Ah January. The longest month of the year, or so it always seems. If you’re anything like me, the initial days and weeks after Christmas feel dull and dreary, and you feel a little more limp, a bit like our not so perky Christmas pine tree that’s now in the garage awaiting collection for environmentally friendly disposal!

We didn’t expect to be starting the New Year in Ontario in a lockdown; upcoming trips now cancelled, Paul’s training potentially affected, and starting the daunting task of remote learning for Grace whilst schools take an extended break. But there are still some positives: I had the chance to watch Grace interact with her classmates and teachers as they embarked on their first online lesson; this made my heart happy, listening to her sing and repeat tasks in her light Canadian accent that shines through when she’s with her friends. 


We also get to spend more time exploring Canada outdoors. There are so many more beautiful places on our ‘to see’ list and I’m going to make sure we get to them! We’ve started participating in a 1000 Hours Outside initiative - if you haven’t heard of this before I highly recommend taking a look (I’ve included links at the end of this blog post). In a nutshell, it encourages families to spend more time outdoors, exploring and in a more ‘free play’ state. You can track your time and activities over the course of a year and follow others who are doing the same. What better place for us to start than in a different country?!


December recap: light shows and festive markets

Ontario has an array of festive light shows through December (and some go right through January). In all honesty, many of the residential areas around London and the outskirts put on such good displays that you could easily create your own experience walking around the streets. London also publishes an interactive map of Christmas tree lights-literally a list of people’s houses to drive by!


Longwoods Conservation Area - The Magic of Lights

As part of our Canadian Christmas experience, we visited The Magic of Lights at Longwoods Conservation area. About a 20 minute night drive out of the city, and suddenly the bright, colourful lights come into view. The best part about it was that we could unbuckle the girls and let them roam wild in the car, looking out the windows and sunroof as we drove through the various light scenes, with the radio tuned in to Christmas songs. Of course, a stop off at Tim Hortons for some hot chocolate on the way had only fuelled their wide-eyed excitement!




Merry Market at Kellogg

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a festive market, and I made sure I had my fill! Many around London took place multiple times a week throughout December, each offering unique gifts and delicious food. One of the most iconic ones was The Merry Market at 100 Kellogg - the old cereal factory, and featured ice sculptures, a big British red phone booth, and giant decorative nutcracker dolls. After a browse round the stalls, buying hot chocolate bombs and Canada made soy wax candles, I managed a sneaky mid-week mulled wine. It was nice, but still no comparison to the pints of free flowing Glühwein at the German markets!




Christmas Eve in Burlington

We did a take on ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ and took a road trip to my uncle’s in Burlington for a family Christmas Eve dinner. The girls were excited; with Christmas fast approaching they had been asking pretty much on the hour about seeing grandparents and family back in Ireland so this was a welcome distraction. A surprise visit from Santa drew squeals of delight from the girls and their second cousin. It may sound like a cliché, but it was an evening filled with warmth, laughter, and good food. Even better was the HUGE light display on the lawn of the neighbouring house, another unplanned walk through experience! We got back to London that night just in time to put the milk and cookies out for Santa.




Christmas Day and Boxing Day were as chilled as they could be with three over hyped young kids - our biggest critics when it came to dinner - but we pulled it off. The five hour time difference made it a little harder than we realised to try and video call loved ones in Ireland, and games night wasn’t quite as fun with two players! But we’re glad to have experienced Christmas in Canada, and tell the girls when they’re older of how they had a White Christmas Eve.


Ontario winter has officially arrived! Snow and sledding in London

So the cold temperatures that everyone had prepped us for have finally arrived, and even now I’m being told to brace for colder! We’ve had snow on and off for the past six weeks, and as I look out the window right now, the roads are glistening with ice, and the wind is swirling the snow around as the next weather front comes in. We’ve definitely become accustomed to the cold, or rather, how to feel more comfortable outside! The big things are keeping your hands and feet warm - if those get exposed or you’re not wearing wool socks and heavy mittens, then you’re done for! The forecast is predicting lows of minus 14 degrees over the next week so that’ll really test our staying power outdoors… 


The sight of snow ploughs on the roads has become the norm for us, but the sound of some of these colossal machines getting to work at night is something else. When I first heard one ploughing the streets at 10pm one night, it was like a plane was trying to land on our house!



Trail running in the snow

December has afforded me lots of time to get used to running in the snow, and all the heightened sensory experiences that go with it! If you want to read more about some of the snowy trails that I’ve trampled, click here for the article!


Sledding with kids

With the latest heavier snowfall we finally pulled those Canadian Tire sleds out of the garage and sped to the nearest hill to experience our first proper sled! I wasn’t sure what the girls would make of it; Grace at first a little timid. Aoife on the other hand was hardcore, and in her typical nonchalant fashion, lay flat to spin down the hill until she got to the bottom. That kid even wore her heart shaped sunglasses for the occasion. Once Grace figured out how to lean and stop, she got more confident at picking up speed. Ada wasn’t quite so thrilled with the elements - it seems short and sweet is key for babes in this weather!





We haven’t ventured far these past few weeks, but we have some exciting road trips planned over the coming months, as well as a trip to at least one of the ice rinks open around London. For now, I’m embracing our first proper snowy season, happy to live in a winter wonderland. 




Visit my Instagram page for more images of our adventures!



1000 Hours Outside