Save a little festivus for the rest-of-us!

There’s a little tradition we have when Christmas is nearing. Unlike the usual traditions that play out over the actual holidays, this tradition takes place about a month in advance. It’s almost our holiday kick-off.

There’s a store we visit that’s only open for a month or so just before Christmas. That’s it.  It opens mid November for a few weeks and then its closed again until the next year. It’s a quirky place where Christmas and classic movies collide.

Nerd alert!

It’s called Retro Festive and we love it. Today was our annual visit.

Adventure-A-Day: Day 22

My girls look forward to the Christmas cookies, cider, candy canes and Christmas character encounters each year. We’ve sat on Santa’s lap there but also the laps of the Heat and Snow Miser brothers (from The Year Without A Santa Claus) and the Grinch himself. It’s a fun little outing that means an addition to our holiday home decor items. One year we bought the moose eggnog bowl and cups made famous in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. We’ve also purchased numerous Star Trek tree ornaments, tacky mugs and, most recently (today) a Downton Abbey ornament.

This is the place you come to bring home a little of the magic from your favourite holiday movies and a few non-Christmas classics too. It’s a mix of retro and trendy and its the perfect place to find a unique gift for that hard-to-buy-for person on your Christmas list.

Need a Yoda Christmas tree topper? You’re good to go here.  Want a Seinfeld festivus pole for your living room? No problem! If you’re into building miniature cities they’ve got The Simpson’s Springfield, Whoville and more.  The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Story, Home Alone…..the list goes on. This is where your Christmas-themed movie paraphernalia lives.

They even have a whole room filled with tacky Christmas sweaters. Here’s my favourite from this years browse thru.

We don’t buy much really. Just one or two items each year. One is typically a gag gift for a Santa exchange among friends plus an ornament or two. We just love looking through the store, seeing all the hilarious items and re-living our favourite movie scenes.

The holiday’s certainly have a way of bringing out the best in everyone and everything. The Christmas spirit is alive and well here in my home and this little family is ready for another season of classic Christmas movie viewings. #ChristmasIsComing.

Did you have an adventure today?