Living

’Tis the season of gift giving – the season in which the pressure to buy often ends in purchasing some meaningless trinket for which the recipient has no use. That’s why I prefer giving the gift of taste.

Friends and family members, be reassured. Here, we wander into the realms of fantasy and unlimited budgets. This is, by no means, my actual Christmas list, and the usual sweaters and stationery will be gratefully received.

Unless you’re a vegan, when you think of breakfast or brunch, you usually think of eggs – mostly because they’re delicious, but also because they’re a staple of those meals.

We’re in one of my favourite cities, staying in a gold level room at the iconic Fairmont Empress, experiencing Christmas spirit — and it just doesn’t get much better than this.

I live in Los Angeles, so I never see the winter holidays coming anymore. I only realized Christmas was creeping up because I went to a movie and had to walk through the outdoor mall grounds.

With the holiday season kicking off in earnest, our wicked roster of local craft markets has begun setting up stalls around the city.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) "I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow," wrote naturalist Henry David Thoreau in Walden, "to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.

The 7th Annual Vancouver Christmas Market is now open, meaning German delights such as mulled wine, spätzle, sausage and schnitzel are back for your tasting pleasure.

It’s December, which means the season of unbridled consumption is officially upon us. Whether Christmas parties, holiday treats, or copious amounts dark, delicious winter ale, saying no is difficult, if not impossible. So it is with holiday shopping.

If you take the winding Pacific Rim Highway up from the Nanaimo ferry terminal, after a couple hours you’ll hit Tofino.