Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today! I hope you all have a lovely day with your loved ones! I'm so thankful to be spending a relaxing holiday at home with my parents and sister.

My sister and I get to open a present on Christmas Eve, which is always Christmas pyjamas. This year we received matching plaid pjs that are so cozy! After we chill in front of the fire and listen to Christmas music or watch a Christmas movie. It's one of my favourite holiday traditions.

Niagara-on-the-Lake At Christmas

For the Christmas holidays, my boyfriend and I decided to take a quick trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Two summers ago, we did a winery tour by bike (recap  here &  here), and absolutely loved it, so we were keen to return in the winter. The town is so picturesque and looked like something out of a holiday card. When we first arrived, we walked along the main street and bought some Christmas gifts. The shopping is amazing for things like soaps, home goods, cards, and Christmas decorations.

We stayed at the Schoolmaster's House B&B, an old heritage home built in 1818 that once served as a boarding school. The house felt so cozy and Christmas-y. Our host was lovely and made a delicious breakfast each morning. Her homemade scones were to die for!

We decided to return to Pellar, our favorite winery from our previous tour. It you're ever in Niagara, I highly recommend it! We did a quick tasting in the gift shop and then did a wine and chocolate pairing. 

We tried sparkling, white, red, and ice wines with chocolate, popcorn, and even a s'more that we toasted ourselves with blow torches. The Niagara region and Pellar are both known for their ice wines which are essentially a liquid version of strawberry jam. It's personally not my favorite (too sweet!), but it was interesting to learn about its history during the pairing.  I ended up purchasing a Chardonnay, but our favorite was the chocolate, which we bought as stocking stuffers.

After, we walked down the road to Inniskillin, Marynissen, and Frog Pond wineries, and then headed home by Uber. Biking winery-to-winery was strenuous in the summer heat and felt more like an intense workout than leisure, so I was very thankful for the drive.

Frogpond Farm Winery

For dinner, we tried Treadwell, one of the top-rated restaurants in town. The food is made with seasonal, local ingredients and changes month-to-month. The service and food was absolutely impeccable. I tried the scallops, roasted chicken, and deconstructed s'more dessert, which did not disappoint. 10/10 would recommend.

Overall the trip was lovely and the perfect way to celebrate after exams. My boyfriend and I have decided to visit Niagara once a year!

Holiday Gift Guide: Boyfriends

Let me start off by saying that boyfriends are the hardest people to shop for!! I get so stressed out trying to figure out birthday and Christmas gifts for my boyfriend. He always buys me beautiful gifts like jewelry and perfume straight from my Pinterest board, but when I ask him what he wants he never has any ideas. He's not into fashion, coffee, beer, or men's care products so that rules out a lot of gift options. I tried to include some more unique gifts options that don't fall into these categories.

Patagonia Quarter-Zip // This is a great option for your guy, even if he's not that into clothes because it's practical. My boyfriend is not in to fashion at all but he loves this sweater because it's so warm and cozy.

Monogram Leather Wallet // Everyone uses a wallet, so why not upgrade your boyfriend to a nice, adult wallet. The personalization is a nice added touch. Mark & Graham has a matching grooming kit, briefcase, and overnight bag.

Monogram Flask //

Cards Against Humanity // This is one of the gifts that I'm getting my boyfriend this year. It's a huge crowd pleaser at get togethers and I know it's something that he will get a lot of enjoyment out of with his friends.

Birchbox Man Subscription // If your boyfriend is into grooming products, this is a great way to introduce him to new products and brands. Boxes include hair, body, and skin care items. Subscriptions are currently 20% off!

Concert or Sportsgame Tickets // Take your bf to see his favorite team or band. This is a great gift idea because it's an experience that you two can enjoy together. This is the first gift option that I look in to for my bf's birthday or Christmas gift.

Bitcoin // Why not invest in some Bitcoin for your boyfriend! My boyfriend's bff suggested this so I know it's guy approved. Use the Quadriga platform to purchase Bitcoins.

Magazine Subscription // I like this idea because you can tailor it to your boyfriend's interests like fitness, sports, style etc. My boyfriend is into entrepreneurship, so I got him subscriptions to Entrepeneur and Fast Company, which are business magazines.

Needlepoint Hat // Smathers & Branson have plenty of nice needlepoint baseball hats to choose from with symbols like the flag, lacrosse sticks, boats, anchors, birds, dogs, golf carts etc.

Photo Album // If you are looking for a more inexpensive or sentimental gift, get your boyfriend a photo album and fill it with pictures of you two. I got this for my boyfriend one year and I print out pictures every so often to add to the album.

Daniel Wellington Watch //

Polaroid Camera //