Parliament Christmas Lights Show

The other night, Ryan and I went to see the Christmas Lights Show on Parliament Hill. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular, but I've got to admit, I was really quite surprised by how great it was! I've seen some pretty impressive lights shows (for those of you who have been to Disney World, you know what I mean!), and this one was pretty amazing!

The show, which is about 15 minutes long, runs on a loop from about 5:00pm until 11:00pm, and we got there just in time to catch the show as it began from the beginning. Essentially, the Lights Show is a projection of a Christmas/winter themed short movie, onto the exterior of the Peace Tower and Parliament buildings. There is even perfectly synced music that accompanies the show, which I particularly liked! 

We brought Rocky with us, and walked around the grounds a bit after the show was over. I don't think he cared much about the Lights Show, but he was a pretty happy doggy to be outside and walking around, instead of cooped up inside and alone! 

In any case, if you live in the Ottawa region, I strongly recommend going to check out the Christmas Lights Show!

Christmas Fair at City Hall

This weekend was relaxing and restful..exactly what we needed! Aside from taking Rocky out to the dog park a few times, we also managed to check out the Christmas Fair at City Hall, that took place on Saturday, December 5th from 2 pm - 6 pm.

The weather was so mild and warm over the weekend, which made the long lines outside of City Hall much more bearable! We arrived about an hour after the event started, so there were lots of people there already. The shortest line happened to be for drinks, so we quickly grabbed a spot and waited for our hot chocolate. Next up, we took our place in the significantly longer line for FREE Beaver Tails! They weren't giving people any choice of toppings, but how could anyone complain about a FREE cinnamon sugar Beaver Tail??

Unfortunately, we didn't do the horse-drawn carriage ride (the line was really long), but we still enjoyed seeing all of the fun activities and Christmas decorations throughout the City Hall grounds. They had a merry-go-round, a craft workshop, and of course, a meet-and-greet with Mr and Mrs Claus! Of course, I should note that the event catered primarily to kids and families, but there were still plenty of young couples and older groups in attendance. 

On Sunday, I got a chance to do what I had been looking forward to ever since the weather started to get colder...I wrapped Christmas presents! I also wrote our Christmas cards, which was actually quite a feat! My hand was certainly starting to ache by the time I finished and sealed the final card. I personally enjoy wrapping Christmas presents, especially when I get to do it while listening to Christmas music and sipping on a peppermint mocha (my homemade version: dark chocolate, coffee, steamed milk, and a peppermint candy cane)!

I even had a little helper keeping me company! Now, if only I could teach him to cut tape and curl ribbons for me! Hehehe, just kidding of course!