I have a thing for Christmas. I have a thing for traditions and baking and decorating and carols and cards. I have a thing for eggnog and bread pudding and mulled wine, the smell of cinnamon and allspice. My husband and I look forward to this time of year as if we were a couple of 7 year old, giddy school kids as opposed to 30-something cynical adults (which we tend to be the other 11 months of the year).
My family, on the other hand, lacks my Christmas gene which has resulted in some strange traditions. My favourite of which has been convincing my mother to buy a live tree on Christmas Eve. It became a running joke in our family. December 24th would roll around and my mother would say, “Well Tal, are we going to do it? Are we going to go and get one?” She acted like she was indulging my wishes, but I think she was secretly always happy that I lead the Christmas charge. These December 24th adventures would usually involve us heading out at the last possible minute to find our perfect tree. One year our annual adventure almost devolved into criminal activity when a certain big-box store was already closed and we contemplated the karmic retribution for stealing a Christmas tree. Another year, we showed up at a closed grocery store and convinced one of the departing clerks to sell us an already-decorated tree for $5.00. This trip quickly became Christmas legend after I snapped a bungee chord in my face while attempting to get our beautiful tree in the trunk of my mom’s tiny car. The bump on my lip lasted for months.
As sure as there will be stockings hung on the mantle and sugar cookies in the oven, I can be certain that every December, I will be asked for my wish list. And every December I fail miserably. Because as much as I love the holidays, I am terrible at coming up with things that I want. I fancy myself a pretty decent gift-giver but when it comes to myself, I’m consistently stumped. But in the name of Christmas traditions, the list must go on! And so, I’m very happy to share with you all our second annual Cocktail Wish List. I chose a few of my favourite items from local stores in Vancouver. For more cocktail goodies, feel free to check out our 2014 wish list. Happy Holidays y’all!
Octagonal Gold Jigger by Yukiwa
The Baron Shaker in Matte Gold by Yukiwa
