #wildlife #Toronto

Most important meal of the day. Our friendly, neighbourhood Cooper’s hawk with—based on the feathers that have landed on the deck—what probably used to be either a mourning dove or a dark-eyed junco. Circle of life, people. With thanks to Weird Al. #hawks #UrbanWildlife #wildlife #Toronto

Opened the back curtain. #NotMyCat #cats

Got some of these #FlowMovie gingerbread cookies from the Letts Shop when I went to pick up a bunch of Estonian chocolates for my Mom. So cute. And I hear that the cookies taste amazing. I’m saving ours for a stocking. #Christmas #gingerbread #cats #Latvia

You had me at dancing cats! Okay, just #cats. The #TorontoJunction 6th Annual Window Wonderland is on, and I got to enjoy “A Recipe for Love” on my way into The Sweet Potato yesterday. (1/2) Mural Artist: Marg Cresswell Animator: Isabella Papa #WindowWonderlandTO #MuralArt #animation #Toronto

If you’re not getting your #panettone from a raccoon, what are you doing? #Christmas #TorontoPanettone #Toronto #raccoons

Last night’s Irish White Bean & Cabbage Stew, so easy to make (quite literally chop everything up, throw it in the pot, simmer) and so tasty. We have it with soft, buttered dinner rolls to scoop up every last bit. Recipe from #ForksOverKnives. #vegan #plantbased #IrishStew #Veganuary #GoVegan

Just a simple Sunday breakfast of oatmeal with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup after a hectic week. #vegan #plantbased #breakfast #Veganuary #GoVegan

😔 #NationalDayOfRemembrance #ViolenceAgainstWomen

What a fantastic sticker book for one of our nieces from #BookCity in #BloorWestVillage! In addition to stickers & backgrounds, this one has intricate colouring pages, matching games, mazes, quizzes … I mean, I kind of want one myself. #gifts #KidsBooks #ShopLocal #Toronto

Dropped in to Quipus Crafts to get a new wallet for our son. He got his current one here, also with an Indigenous design, so long ago that it’s now more bendy than an inflatable tube man. And they have so many beautiful cards. ❤️ #Christmas #gifts #BloorWestVillage #ShopLocal #Toronto

The stockings are stuffed, the gifts are basketed, and the Hanukkah treats are … lit? Look, whatever works. They’re all crazy good, with huge thanks to #NormAndLenore! #Christmas #chocolate #gifts #TorontoJunction #ShopLocal #Toronto

Oh boy, oh boy! This was so simple and so delicious. This is Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter, especially excellent with potato gnocchi. My friends, I licked the plate. Thank you for the recommendation, @kateatherley.bsky.social & @normwilner.bsky.social. #vegan #plantbased

About six months ago, our son came to me and asked, “Do you know an ‘80s singer named Gowan?” I told him that “A Criminal Mind” is a masterpiece. Turns out the kid likes his music, especially “Moonlight Desires.” So when I saw that #Gowan would be at Massey Hall, I got us tickets. (1/8)

It was a packed house at last weekend’s dramatic reading of #AChristmasCarol by various #Toronto personalities at Runnymede United, benefitting the Bloor West Food Bank. A big congratulations to all of the volunteers and organizers for making it all happen!

When we went for a tour of #SpeakingOfWildlife a few years back, I got the sweetest video (🧵⬇️) of Maple yipping while Maverick the Wolf is howling. ❤️ (1/2) Happy #December, all!

Oh my God, it does exist! #Metrolinx #EglintonCrosstown #Toronto #TOpoli #ONpoli

Raccoons, they’re just like us! #drunk #raccoon

I just remembered that we get to start this today, and I get the odd days, so ta-da! Two peppermint saltwater taffies. I’m Santa here, with both candies in my hands, and my husband is the snowman yelling, “WTF?” #Christmas #AdventCalendar

My son & I stopped by the Eaton Centre last night. He suggested that, this year, we go to the third floor to watch the 114-foot tree light & snow show. Did not disappoint. Last year, we came by in the middle of the day, but I think it’s more striking at night. ❄️ #Christmas #ChristmasTree #Toronto

Managed to drop by Northern Contemporary Gallery yesterday, snagged a set of Emily May Rose’s holiday cards. Yay! #Christmas #ChristmasCards #raccoons #Roncesvalles

We went to the #ChristmasMarket at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church yesterday and came home with some adorable gifts. All of the knit items were amazing! Also, someone there keeps popping cats into their religious paraphernalia; these are my people. #Christmas #gifts #knitting #cats

Worst getaway car ever. #Christmas #knitting

Well that was cool. #sunset #Toronto

Obviously AI. #teens #phones

Happy American #Thanksgiving to all who …. like yelling at their famiies and watching football all day?

Our Smile Cookies are into each other. #holiday #SmileCookies #charity #cookies @timhortonsofficial.bsky.social

My Harvard roommate used to bring de la Rosa peanut mazapan for us, and finding these right here at Rábago Mexican Bakery & Cafe genuinely brought me joy. Thought I’d give the Banderilla a try, too. Next time, I’m hitting up the baked goods! #RabagoBakery #MexicanCandy #BabyPoint #Toronto

Happy #CocoChocolates pick-up day to all who celebrate! #biscotti #handmade #chocolates #Christmas #Toronto

Just plain excellent, #BigVeganCake! #vegan #plantbased #Christmas #cookies #Veganuary #GoVegan

“He called her a what? You’ve got to be shitting me.” 📷 by our son. #squirrels #RedSquirrel #UrbanWildlife #wildlife #Toronto

This is the whole premise of #StarTrekEnterprise. Via @in-otter-news.bsky.social. #StarTrek #InOtterNews

Please tell me that there’s a #CocaineBear. #Toronto #BigBearPark #bears

We also went to the #ChristmasMarket at St. Peter’s Estonian Lutheran Church. We got pirukaid & stritsel, and my husband got me Viking ship earrings. The silversmith said that they come with a trip to Valhalla when needed, at which time they’ll burn up. 🔥😆 #Eesti #Estonia #Christmas #Toronto

We dropped in to St. Olave’s #ChristmasMarket today. So many pretty, handmade gifts; came home with a few. ❤️ Clockwise: Cookies by Big Vegan Cake; butterfly earrings; wooden coasters by Memories by Kavii; and illustrated dinosaur cards & book by EC Mazur. #Christmas #BloorWestVillage #ShopLocal

I came across a page of helpful terms for English speakers to know in Estonian. These are all correct, and if you think that last one is a joke, you haven’t been to Estonia. #Estonia #Eesti #Estonian #eels @filmfest.bsky.social

Just heard you on Metro Morning, @filmfest.bsky.social; do you need a translator in Tallinn? Or at least someone to join you to eat all the Kalev chocolates? Kõike head!

“No bad hair days,” says the sign. Certainly not when Thao does her magic at Embu in The Junction. ❤️ 📷 Thao Le #hair #balayage #waves #TorontoJunction

Vincent comes to stick his tongue out at me. #NotMyCat #cats

A morning treat of hot apple cider and a vegan croissant at Gigli Caffe in #TorontoJunction. 👩‍🍳💋 #vegan #plantbased #Veganuary #GoVegan