This Festive Favourite Stuff

I'll tell you a little something about me - I dig Christmas. Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year in fact. Better than my birthday, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and Canada Day. It's the anticipation that Christmas still isn't quite here. That happiness and excitement. Everyone is looking forward to giving gifts to the ones they love, eating incredible holiday feasts, getting all merry and stuff.

Generally I start dispensing my wish list in October. This year all I wanted was my bathroom renovation to be finished before Christmas. I told my dad that Santa Claus doesn't visit messy houses and that we needed to get that bathroom straightened up pronto. Yes Major Gal, there really is a Santa. The proof is in my newly built bathroom - ahead of Christmas.

So, now that my big item has arrived, I wanted to share some of my favourite things and a few items off my mental Christmas list. I call it "mental" because I haven't shared it with anyone - it's just stuff I'm mentally noted in my head that I'd like.

1. Shout out to Pink Lou Lou for this idea. When my hair dresser and I began our love affair almost a decade ago, she asked me how I wanted my hair styled after the cut and highlights to which I replied "tease if big like I live in Texas." So, I like volume and body in my mane. When PLL blogged about wanted a teasing brush, I knew I had to have one. I texted my brother and baby sister and told them to spread the news that I was hoping Santa would bring me a teasing comb. Visions of a sky high coif are running through my head...

2. One of my absolute favourite things about Christmas is my pink tree. I love it. I can't help myself but to gaze at it. I wish I could keep it up all year.



3. My new Charlie Brown Nativity set makes me smile each time I look at it. Woodstock is baby Jesus. Snoopy is a lamb. Linus is sucking his thumb as a shepherd. The whole gang is there and I effing adore it.



4. Christmas parties! Umm, hello? Is anything better than an opportunity to wear glitter, sparkly jewellery, eat cookies sans guilt and gab with all your closest friends? No. No there is not.

5. Christmas movies. I have a long list of favourites, but at the top is Home Alone.

6. Having a billion things to do and getting them all done while you're on the brink of exhaustion, dreading another trip to the mall, but being happy when you get there because it's so effing cheery and busy and you know that this time of year really is the best. Plus, seeing some of the genius/illegal parking jobs at the mall during the holidays is always good for a laugh. I have new found energy throughout December. I can stay up well past midnight baking cookies, wrapping gifts and cleaning and in the morning I'm not at all cranky because this is my favourite time of year.

7. Being crafty. This year Major Gal is on a budget. That means I've had to be creative when it comes to gifts. I saw a Kate Spade bow ring somewhere online and instantly knew I could make a festive version of it for my girlfriends. Cut to me in Michaels for two hours with my aunt hunting for the perfect ribbon (which we didn't find so I switched designs) and then almost gluing my fingers together later that night while my dogs tried to "help" me assemble the rings.



8. Perfume. I love perfume all year round because I think there's such artistry in the bottles. This year I'm coveting Prada Candy. I got a sample at Holts this fall and I'm savouring the last spritzes until I can snag myself a bottle.

9. Festive clothing. On Saturday night on my girls' weekend I had planned to wear a sequined skirt. Alas, it was not nearly as cute as this baby from Joe Fresh. Paired with black tights and a blank tank (all proudly Joe Fresh and CANADIAN) I got festive with a gold piece in my outfit. Oh ya, the skirt was an early pressie from Papa. I asked for a new outfit for my weekend and he gave me cashola to go buy the skirt. Major Gal is spoiled and she knows it.



10. A quick getaway with three of my besties this past weekend. We're getting older and it cracks me up. We all passed out after dinner and didn't get to the venue until midnight. We were tame. No bail money was needed. Nobody lost their purse. We did capture all the best moments on an instant camera and I'm going to turn the pictures into a collage for the girls. We had some gems. On the trip to Niagara Julia and I were allowed to play one Christmas cd. Nicole was navigating and she plays Grinch to our Elf. She said no singing, clapping or snapping in the car. We obeyed...sort of ;)

What's getting you into the spirit this season? Are you all set for Santa?

This Happy Place is Where My Friends Are

Ever have one of those long days...that drag on...and you can't remember if you fell asleep with your eyes open or not...because you are so bored? Those days occur most often in the summer when half the office is on holidays and the workload is small. I had one of those days today and yet I couldn't think of what my happy place post would be about. Until now.


Tonight my girlfriends are coming to the city for some bubbly, some blush wine and some babe scouting. We're heading to a birthday party, but before that, we're tasked with drinking my condo clean of all booze. For such a task I could only ask a very accomplished group of women. Julia and Steph to the rescue!! We're the single gals and since I'm moving in a few weeks (I don't want to talk about it, my heart is broken) I've decided that our last few weekends in the city before Jules takes off to Europe and I move to the 'burbs must be filled with fun stuff. Fun stuff like dancing around my tiny bachelorette pad to my 80s playlist, pre-drinking as if we're all still in university and broke so we can't afford drinks when we go out, having a night cap when we return to the condo and reenacting all the killer dance moves we busted out earlier and then waking up the next morning and scrolling through BBM conversations and pictures a la The Hangover to reveal the story of how the night unfolded. Yes. I'm putting it out there. We're on a mission to be irresponsible and we're going to have a complete blast while doing it.


Before you get the wrong idea about us, we're not all parties. The fun doesn't only happen when we hit the town, it's mostly fun as soon as we're all in the same place because we're so excited to see each other that none of us can shut up for five seconds as if we're cheerleaders on speed. I love it. I wish Nic was joining us tonight, but she's a married lady and has all the schtuff that comes along with that. Sadly, she doesn't join us on every adventure anymore. Nicolina, I MISS YOU!!!


Being with your friends is just a happy thing. They make you laugh - at least mine always do. They bring the happy place to where ever you need it to be and tonight, my happy place is with my girlfriends.

This is Where My Money Goes...

Recently Julia was over and she looked at the shoes lined up at my front door. She turned to me and said, "All your shoes are lined up by colour you know. Is that on purpose?" Damn right it's on purpose. I like when things are organized by colour, but even more than that I like shoes.

This fall I ordered a pair of nude patent pumps from Steve Madden online. When I told the boy about them he exclaimed, "You bought another pair of shoes?! That's the last thing you need." Honestly, it hadn't even crossed my mind that I didn't need any more shoes. It did constantly run through my mind however that I was in desperate need of nude patent leather heels. It made sense to me. Still does.



I worked at a shoe store for a couple of years before I started university. I amassed a collection worthy of mention in my obituary: Today we lost a lovely young woman. She leaves behind her fur baby, a large extended family and enough shoes to rival the Bata Shoe Museum.

I don't have a huge condo and I have less space than I'd like to store, or display my shoes, but I'm quite happy to line my foyer walls with the heels I spend my days and nights running around in.

When I was a little girl my mom bought me brown mary janes. They were leather. They were my indoor shoes for school. I "lost" them. She bought me a pair of grey ones. I misplaced those also. Then she got me the pink ones. I still remember everything about them. Thanks mama and sorry for losing leather shoes when you were a single mom and I was being a silly, selfish little girl. Love you.



A couple of years ago I was working for a small company. The training department was made up of me and two other women. One day we were all let go. Apparently the company didn't need to train anybody anymore. Being unemployed doesn't make for a great financial situation. I took an interview two days later on Bloor Street...directly beside Holt Renfrew. After the interview I pranced across Bay and twirled into Davids. I laid eyes on a pair of shoes from the first designer I ever fell in love with - Emilio Pucci. Could I afford the shoes? Technically, yes. Did I need the shoes? Absolutely not. Was it a good financial decision to buy the most beautiful shoes I'd ever seen? Not at all. Did it make me feel special to buy them? It certainly did.



When I learned how to walk my mom put little bells on my walking shoes so she could hear me waddle. Kinda like the bell you put on a cat's collar. When I have a little girl, she's definitely getting tiny angel bells on her shoes. Isn't it just the sweetest thing?

I have some expensive shoes and I have some inexpensive shoes. I'm the proud owner of a pair of leather boots purchased on Rodeo Drive as well as clearance shoes for $18 I found on the racks at Winners. I have worn those $18 pumps for five years on at least a weekly basis. I love them.



We all have our favourite things. There's lots of stuff out there that makes people happy. Is my shoe wardrobe necessary? Well that depends on who you ask. Do I wear all my shoes, yes I do. Some more than others. Do I need them all to survive? Not at all, but they make me happy. They make Visa happy too.

This Will Be My Silver Lining

Okay, let's be honest. Life isn't always sunshine and peaches, rainbows and kitties, candy and free money. Sometimes life kicks you right in the stomach. The people who get through it all are the ones who can see past the hard stuff. It's one of my special skills and I've had to use this ability more than I'd like recently. No downer-fest here though. Here are just a few ways I've looked past the bad and found the happy this week. I chipped the ceramic travel mug Julia bought me for my birthday last year. Bad. I bought a new plastic mug (that won't break) and it has a great little sippy cup function so I don't spill. Good. I've had my heart broken recently. Bad. I have a whole life of possibilities ahead of me and I'm actually excited to think that my future is out there looking for me right now. I bet he's super hot too. Good. I did my taxes last night and I owe the Canadian Government a sum with more digits before the decimal point than I ever thought possible. Bad. I have a job. Good. I saw a crow on my way to work - that means sorrow. Bad. A second later, I saw another crow - that means joy. Good. You know the rhyme, "One crow sorrow. Two crows joy. Three crows a letter. Four crows a boy." It goes on from there. It's dark and dreary in Toronto today and I'd really love to be curled up in bed watching movies. Bad. Spring is here. Warm weather is coming and it showed up briefly this weekend. Good. I spent a lot of years looking at things negatively. It's tiring and it shows on your face. I always looked mean and angry. I try to smile now and find something - anything - to make stuff a bit better. If you think you've got it bad in life, remember that (unfortunately for them) there is always someone worse off. You're alive. You're healthy and if you're reading this, you're on a computer and you have Internet access so I'm guessing you have a roof over your head. How bad can it really be? If you're stifled by fear, take a leap. Life is full of chances to close your eyes and jump into the unknown. I'm not saying it won't be scary or that you won't screw up. We learn from all of this and it's important. Don't think of having to arrive at the perfect life. This is your life right now. If you want happiness, make it happen. You have the power to do it.

This Girl Makes Me Happy - Julia

When we met in 1998, Julia had blonde hair. She was wearing her grocery store uniform tie on her head. She had Italian flags painted on her acrylic nails. I had never seen anyone so vibrant, amusing or comical. I wanted to be her friend, but felt so quiet and ordinary in comparison. The next week I saw her again. She had redone her nails with France’s colours since Italy was booted out of the World Cup. Soon we were friends. She called me up after learning that we lived down the street from each other and since then we’ve been super close.

This weekend Julia turns 30. She’s still the spunky, colourful, hilarious girl I met all those years ago, but now she’s kicking butt in the financial world, buying properties, traveling frequently and making me laugh on a daily basis…okay, so some things haven’t changed.

I’ve wanted to feature Julia on the blog for quite a while now and she’s been a presence in my posts many times. A while back I wrote about her taking a chance on love and flying to Long Island for a guy we had a chance meeting with in New York two years earlier. She’s just one of those women who leaves an impact on the people around her. She’s one of the first people I turn to when I need help and she hasn’t let me down. If I called her from the opposite end of the earth and simply uttered the words, “Ju. I need you” she would be on a plane to rescue me in minutes. That’s just how she is. I’ve woken her from a deep sleep in a panic and she was at my door before she had fully peeled her eyes open. That’s dedication. That’s a true friend. That’s my Julia.

We spend Christmas Eve together every year. I feast on all the Italian goodies and chat with her sweet Nonna, her Zia (whom we’ve vacationed with in NYC), her parents, cousins and of course, I laugh and laugh with Julia. We’re more than friends. We’re family now. We spend holidays together, travel together and we’re invited to extended family weddings because we’re just that close after all these years. Here is just a glimpse of what’s making Julia happy these days and for the record, she’s always one of the people making me happy.

1. Name Julia, Jules, Ju

2. How did we meet? I believe 13 years ago or maybe 14 years ago after my shift as a cashier at Weston Produce I went to Coffee Time with some friends and I met Crystal! Then we hacked butts!

3. Favourite colour Green

4. Favourite activity – this can be tanning, reading, yoga, whatever Walking Rocky when I visit home, gym it helps with stress, drinking vino with my ladies lol

5. Favourite movie The Holiday. I can watch it every day the sound track is AMAZING. Note from Crystal - I have to agree with her on this one.

6. Current favourite thing about spring – clothing item, style, anything you want. Neon clothing that’s out I LOVE IT! Also one of my favourite things about spring has always been the smell of grass

7. How do you feel about turning 30? I’m not happy about becoming a cougar not one BIT! That’s why I’ll be turning 29 from now on! I work out at the gym more because my body is breaking down lol I can’t drink as much because my hangovers are FIERCE. So I’m angry really about turning 30.

8. What advice would you give yourself at 15, 20 and 25 that you know now that you’re heading into your 30s?

• At 15 I would say PLAY everyday have no worries because the 20’s will be HARD.


• At 20 I would say don’t get serious with a guy. Have fun dating, work more than one part time job to get experience at different career choices, have fun with your friends and family and vacation AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Note from Crystal – Julia vacations more than anybody I know. She’s probably logged more air miles than George Clooney in Up In The Air.


• At 25 – it feels like yesterday for me. At 25 I became a single girl after being in a relationship for 6 years and the last 5 years I can honestly say were the BEST YEARS SO FAR. I bought a condo, I have an amazing job I love, I have the same group of ladies in my life that I love more then anything and my family is healthy and happy and god bless my nonna just turned 80 in nov!

9. Who is your current celebrity crush? 100% Johnny Depp just watched the tourist SO HOT!

10. What aspect of the Major Gal blog do you like the most? I love when “major blog” appears in my inbox at work - it’s a mini break I get from the banking world. I love Crystal’s style of writing and I can relate to a lot of her blogs. She’s so talented. I’m mostly just so proud of her and her accomplishments. Her blog makes me smile. She stays true to herself and that’s what makes her blog different from others! She will be famous one day! Note from Crystal – I didn’t make Julia say this. She truly is one of my biggest supporters.

This Thompson Hotel Infatuation

I'll say it, I adore the Thompson Hotel in Toronto. Last night Steph, Julia and I popped in to celebrate Ju's huge career move. At only 29, Julia is now a CIBC branch manager. It's a big deal and she deserves it. She also deserved a little bubbly to mark the occasion so the three of us began the night at my place over champagne and then headed over to the Thompson.

That place never disappoints me. It's sleek, chic and they serve freshly made just lightly seasoned kettle chips. Girlfriends. Gorgeous surroundings. Celebratory outing and free snacks. Great Thursday night and it only further solidified my affection for the Thompson.

What are you guys getting up to this weekend? After some sushi with bf tonight, I've got a full day planned for Saturday. Driving to Niagara Falls with Jo to do a little shopping and then visiting university sister (Chelsea) and showering her with Christmas pressies for her precious apartment. Tomorrow night I've got a few parties on the list - one of which is a 29th cougar themed birthday. Dress code is mandatory animal print. Sunday bf has a huge work event so I'll spend my afternoon amongst drummers and my friends. Great weekend.

Whatever you get up to, have fun and look for some happiness :)

This Growing Up Thing

A few weeks ago Julia, Nicole, Steph and I went downtown on a rainy Saturday night. Queen West was still packed and as I waited under a narrow overhang with a Michael Kors duster bag over my head because I didn't bring an umbrella, I looked at the hipsters, gorgeous early 20 somethings and happy couples hurrying past me. There I was. Twenty eight years old in a teensy purple strapless dress from French Connection with perfectly coiffed hair - it was the first time I had blow dried my hair since March - waiting for my 905 ladies to arrive and park, standing in the rain. Traffic was horrendous so I was waiting a while. I started to wonder, "Am I getting too old for this?" The thought quickly darted from my mind as my berry lit up. Nic messaged me to cross the street and hop in Steph's car as we were heading elsewhere.

Shortly after, and huddled under the lone umbrella we found in Steph's Civic, we navigated around puddles, cabs and a line up none of us was prepared to wait in. Now, our second choice venue that night was not ideal but the product of opportunity. Knowing some people in the industry helps when you want to avoid paying cover or waiting in lines, but it doesn't always mean you'll spend the night in your favourite spot.

The crowd in this club and yes, I say club because our options for supper clubs, lounges and bars were widdled down significantly, was younger. The kind of younger that still thinks wearing the least amount of clothing possible is sexy. The kind of younger that takes their shoes off because they haven't been wearing heels long enough to develop the pain tolerance. The kind of younger that makes out in public, like big time making out. The kind of younger that drinks Sex on the Beach because they want to say "sex" to a bartender and wink at the same time. The kind of younger that I was...ten years ago.

I shouldn't judge. We've all been there and honestly, Ryan and I still act like lovesick teens in public, so I can't bash anyone who's been hit by Cupid's arrow while the bass is pumping and the booze is flowing. With four vodka sodas (less calories than the sweeter drinks of earlier years) and the intent to dance we thought it would be kind of comical to hit the dance floor.

The smell of sweat, the sight of too much lip gloss and the sound of Top 40 enveloped us. We tried to find a space big enough to shake some hiney and then it really dawned on me...we are those people I used to make fun of. We're now the people who look older and more put together and like they're too cool for everyone else. When did this happen?! I looked at Julia and she started to laugh. "What's wrong?" she asked me. I took a deep breath and said, "Are we too old for this now? You do realize that when my mother was our age, I was six years old, right?" The look of amusement and horror washed over Julia's face. We both knew it. It's starting to happen and we can't stop it. We. Are. Getting. Older.

This Relationship Limbo

My bestie Julia is hopping on a plane this month and taking a chance on love. I think it's a freggin' awesome idea. I took a similar trip a couple of years ago to the west coast for a guy who turned out to be like all the others - looking for sex and not much else - but the trip was still great.

Two summers ago, on a painfully long cab ride from the city to Long Island, Julia, Christina and I made our way to the Long Island Yacht Club for a party with some guys we had met earlier that week in the Meat Packing District. Cabbie guy had no effing idea where we were going (although we asked him before we left Times Square if he knew where he was going) and so we toured the state of New York. I remained calm while my ladies threw tantrums in the cab. I was thinking, "Fuck! If this dude kicks us out of the cab because these two are bitching at him, we're totally on the 11pm news." They were thinking, "This cabbie is an idiot! I'm going to go ballistic on this guy!"

At a four-way stop, a car pulled up next to us and asked if we were lost. He thought it was strange that an NYC cab was not in the city and figured we needed help. After a brief chat, the guy gave Julia his card and we all went on our merry ways.

Two summers later, Julia and Mike the rescue man are still chatting. In fact, a couple of weeks ago they kicked things up - Julia got a berry - and so they BBM each other incessantly. In Julia's words to me the morning after their marathon phone session, "Oh my God! I'm in love with Mike from New York, but I'm so tired now!" I could not have been more delighted for one of the greatest chicks I've ever known.

Before the calendar changes to August, Julia will go visit Mike in Long Island and take a chance on what they're both feeling: excitement, passion, hope and affection. For me, taking a chance on love is never a bad thing. When I went to visit Surfer Boy in Cali a couple of years ago I knew that things could potentially really suck once I got there, but I also knew that if I didn't go and visit him, I'd always wonder what "could" have happened. We still talk occasionally and I don't regret flying into John Wayne Airport in 2007 to see where things could go with Surfer Boy. The relationship or lack of went nowhere. I wanted something and he didn't and it's fine. It taught me to toughen up if anything.

Sometimes it's tough to know where you stand in a relationship or whether or not your casual dating has moved into relationship status. Silly me, I thought a plane ticket meant relationship, but it only meant sunshine, LA and a lot of shopping on Rodeo Drive. Hopefully, things for Julia and Mike work out differently. I would love nothing more than to hear her voice upon arrival in Toronto telling me that it was the best trip of her life and that she and Mike are 100% in love. That would be fantastic.