‘Tis the Season to be Stress-free

With only a few weeks left to get everything in festive order, I still need to get some baking done and there are quite a few more gifts to be bought.
Browsing all the wonderful recommendations for bakeries and toy shops, I am going to visit two mom-recommended places: Terra Cotta Cookies and Mastermind Toys. And hopefully, save some sanity this year.

Because cookies taste best when they come straight out of the oven, Terra Cotta Cookies, in Georgetown, sell frozen pre-portioned dough, along with their baked cookies. They have nut-free and gluten-free options, and it sounds like they also cater to my sugar cravings with a range of cookies, from white chunk fudge to oatmeal delite. I can’t wait to try them and save the “real” baking for later. Sounds like a perfect holiday solution.

And to finish off that list, I’m going to take a stroll through Mastermind Toys, who have a range of locations across the GTA and take orders online. Though they specialize in educational toys, they seem to have a huge variety of brands sold in other toy stores without the typical toy-store price. And if I’m stuck picking the perfect gift, they have a list of popular items generated by an ongoing, in-store kids’ survey.

And if I ever get a much-needed break, I would definitely want to try out Tracycakes Bakery Cafe in Fort Langely, B.C. Providing a quaint atmosphere in the historic Marr House, their high tea brunches, including their infamous baby cake cupcakes (no less than 35 varieties), creamy chicken vegetable soup and finger sandwiches, sound like the perfect post-shopping treat.