Merry Christmas Ottawa!
We are off for a couple of days with our families, and we hope you’re enjoying this time with yours.
Photo via canadascapital.gc.ca
If you’d like to share some of your special winter traditions in the great city of Ottawa, please e-mail us at ltottawa@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays!
Mike Reynolds (blog/Twitter) is an Ottawa born-and-raised husband, father to one and soon to be second. He’s obsessed with making sure his daughter says ‘daddy and mommy’ and not ‘mommy and daddy’ and with finding junk he thinks will one day be considered an antique. He also blogs about his admitted cluelessness when it comes to raising a child.
In the words of one of the most revered Christmas experts of our age, Clark Griswold, cutting down the Christmas tree is one of “the most enduring traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin.”
Our family wholeheartedly agrees with this statement, so our tree hunting day is an important one. We’ve been to a few tree lots over the past few years. Some specialize in having perfect looking Christmas trees, while others focus more on the tree-getting experience.
Until last year, we’d never found one that married the two experiences perfectly. In our family, the perfectly shaped tree is not the traditional, upside down triangle but rather a more bulbous, branchy thing that looks like a character from SpongeBob SquarePants.
Thomas Tree Farm
But last year, as I browsed through an issue of Chatelaine for whatever reason, I found a small story about the Thomas Tree Farm in North Gower. They promoted themselves as “more than just trees; it’s a whole experience.” With a one-year-old daughter, we decided we’d try it out.
Last year it was freezing cold, but we loved it. We loved it so much that, for the first time, we decided we could go back to the same Christmas tree farm two years in a row.
Thomas Tree Farm is open seven days a week and opens at 9 a.m. on weekends. We did our best to arrive as close to the start time as we could, assuming that two weeks before Christmas would be a popular time to pick out a tree.
Andrea and Leah
We were correct, and found one of the last few spots in the parking lot, saving us a few minutes’ walk. While we were a little surprised and more than a little overwhelmed with the number of parents walking around with their snowsuit wearing children, any negative sentiment was quickly washed away as we walked deeper into the woods.
It took but a few steps to remember why we wanted to come back to this place. You’re greeted by the smell of campfire and freshly cut trees, and, even though the place had only been open for 45 minutes, we already saw happy children unknowingly getting in the way of parents trying to strap massive green trees to the roofs of their small cars.
You can also see more groups of families standing by the fire with their complimentary (so long as you get a tree) hot chocolate and cookie. A tempting treat, but first, the tree must be hunted.
The Thomas Tree Farm boasts fields and fields of scotch pine, spruce and balsam fir and you also have the option of buying a pre-cut Fraser fir. Since we didn’t travel all that way for a pre-cut tree, we lined up for the next wagon ride out into the fields.
The traditional ‘can I get us all in the picture without asking a stranger if they’ll take the picture for us’ picture
Even if you see a wagon pulling away as you approach the line (as we did) the wait is but minutes long, as they must have wagons being built in some back shed there seem to be so many of them. When ours pulls up, we climb aboard, hold tight and try taking the traditional ‘can I get us all in the picture without asking a stranger if they’ll take the picture for us’ picture.
Once that’s out of the way, we marvel at the trees out in the fields. The trip starts by passing the trees you’ll be cutting down in 10 years and the wagon slowly wheels us up to the big fields of six to nine foot trees.
We finally stopped amidst a clump of trees all tagged with correlating blue, red, or green tags. We wanted a spruce and headed to the blue tag section, a borrowed saw in hand. Trying to remember my dad’s safety tips for handling a saw, we nimbly made our way through the trees (made easier by the lack of snow), searching for the perfectly imperfect Christmas tree.
Since Leah is now old enough to have a say, we strategically directed her towards the trees we liked the most. When we finally found one that looked just big enough to not fit in our living room, we asked her if this was the one.
“Santa,” she answered, and that answer was enough for us.
Mike and Leah
Lacking athletic skill, I crawled along the ground to get a good look at the base and started sawing away, assuming I had lumberjack ancestors somewhere in my lineage. The large thud I was expecting when I finally made it through the base never came, but when the tree almost floated to the ground, we realized the choice was the right one.
“Do you think it will fit in the house,” my wife Andrea asked.
“Not a chance,” I replied.
“Will we have to trim it to make it fit?”
“Not a chance.”
“It’s perfect, isn’t it?”
“Santa,” Leah confirmed.
We dragged our tree back to the wagon line, waited for our tree taxi to arrive, hurled ours up amongst the much less impressive trees other families had chosen, and made our way back to the campfire, cookies and hot chocolate.
Mike shows off his lumberjack skills
Andrea and Leah slurped their drinks and nommed their cookies as I sped the tree through the processing line. At Thomas Tree Farm they give you a courtesy tree shake that ensures Chip and Dale don’t make their way home with you, and then bag it to make throwing it on top of your car a less difficult experience.
And so, as Leah and Andrea participated in the wintery fun, I dragged the tree over to the car, and psyched myself up for my least favourite part: the roof securing. I threw the tree up onto the car and then just waited. For what, I wasn’t sure. Finally, catching on to my ineptitude, Andrea offered to help me bind it to the roof.
She quickly girl guide knotted it and assured me we’d be good to get it home. As we pulled out of the lot, we noticed the number of cars had nearly tripled since we arrived and that the parking had made its way onto the road.
There was no doubt that we’d be back again next year.
We love how much this reminds us of Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation. Sounds like you had loads of fun, Mike. This is making us even more excited for the holidays to begin!
Do any of you have a favourite Christmas tree farm? Do you utilize your lumberjack skills to acquire the perfect imperfect tree? Let us know!
Photo credit: Lara Bender
Fun fact: in 2010, Agritourist Lara Bender visited a number of Christmas tree farms in the Ottawa region, and wrote articles about each and every one of them.
We love to blog, but we also love to celebrate the great blogs in our area that already exist – and Lara’s is definitely one of them.
Photo credit: Lara Bender
She is the creator of Agritourism Ottawa, a blog that profiles wineries, orchards, gardens, farm tours, and other agricultural destinations within an hour’s drive of Ottawa.
So, are you still hunting for a tree?
Check out Lara’s guide, including write-ups of Ian’s Evergreen Plantation, Cedar Hill Berry Farm, Kings Creek Trees, Fallowfield Tree Farm, Hillcrest Tree Farm, Thomas Tree Farm, and Briggs Trees.
It’s definitely the most comprehensive snapshot we’ve found! Thanks Lara!
Where do you get your Christmas tree?
Nicola Maule is an event planner who is always trying to bring a bit more excitement to Ottawa.
In recent years I have been struggling with the overwhelming commercialization of Christmas. Everywhere I turn, I feel as though I am bombarded with ads for new technology gadgets and latest toys. This year, my eight year old’s letter to Santa this year consisted only of items that started with an “i”!
So instead of hunting for the latest electronics, I have been cruising the local craft shows for items that have been made with love and care for my loved ones.
So, I can recommend to you one fair that is not to be missed this December – the Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair. On Saturday December 10th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 26 of Ottawa’s finest artisan food producers will be gathered at Memorial Hall at 39 Dufferin Rd. in New Edinburgh (part of the new Crichton Cultural Community Centre).
The locally made gourmet products will include cookies, pies, breads, macaroons, tortieres, teas, coffees, jams, chutneys, marinades, salsa, olive oils, granola, cheeses, soups, chocolates, ice creams, mustards, take home meals and gluten free baking – all wonderful gifts that will also reduce the stress of your holiday cooking and shopping.
Wood-fired pizza from The Flatbread Pizza Company (Photo Credit: Gen Brisson)
There will be lots of sampling of the products and the on-site café will be serving delicious soups all day long and The Flatbread Pizza Company will have their wood burning oven outside the hall making irresistible pizza that will make you dream of Italy!
Some of Ottawa’s well known food artisans that will be there such as Life of Pie, Pascale’s Ice Cream, Art-is-in Bakery and Rochef Chocolatier. Just think you can get all your holiday shopping done in one day, in one place and know that you are supporting the local Ottawa food scene.
Also, you can be sure that your taste buds will thank you too!
Admission to the fair is free and there will be a silent auction at the fair with products donated by the vendors. The proceeds will go to the School Breakfast Program which feeds 11,000 children in Ottawa every day.
Thanks Nicola! For more information visit: www.ottawaLAFF.ca.
The locally based theatre group Company of Fools is launching their 2011 season on Jan. 5 with the Shakespearean laugh-fest Twelfth Night, an annual tradition that also serves as fundraiser. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on the NAC’s Fourth Stage and tickets are just $20 each.
The famed Bill Shakespeare
The Twelfth Night was a comedy written by Shakespeare in the early 1600s to serve as a close to the Christmas Season. While the 12 days of Christmas aren’t much more than a song for many of us today, there are still loads of places around the world that celebrate the longer holiday tradition, known as Christmastide, which is followed by the (Feast of the) Epiphany on Jan. 6.
A bit of history about the annual performance is provided on the Company of Fool website:
“The Twelfth Night Celebrations began in the late 90’s in the basement of the Royal Oak Pub on Laurier. When the NAC opened the Fourth Stage in 2000, we were the opening act! The event was such a success the NAC has had us back every year since!”
So here’s to Company of Fools bringing a bit of late Christmas cheer to Ottawa!
Anyone planning on checking the show out on Wednesday? Tell us about it …
Parliament Hill, December 2010
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!
We hope you are all enjoying some quality time with your friends and family – and don’t forget to take a nice walk or drive through your favourite parts of the city to check out the lights!
Happy egg nog,
LTOttawa
Photo credit: Fairmont Château Laurier
Alex Hosselet likes to keep it real and keep it classy. Alex recently visited the Château Laurier and was thoroughly impressed by the classiness of this Ottawa landmark.
I hadn’t been to the Château Laurier (properly called “Fairmont Château Laurier”) since my high school prom, and for numerous reasons was not able to fully appreciate the beauty of this hotel at the time.
The hotel has its origin and history on display with a series of captioned photographs. It was commissioned by the Grand Trunk Railway (which, unfortunately, has no connection to the Grand Funk Railroad) in 1909, designed in conjunction with the Union Train Station (which is now the Government Conference Centre, and a marvel of architecture in itself). The Château Laurier was completed in 1912, but never seen by the Grand Trunk Railway commissioning chairman, Charles Melville Hays, as he was returning from England on the ill-fated RMS Titanic.
However, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the hotel’s namesake, was present for the opening ceremony. The hotel was Ottawa’ hot spot for decades to come, hosting a plethora of royalty, politicians, celebrities and artists. After the closing of Union Station, the hotel went through a slump in the 60s and 70s. However, it was heavily renovated in the 1980s, restoring it to glory. Eventually, the hotel chain that owned the Château Laurier, Canadian Pacific Hotels, was purchased by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, and the name was updated to “Fairmont Château Laurier”.
In addition to the beautiful photo gallery which describes the history above, the hotel is filled with uncountable interesting details. It is host to a collection of shops carrying both tourist goods and works of Canadian art. It also hosts an upscale restaurant (Wilfrid’s Restaurant), a seasonal patio (La Terrasse), and a lounge (Zoé’s Lounge). Zoé’s offers a daily tea service, which is a tradition for many Ottawa residents.
For the holiday season, the hotel has a stunning array of Christmas trees on display, as well as extensive holiday programming. I know my brief trip to take in the sights was enough to plunge me into the holiday spirit.
The Château Laurier is remarkable – to stay at, eat at, or just visit. If you’re like me, and haven’t taken in everything the hotel has to offer, then I would strongly encourage you to stop by next time you’re downtown. All the better if you can make it before the holiday season is over!
Do you have a favourite memory from the hotel that you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment or send us an e-mail at LTOttawa@gmail.com!
Patrons leave The Gladstone after It's a Wonderful Life, Saturday Dec. 18. (Photo credit: Carolynne Burkholder)
Peter James is Twitter-obsessed sports fanatic, theatre-lover and journalist living in Ottawa.
Ottawa is a great city to be a live theatre enthusiast.
From the first-rate professional productions at the National Arts Centre and the Great Canadian Theatre Company, to the outstanding community troupe at Ottawa Little Theatre to the formidable student group at Carleton’s Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company, there is no shortage of places to watch a play and plenty of opportunity for thespians to perform.
One theatre that’s sadly been overlooked in recent years is The Gladstone. Converted from a truck repair garage into GCTC’s first home in 1982, the theatre has been operated in its current incarnation the past three years by Steve Martin. It’s a become a place for local professional actors to show off their talents.
Crowds have not met owner Martin’s expectations and he put the building on Gladstone Avenue near Preston Street on the market this fall. This year’s mini-season is still going ahead and their production of It’s a Wonderful Life wrapped up Saturday. Oscar Wilde’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest is set for February.
An admirer of live theatre ever since my mother bought season’s tickets to the Manitoba Theatre for Young People when I was a child growing up in Winnipeg, I’ve seen shows at most of Ottawa’s venues over the years. But like too many other theatre-lovers I’d ignored The Gladstone until this weekend when I attended It’s a Wonderful Life.
Walking up to the theatre, the Gladstone’s classic marquee brings patrons back to a time when live theatre was the thing to do for a night on the town. Once inside the small, yet charming lobby, it’s easy to see the work Martin had done to restore the building. It’s a comfortable space to rub elbows with other theatre goers, enjoy a pre-show drink at the bar or simply take advantage of the free volunteer-run coat check.
The theatre itself gives patrons an intimate atmosphere — even sitting in the back row feels like you’re right on top of the stage.
The production of It’s a Wonderful Life itself was superb. It was conceived as a show with a show. The audience was transported to the studios of a radio station and watched the cast perform the radio play. Aside from reading the script, director Teri Loretto-Valentik made sure there was enough action going behind the scenes — playful personality conflicts between the actors, microphones weren’t the proper height and funny signals to the production team — to keep the eyes entertained while the ears heard the heart-warming Christmas story.
Tony Palermo’s stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s iconic 1946 movie worked wonderfully with the simple set used for the show. Keeping true to the 1940s era, the sound effects were done manually and watching sound artist Karen Benoit do her work was entertaining unto itself.
The 236 seats were packed for Saturday’s matinee and the crowd got involved in the show “ooohing” and “ahhhing” on cue and joining the cast in singing Auld Lang Syne at the end of the show.
Located in the heart of Little Italy, The Gladstone is situated perfectly to give patrons a chance to enjoy a fine dinner and a show in one stop. (My favourite restaurant in the neighbourhood is Da Sergio on Preston).
There is no parking lot associated with the theatre and parking on Preston is often at a premium, so remember leave early enough so you’ll have time to find a spot.
Martin told the Ottawa Citizen when he put the building up for sale this fall that Ottawa “probably is a hockey city more than a theatre city.”
With The Importance of Being Earnest coming up soon, theatre fans have a chance to prove him wrong.
Thanks for the post Peter!
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Annie McEwen is the best. She is currently studying at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. We miss her! And we’re sure she misses us too. Last week, Annie shared a little holiday shopping nostalgia with us, writing up a great guide to shopping in Ottawa’s Glebe.
This week? Westboro – Wellington.
I’ve lumped these together, which is sure to offend some, but maybe it’ll inspire and extra long Christmas walk from one end to the other? Or maybe I’m forgetting how cold Ottawa winter is…. in any case, here’s my picks East to West of this constantly evolving area.
Too the very far east you’ll find Wabi Sabi. I love this place. If you’ve got a fibre-artist in your life, or would-be-knitter, consider encouraging them with some of the beautiful yarns and fibres stocked here. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll be regifted the yarn as toque or socks! Also consider checking out their workshops on offer for everything from dyeing to weaving.
Whether outdoor adventurer, global backpacker, or armchair traveller, this place inspires. From travel books to posters and topomaps, this place is interesting even if it doesn’t fit the bill for someone’s gift.
Specialty teas from a special place. Stop in to collect a stocking stuffer of exotic tea, or warm up with cup yourself!
I prefer Kettleman’s Bagels for my bagels, but the Bagel Shop is stocked to the brim with interesting foodie delights and chocolates. Stop by to pick up finishing salt or a pound of Callebaut chocolate (apparently at a much cheaper price than the competition I’m told).
Westboro it the mecca for yuppie (that’s Young Urban Professional, in case you’re too young to know the less-derogatory origin) outdoorsy gear, and heading east to west it starts with Bushtukah. Even if you haven’t got a skier on your list, you might find something neat for the world traveller or summertime camper in here. You can also check out Mountain Equipment Co-op in this area, if that is your preference.
A relatively new addition to the Westboro scene, this import store has some great affordable gifts from South America and the wider world, including some very cozy alpaca toques last I was there!
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Roots, Lulu Lemon, and American Apparel
If you really must go for the big brands, a few have storefronts on Richmond Road. Easy in and out without the mall music.
Well, the name sort of gives it away. Stop in to treat yourself or grab something to stuff a stocking.
Another source for outdoorsy and travel things, but really, who doesn’t love smartwool socks?!
If you’re feeling a little more ethical and the consumption of Christmas is getting you down, the fairtrade offerings of Ten Thousand Villages might be a good idea.
Food and drink while you shop…
A well-known Ottawa catering institution. Mostly I’m listing it here because it carries my very favourite bread in Ottawa… and no, I’m not talking about the ubiquitous Art-is-in breads. True Loaf bread is simply the most marvellous baked thing to have hit Ottawa since the French Baker brought real croissants to town, and last I was there Thyme and Again was stocking it!
I simply love everything they bake. No place really to sit down, but consider picking something up for a treat on a cozy evening in.
Always popular for a break from the winter weather.
Where are you doing your holiday shopping?
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Vanessa Wen is a born and raised Ottawan who loves finding all things small town, big city and internationally flavoured, in the capital.
For as long as I can remember, every December my parents insisted on bundling us up until we couldn’t breathe, driving for what seemed liked ages, and trekking through the woods to chop down the perfect Christmas tree.
Skinny or fat, tall or stout, my parents refused to buy a pre-wrapped tree from the beer store or the lot down the street. Instead, they wanted to examine the straightness of the trunk, the moistness of the needles, and the shape of the branches. It was always a fun adventure, but somewhere between -20 degrees and examining the trunk on tree number 56, patience always wore thin.
It wasn’t until I spent my first Christmas away from home, surrounded by palm trees, that I realized how lucky I was to have grown up with the tradition of always bringing home a hand-picked (and hand-sawed) tree. Sure, we’re taught as kids that cutting down trees isn’t environmentally friendly. And yeah, these trees are grown for the sole purpose of being cut down just so they can be displayed for three weeks and then thrown to the curb. But there’s something real about having a tree, straight from the woods where you picked it, as part of your family during the holidays.
And plus, the people who run the tree farm are experts and rotate the growing and cutting of the trees annually.
Laird’s U-Cut Tree Farm just outside of Ottawa offers trees of the pine, spruce, and blue spruce varieties. Free shaking and bundling on site. Prices vary depending on type and size.
Thanks Vanessa!!
