Last night I received the most delicious treat from a girlfriend of mine for Christmas.  My girlfriend lives in the Cayman Islands right now and I only wish we could make it there for a visit, but for now we share emails and phone calls and we get to visit when she comes home to see her Mom.  And while we are complaining of -20C temperatures, she is feeling the heat, sometimes too much to bear, but I still love her.

Now to tell you of this fabulous treat.   The courier handed me the most  beautiful little box.

And inside this little green box are the most delicious handmade chocolates, I have ever tasted.

A little map of their chocolates.

Now, look at this!

And if you think they look beautiful, just imagine how they melt in your mouth.  It was killing me to take these photos, and not gobble them all down in one shot.  However, they are not gobbling kinds of chocolates, they are cup of tea (or coffee) chocolates, where one is all you need to last you a little while.  They are chocolates to savour and enjoy.  They are Koko Chocolates.  A local (to Ottawa) company.  I loved them so much that I called immediately this morning to see where I could get some for my Mom’s stocking.  Unfortunately she is finished her Christmas chocolate batch, but there is a special little coffee shop that I love that carries little 3 packs, so I will be over there to pick up a couple tonight. Mmmm….

And yes, this truly was a little bite of Heaven.

p.s. I have tasted two more since I photographed these chocolates this morning and am still floating on a cloud.

In Santa that is.  No, I don’t believe that a man comes through my non-existent chimney and leaves gifts for the children.  But, I do believe in the Spirit of Santa.  To me, Santa goes hand in hand with the true meaning of Christmas.  The reason for the Season.  The Birthday.

Jesus is the reason we are celebrating this holiday and we make sure that the children know this.  But, yes there is another reason for this holiday.  The Spirit of giving.  Saying thank you to others and doing things for others because we can and want to.  I actually wrote about this two years ago, when my nephew was first told that there was no Santa.  It breaks my heart that other children don’t get the chance to believe.  There is something special about not really knowing but knowing.  Even though I grew up knowing there was no Santa, my older Sister and I always thought my parents were wrong and secretly believed. I remember how special that was to us, wondering if Santa was out there on the rooftops making deliveries.

How could you not believe in this guy, look at that smile.  He and J were having a great chat while I was taking some shots.  Apple really wanted nothing to do with it, but J spoke for her.

 This year, for the first time I decided not to buy the shots from the photo lab at the mall, but just bring my own camera.  I have brought it before, but always bought a package anyway.  Well, not this year.  I would have never got these great shots without the few minutes we had by ourselves.

Thank you Santa, you truly are an inspiration.