life with more cowbell

You know the holiday season has officially started when then invites start landing in your Inbox. For me, this started a few weeks ago.

There are gatherings with various friends and acquaintances, family and the inevitable office party. Yesterday, it was a family gathering – the annual pilgrimage to Ingersoll (which I hear is no longer the cheese capital of Ontario – and that makes me kind of sad) to the Elm Hurst Inn for the annual Xmas brunch. We’re talking serious brunch here, folks, and I’m a big fan of the brunch. The all-you-can-eat menu includes a mamosa (you can also order a la carte from the bar), an omelette/waffle station (where you get to choose your ingredients for the omelette), salad bar, fruit and cheese, various hot dishes from breakfasty items to roast beef, chicken and pasta – and, a dessert table that features various cakes, pies and other treats, as well as pre-made cherry crepes and a chocolate fountain. As tempting as it is, I tend to avoid the chocolate fountain – I’ve seen how some buffet patrons neglect using toothpicks in these things, and it strikes me as one of the least hygienic things in the buffet universe.

Other than the family catch-up and food, the highlight of my brunch experience was my 10-year-old nephew Colin inviting me to come shoot pool with him and his brother Stephen (12). The boys even supplied the loonies (likely garnered from the parents or mine) and, since there were three of us, we played two on one – Colin and I vs. Stephen for game one and the boys vs. me for game two. I lost us game one when I sunk the eight ball too soon, but redeemed myself in game two. We had to wrap then, since we were due to head home shortly after.

This past Friday/weekend also included some non-holiday get-togethers. Met my gf’s Lizzie and Kat on Friday night for some catch-up over food and pitchers of Keith’s at Jack Astor’s – always a pleasure. Saturday night, I met the Willow Quartet gang at Whistler’s Pub after their final performance; a more subdued event compared to the opening night party – but nice and relaxed, and all of us happy with the production. And I was very grateful for the drive home, courtesy of SM Margot “Mom” Devlin and her husband Shaun, who also dropped set designer Ed Rosing off at his place. And we didn’t even have to tuck and roll on the way out!

So now comes the challenge of scheduling and otherwise sorting out of this embarrassment of holiday invitation riches. This would be another instance where a clone would come in handy. Alas, I can’t be everywhere, so I’ll just have to do the best I can.

What are you up to this holiday season?