The Holiday Post

It feels funny to not be in Canada this time of the year. I find myself nostalgic for the snow (even though you've probably heard me say I really like not having snow), singing in the alumni choir for the annual Toronto Children's Chorus holiday concert at Roy Thomson Hall and spending time with my rather large and wonderful family.

I guess it's a bit better to be away - I have an equally wonderful family that I've been lucky enough to marry into, and their traditions are different (in a very nice way) from the ones I grew up with. Sharing the holidays with my husband is more important than our geography, but it's hard not to think about what you're missing out on back home. Since moving over to this side of the pond, it's nice to have a break back home to reminisce with friends over coffee and find you haven't aged (read: become more mature) since high school. There's a sort of disconnect one feels being removed from the culture and local scene for a while, but it's also nice to have people clear their home schedules just to see you because you're in town for the holidays.

To be fair, I've been back quite a bit over the past year. I started 2008 in New York City, tacked on two weekends in Toronto between SES NYC, spent time in Toronto for (surprise) SES Toronto, and flew back in October to visit family and celebrate the wedding of my friend Ali to Brian. I feel like I've stamped my passport frequently enough with trips back home to see my family (and my family coming over here). The coming years might not yield as many trips back to the old homestead, but it sure is nice to know that you're welcome in two places concurrently. So, whatever you celebrate - have a very happy holiday season.