Toronto KidsOutAndAbout Newsletter
December 4, 2025

Local in-person events this weekend
FREE events this weekend
Local in-person events next weekend

Big List of Private Schools

Christmas Tree Farms

101 Ideas for Holiday Fun

How to post your organization and events (it's all free!)

Sat, Dec 13: Santa Visits the Museum at Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre
Sun, Dec 14: Gift of Lights at Bingemans
Mon, Dec 15: 8th Annual Holiday Singalong Cabaret at Scarborough Music Theatre
Fri, Dec 19: Winter Blooms: Circus at the Garden at Toronto Botanical Garden
Sat, Dec 20: A Very Merry Magic show at TYT Theatre
Sun, Dec 21: John McDermott Family Christmas at Regent Theatre at Ontario Tech University, Continuous Learning
Wed, Dec 31: NYE 2026, Fireworks presented by Tim Hortons at Mississauga Celebration Square

Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:

When my husband and I started planning a family, we talked a lot about the kind of parents we hoped to be. Naturally, we looked back on our own childhoods. David had story after story about his parents—their quirks, what they cared about, who they were. But when I tried to do the same, I came up oddly blank. I could tell you what I loved as a kid, but not much about what made my own parents’ hearts sing. I remembered that my dad had a garden when I was little, but I couldn’t say whether he enjoyed digging in the dirt, liked making things grow, or was just trying to save money on vegetables.

That realization stuck with me. I didn’t want my kids to grow up seeing me as a blur in the background of their story; I wanted them to see me clearly: as someone who had favorite things, real interests, and a sense of enjoyment they could understand. I wanted them to grow up expecting that adulthood could be full of that, too... all of the vivid experiences that make up the inner life of a regular person, especially the joys. I started using the phrase "live what you love" as a kind of parenting guidepost.

Our kids are always watching, taking cues about what adulthood looks like. If all they ever see is grownups stressed, rushing, and tired, they’ll assume that’s the default. But if they also see us delighted by a song, energized by a game, inspired by something we've learned, genuinely laughing with people we love... that’s powerful. It shows them that joy isn’t something you age out of, it’s something you grow into.

The holidays are packed with tasks and to-do lists, but they’re also full of opportunities for joy. So tune your radar to what YOU love, and if you catch yourself smiling at paper snowflakes or belting out a corny carol, don’t downplay it. Let yourself have that moment. When your kids see the joy you've just pushed into the room; it's a gift to their present and to their future.

—Debra Ross, publisher

KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more.

If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site.