The recipe for friendship

and a cheery holiday punch to give sparkle to the season

The recipe for memories

25 pounds of friends and family
One packed cup of joy and laughter
Two tbsp each of sharing and caring
A soupçon of music
A generous pinch of libations
An abundance of food
Season generously with laughter

Stir all ingredients together at least once a year. Let marinate for a lifetime. Serve with a healthy appetite. Makes many delightful servings.

In 1995, in a walk-up apartment on Bathurst Street, we hosted our first Holiday Open House—a modest gathering with homemade treats and the warmth of friends. It soon became a cherished tradition, marking the start of the holiday season for us and so many of our friends.

And yet, as with all things, there comes a time to say goodbye.

Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Though we didn’t know it at the time, last year’s 25th gathering was our final Open House. In the quiet moments after that long-awaited gathering—our first since the pandemic—something had shifted, a sense that something no longer quite fit together in the same way.

Part of this was the goodbye to our dear old house. Over the years, our cozy haven was as much a part of the Open House as the guests themselves. Its snug spaces, the crackling fireplace and creaking floors and the countless memories embedded in its walls created an irreplaceable backdrop for our gatherings. Moving from that home marked the first shift in a tradition we had built so lovingly.

Another factor was the heart of our celebrations: the food. For years, we poured our love into every dish we served, spending weeks planning menus, shopping for ingredients, and cooking together in a way that felt like an extension of our giving. When the ability to create the food ourselves became impossible—due to time, space, and the realities of a new life—it quietly took away some of the joy we found in hosting. The act of preparing and sharing food was never just about feeding our guests; it was about the love and care we expressed through every bite.

Preparing for the feast

Yes, every guest still left with their own personalized gingerbread cookie—the one tradition I couldn’t bring myself to skip. But rolling out and decorating dozens of cookies was only a small comfort, a faint echo of all the things we didn’t do: Richard’s famous lamb chops and brisket, the baked Brie, the house-cured gravlax, the smoked trout dip. In the end, those cookies became a fitting goodbye, a sweet and simple farewell to the open house as we once knew it.

“The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings.”
—Dave Weinbaum

Life, with its natural rhythms, has a way of signaling when it’s time to let go. This realization wasn’t easy to embrace, but it was clear that this beautiful tradition needed to go out on a high note, with all the love and gratitude it deserved. While bittersweet, this decision allows us to honor the past while opening the door to new possibilities for connection and celebration.

While this may be the end of our Holiday Open House, it is not the end of the warmth, laughter, and cherished memories that defined it.

We look forward to finding new ways to celebrate, to gather, and to honour the friendships and bonds that have been strengthened by this yearly gathering. Here’s to new traditions, lasting friendships, and the joy of the season.

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Cranberry lime Christmas Eve punch

from Anne Lindsey’s Light Kitchen

Makes two dozen 1 cup servings

For a past 25 years this punch held a place of honour at our Open House. Distinctive because of the ginger beer, a perfect non-alcoholic sipper that’s great for kids and adults alike, it also goes very nicely with a generous splash of Prosecco (or vodka if you need additional reinforcement).

It’s a recipe I’ve shared before, and one worth repeating. It is easily made into a much smaller pitcher by dividing the quantities by three. Here’s to new traditions!

64 ounces (1.8 litre) cranberry cocktail juice

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

2 cups pineapple juice

3 x 10 ounce (300 mL) bottles ginger beer or ginger ale, chilled

2 x 750 mL bottles soda water, chilled

Ice

Fresh or frozen cranberries to finish

In a large punch bowl, combine cranberry cocktail juice, limeade concentrate, pineapple juice and ginger beer up to two hours before serving. When ready to serve, add soda water and ice. Toss in a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries for a pretty finish.