I love Canada (and Nova Scotia) and I love Christmas, so what better way to celebrate the confluence of those things than a Festive Canadian giveaway?
We’ve got Nova Scotia-produced maple syrup because…obviously! It’s Canada, eh?
We’ve got a faux-stained glass Canada ornament (if you’ve never visited this fair country, it can serve as annual inspiration to come our way).
And we’ve got some (cult-favourite) Nova Scotia Fisherman Lip Care (in Candy Cane flavour).
I know skin care products can be very tricky to navigate in terms of sensitivities and allergies, so here’s the ingredient list for the lip balm.
HOW TO ENTER + OTHER DETAILS
Here’s how the giveaway will work. If you’re interested in receiving this package of Canadian goodies leave a comment on this post telling me:
- your favourite Christmas ornament (I’d love to know why) OR if you don’t celebrate Christmas, your favourite topping for pancakes/waffles
Next Wednesday (27 November), I will close the comments on this post and will use a random number generator to select the “winning” comment and will e-mail that reader to get their mailing address. I’ll announce the winner next Saturday (in time for my final NaBloPoMo giveaway), and will get this sent out to the lucky recipient as soon as I can…which unfortunately might be a while given the current Canadian postal strike.
This giveaway is open to everyone. I will mail things internationally!
Also…drumroll.
The randomly selected winners of the stationary giveaway were: Birchie (she chose the cheeky postcards), Maria (she chose the floral cards), and Alexandra (bright and happy postcards). Congrats to all three of you – happy writing!!
I can’t believe I forgot to mention San’s 9th Annual Secret SANta Swap. This is a “giveaway” where everyone’s a winner! Hop on over to her site to sign up for this annual exchange of festive things. You don’t need to be a blogger to participate.
Your turn. What’s your favourite ornament and/or what’s your favourite topping for pancakes and waffles?
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San
Oh how sweet (literally!) – a Canada giveaway package 🙂 I love it. Thanks for hosting all these lovely giveaways this month!
My favorite Christmas ornament is a customized ornament that my sister gave me a couple of years ago – it has a picture of two sister (me and her :)) drinking hot cocoa in front of a Christmas tree 🙂
My favorite topping for pancakes is actually cinnamon-sugar or jam (well, on German pancakes anyway) and on waffles, I love hot cherries with whipped cream.
Elisabeth
Awww. What a sweet ornament. And hot cherries with whipped cream – I’ve never had that combo, but I can already tell I would love it 🙂
Tobia | craftaliciousme
What a fun little package. I have a tiny original bottle of maple sirup – from Nova Scotia of all places – because my best friend visited there this summer. And you can never have enough chapstick for winter.
Whoever wins will be happy. I am certain.
Elisabeth
What are the odds! You already have Canadian maple syrup? That’s so funny!
Kat
I absolutely prefer maple syrup as pancakes topping! Some good fruit preserves, strawberries or berries, come second.
mbmom11
I have a sweet angel ornament made out of thread/yarn- I put it at the top of the tree with gold star around it. It’s from one of my sisters, who sends an Advent box every year for my kids. Best aunt ever!
I’ve been to your lovely country, but your posts make me want to visit NS again.
Cherie Moore
I’ve been enjoying your blog ever since hopping over when Kristen, The Frugal Girl, was the meet the reader, so thanks! My favorite ornament is a vintage glass blown indent in pink and blue because I just love old ornaments. I love butter and powdered sugar on my pancakes but also eat them with only butter sometimes. I LOVE maple syrup on French toast though 😉
Jenny
Ooh, I have a feeling we’ll all be getting even more postcards from Birchie now!
When I was little, “L’eggs” pantyhose came in a plastic egg. One year my sister’s Sunday school class made Christmas ornaments out of the plastic eggs and glitter. When she wanted to hang it on our tree, I objected, saying she would make our tree look “shabby.” My mom got mad at me for that. As the years went on we looked back at the incident and laughed, and now somehow I have ended up with the egg ornament! It goes on my tree every year, and I always take a picture to show my sister that I hung it.
Elisabeth
That’s so sweet! Now I need to see a picture of this egg ornament. I have a similar story about a tree topper – the only thing my dad insisted on having up each year – it was hideous, but now it has HUGE nostalgic value for me.
Lisa’s Yarns
How fun! My favorite ornament is probably one from my travels. I have a really pretty one from Granada. My favorite funny one is a Grinch one I got from my SIL that says ‘2020 stink stank stunk’.
I rarely eat pancakes or waffles but when I do, I like them with syrup!!
Hana
My mom is Canadian and all of my German relatives still live there. We make the nearly annual road trip trek from South Carolina to Burlington in the summer. Living in Canada is my dream!
My favorite ornaments are the handmade ones with my kids tiny hand/feet prints on them from when they were babies. Gets me emotional every year when I pull them out!
Birchie
Oh heck yeah I’m entering this giveaway. I would love to add a bit of Canada to our Christmas tree.
I’m not saying that I live in a house full of boys, but I am saying that we have a lot of robot and spaceship ornaments. I’m not really a holiday decorator, and when I met my husband he thought that it was awful that I didn’t have a Christmas tree, so guess what he gave me for our first Christmas together? It’s a very small tree with lights, and later on he gave me my one and only ornament, which is a Wonder Woman.
Most of the time we use regular pancake syrup, but every once in a while I step it up and use Maple syrup.
Karen A.
OOh that lip balm sounds wonderful.
My favorite Christmas ornament is not a tree ornament (our artificial tree died a horrible death two years ago, and we have a small house and a new cat, so we just string festive lights around the house). But every year I put up a small ceramic light-up Christmas tree that my mom gave away to me when I moved out. It was made by a friend of hers that she met when they were both stationed as Navy wives in California during the Vietnam War. The tree was made around 1970 or something. There was a trend to go to ceramics classes and make these trees. Some of the light bulbs have broken off, and my husband has had to rewire it to fix the switch, but I adore it and it’s so cheerful. I like to put it on or near my desk.
Elisabeth
My parents have a tiny table-top ceramic tree they set on a side table in their rental. I think they’re all the rage again? Very trendy!!! So it’s perfect you have one that is so dear to you.
Katy @ Practical Walk
This looks like a fun giveaway! Thanks!
My mom used to give or make us a new ornament every year, (now she gives one to the grandkids). I guess the one that stands out to me was the was from my first Christmas.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I don’t need to enter this one, but my favorite ornaments are the goose eggs that my Mom blew out and painted. She made them when I was a kid and it is still a treat to put them on the tree (or see them on the tree when visiting)! Also, I love a nice thick slurry of butter and powdered sugar on my pancakes! (I do like maple syrup too)
Lindsay
This is just so lovely! My favorite ornament is a tie between a Santa on a sleigh that plays really tinny music from my childhood and a paper collection of Lil Momma’s favorite characters (Belle, Harry Potter and friends, Olaf) that she made for Christmas in 2020 that fully represent who she was at that time.
Luann
My favorite ornament is a small angel in a red plaid dress that was given to me by one of my Sunday school students. AND…..my favorite pancake topper is pecans !!
Kristin W
I love the Canada ornament! And I love maple syrup ;o) We did a Niagara Falls trip plus a loop thru Canada before we had kids. The photos of your adventures have inspired me to add Nova Scotia to my travel list! We collect ornaments when we travel so many of them hold special memories. Two of my favorites are a marshmallow couple dressed as a bride and groom that we got on our honeymoon in Rocky Mountain National Park and a little sailboat decorated with tiny strings of Christmas lights that we got in Thousand Islands NY. My tree may be eclectic, but it is so special to our family!
Elisabeth
Almost every ornament on our tree has a “story” and I absolutely love that. It’s not at all matchy-matchy, but I wouldn’t want a tree that looked like that. It’s so fun to decorate the tree and it takes FOREVER because everyone wants to talk about every ornament and when/where/why the recipient got it. (We gift each child a new ornament each Christmas so they have a special collection when they start their own households some day.)
Nicole MacPherson
*cries forever about the strike*
I don’t know if I can choose ONE ornament, but if you’re FORCING me I will say the little house ornament I bought the year we got married. We get a new ornament (or two) every year, our tree is wildly crowded. This isn’t a tree ornament but I bought a creche set in 1997 on a trip to Mexico and I love setting it up every year.
Elisabeth
That house ornament sound adorable. I need to see pictures, Nicole!!
Ernie
I’ve been to Canada and Vancouver is one of my favorite destinations. I’d love to one day get to Nova Scotia. My lips are a mess right now. My upper lip keeps going numb for like 6 weeks at at time. Right now it’s peeling. It isn’t sun burned and not chapped. Just weird. I’ve read that perifacial numbness can be caused by SIBO, but the doctors keep shrugging.
Anyway, my favorite ornament is one my mom gave me. It’s a stained glass one that’s 3D and it’s in the shape of a heart. It’s so pretty. I was so relieved when our tree fell over in the middle of the night one year, that ornament survived the fall.
Elisabeth
Our tree fell over last year and I felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully, most of the “precious” ornaments survived. I’m so glad that one from your mom didn’t break. It’s so awful to have a tree go over. This year we’re going the artificial route which should be a bit sturdier…?
Karen
What a lovely giveaway! I don’t need to enter the giveaway but just wanted to drop a comment. I hope Canada Post cooperates for the winner.
I love the East Coast, haven’t stayed in Nova Scotia, just passed through, although we’re trying to plan another vacation out east. Canadian Maple Syrup all the way for the pancakes!
Heather Mar
My favorite ornament is the one that says Baby’s First Christmas. It’s 40 years old now, just like me! Fun that it’s been a part of my life the whole time.
Alexandra
Ooo, while I would love to enter, I think you can check me off the draw for this one. We get enough maple syrup here, in Quebec, to drown the planet in. And, besides, I’m allergic. But the chap stick? Oh yeah, would love one of those. I need to come over there and do another visit to stock up. And who doesn’t love all things Canadiana?
Someone is going to win themselves a sweet little treasure haul.
J
I would love to have that Canada ornament for my Canadian born husband. <3 We love maple syrup on pancakes, though we don’t eat them very often.
Jacquie
As a Canadian resident who always has a Costco sized bottle of maple syrup in my fridge, I do not need to enter this giveaway, but what a great a selection of all things Canada for some lucky someone!
My favourite ornament is a baby in a nightdress sitting on a crescent moon, sucking her thumb, with a soother tied with string hanging down next to the baby. I bought it the first Christmas after having my daughter. I’m always so careful to make sure it’s securely on the tree and wrapped up well when I put it away each year. Our tree toppled over one year and a couple of ornaments did break, and I would hate to lose this one.
Mary
Hi! I am loving following along. I’m outside Chicago and winter is coming too early here – I’m impressed by your make do attitude further north.
Favorite ornament is a skeleton key – my sister, mom, and I have variations. We got them in Germany when we went there to see if we could find the town my mom’s family is from (we were sorta successful) and because my mom’s mom had skeleton keys all over her house. Double memories.
Joy
How fun! Visiting Canada is on my bucket list. I do hope to get there someday but in the meantime, I read Canandian literature and blog posts.
My favorite ornament is the white knitted bell that my grandmother made for my first Christmas. It hung on my parents tree every year until I moved out and has been on mine since. It’s so special to me.
My favorite topping is maple syrup. Nothing can compare.
Thanks, Elisabeth.
H
Hey!
I don’t really have a favourite Christmas ornament, but we go hard for coloured lights on the tree which is a rarity up here in Sweden 😉
My kid has maple syrup on toaster waffles for breakfast everyday so it would be extra special to have real Canadian maple syrup!
Cattis
Hej! 👋 jag är också från Sverige 🙂
Elisabeth
I am white lights FOREVER! I’m not sure what the “norm” is here in Canada?
Kathy Wolfe
A while dove that is a reminder of my grandmother.
Elisabeth
Love this…
Cattis
I love christmas and I’m not sure if it’s possible to choose only one favourite ornament. Hmm I think either 3 red small mice we’ve had my enter life that I brought home from my moms house OR a set of knitted acorns my lovely MIL made for me.
In Sweden we eat pancakes with jam and whipped cream, and the pancakes are super thin almost like crepes. My favourite is to eat them with only blueberry jam. My kids cousin is cray cray and eats his with ketchup. That’s super strange behaviour 😂
NGS
I don’t know what my favorite ornament is. They’re all special to me. The year we were engaged I got a “Bride’s Set” of ornaments from my MIL and I like it when we sit down and figure out which ones will go on the tree that year. Those might be my favorites, but don’t tell the other ones that!
BethC.
My favorite ornament is a plaster cast of our dog’s paw print. She is no longer with us, but every time I look at it I think of the joy she brought our family.
Jessica
What a fun giveaway! I visited Canada for the first time this past summer. We traveled to Banff National Park and it was epic. I’ve lived in Minnesota for 24 years and can’t believe it’s taken me this long to cross the boarder. We have another trip to Ontario planned for this coming summer.
Anyway…my favorite Christmas ornament is of a gray owl named Peaceful Spirit. My mom gave it to me when I was a kid after we attended some nature program where the rangers did a talk about owls and there was a live owl named Peaceful Spirit and I thought he was so charming.
Sophie
What a cute giveaway! I have a cute waving Santa who sits at our letterbox at Christmas time. Or do white twinkle lights count as an ornament? I love lights at Christmas! (And because we don’t have daylight savings, it gets dark early enough to enjoy them where I live, even in summer! Hooray.
Maria
I’m not entering since as a winner last time I’d feel odd entering this one, but thank you again for my prize!!!
My parents did the special ornament each year thing and it’s so fun now to look back. My favourite one of mine is probably the wooden dog that my dad hand cut and painted to look exactly like our Rosie dog. He’s made one for each grandchild so far of the little cartoon character he’s come up with for each of the grandkids and those are my favourite ornaments on our tree that belong to the kids. (He draws cartoons of the cousins doing things together. My nephew is a TRex, older niece is a kitty, youngest niece a kangaroo, and my kids are a cat, a bear, and a panda. They all have cute names for the characters but those incorporate their real names so I won’t post them.) Oh and my aunt makes a crossstitch ornament for each kid and each couple each year and I love those too!
Elisabeth
Awww. This is so sweet! What great memories you have and are making.
Ashley
I think my favorite might be a first year together ornament with champagne flutes.
I’m a fan of berries and syrup on my pancakes. I bet that Canadian maple syrup is delicious!
Katrina
I love all the ornaments that I put on the Christmas tree. There are memories for each one. Lots of homemade ones from family members.
My husbands likes maple syrup but I like fruity syrups or jam on mine.