Holidays & Occasions Blog by Maple Leaf

This year I did half of my Christmas shopping online and half offline.

I needed to buy something for my mom, my brother, my cousin and her boyfriend and for my cousin’s daughter and her husband, plus a couple of girlfriends. Luckily, all grownups, though I think shopping for kids would be a lot of fun too.

I spent exactly one evening ordering things online and about 4 full days shopping at different malls... Read more

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Last week we picked a few really big Halloween pumpkins at a local farm just outside the city.
Usually, I like doing my own designs for carved pumpkins. But this time I decided to do some research to find inspiration and to do something different.

There is a ton of websites on the web offering great tips and free patterns from spooky to elegant to funny, so you could get your Halloween pumpkins ready in no... Read more

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I love apple picking every fall. It became a fall tradition in our family to drive an hour or two outside the city to pick up our own apples and pumpkins to celebrate the Harvest season.

Farms and orchards are full of engaging fall activities for everyone

Kids were having fun tasting apples and playing in the hay. Some of the farms even have a zoo! You can also buy fresh produce at the store, along... Read more

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I wasn't a big fan of Halloween until I had my son Lucas. Dressing up babies and kids for Halloween is really a lot of fun! I can't make clothing, so I usually start looking for costumes online and then make a few trips to places, like the Party City or the Winners.

Here is me and Lucas in 2014 when he was still a baby. He is dressed as a cute puppy.

And here is Lucas with his grandma who is also not a... Read more

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Its not even a winter yet, but you can already spot babies and little kids in poofy jackets, knitted scarves and cute hats. It seems like parents can't wait to bundle up their bundle of joy.

How Warm is Too Warm? I've heard this from many parents that you should dress your kids the same way you dress yourself . So if you are putting on a hat and gloves, you should probably put those things on your kids... Read more

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I think any gift that makes people smile is a great gift. To find such gifts, I usually search by words like Fun , Funny , Funky , Unusual and see what comes up in search results. Humorous Signs There are so many funny signs and greeting cards with something interesting to say.

Personally, I am a cat person, but I know a couple of dog-lovers that have 2 huge dogs, so no cats are allowed in their... Read more

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Easter is a perfect occasion for spending some quality family time dying eggs and doing crafts . If you didn't think dying and decorating Easter eggs can be fun, check out the craft projects below.

The photo above of most beautiful coloured eggs was taken by KurtFML on Flickr.

Here is how you can make your Easter eggs look like they have leaf prints .
To get this beautiful golden-brown color -... Read more

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Every year around Christmas I pickup my camera and walk around the city trying to capture some nice holiday and winter shots. Unfortunately, this year we have no snow in Toronto and it doesn't look very Christmasy outside right now.

Actually, it was so warm this December that my plants on the balcony didn't freeze and I still see flowers when I look through my balcony door. :) That's not the Toronto... Read more

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