Holiday reflections: Canadian women leaders share their favourite festive moments

The holiday season is a time for joy, connection, and reflection — a chance to pause and celebrate moments that bring warmth to our lives. 

We were curious what those special moments looked like for some of the women leaders in our community.

In this festive feature, we’ve asked the following friends of The Honest Talk to share their favourite holiday moments:

• Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, Canada’s first Indigenous Supreme Court Justice
• Liz Renzetti, bestselling author and journalist
• Mitzie Hunter, President and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation
• Lisa Weagle, a two-time Olympic member of Team Canada’s women’s curling team
• Jacie deHoop, co-founder of The Gist 
• Vassy Kapelos, Canadian journalist and CTV News Chief Political Correspondent

From the simple magic of childhood wonder to their favourite festive treats, we bring you some holiday reflections to get you in the spirit.

My favourite childhood memory of the holidays is:

Justice O’Bonsawin: Christmas eve. After the 10:00 mass, we settled around the tree and my dad put on his Elvis Christmas record. We took turns opening our gifts and at midnight was “le réveillon” and we would eat our traditional meal.

Liz Renzetti: Christmas dinner at my Aunt Dora’s house. She made the most extraordinary Italian dinners, including octopus for my grandfather. (I did not partake!)

Mitzie Hunter: Our loaded Christmas tree, which was set up in the basement by the fireplace and pool table. It was so packed because my parents would wrap every gift for my brothers and me. My dad would buy his own gifts and one year he gave us socks and chocolates. We would unwrap on Christmas morning.  

Lisa Weagle: Christmas dinner with our neighbours. Growing up, we didn’t have extended family in town, so we had Christmas dinner with two other families – 13 people in total. The host rotated each year and they were in charge of the turkey, another family would take care of vegetables, and the other would bring dessert. 

Vassy Kapelos: Spending Christmas in Saskatoon with my parents and sisters – I was starting out in my career and had to work the holidays so they all came to me. We stayed together in my tiny apartment, went to the casino and World Juniors and had the most wonderful time. It ended up being my mom’s last Christmas with us, which we didn’t know at the time. I’m so glad we spent it the way we did. 

My favourite holiday tradition is:

Justice O’Bonsawin: Listening to the Elvis Christmas record on Christmas eve. 🙂

Liz Renzetti: Baking cookies with my sisters and decorating the tree with my kids.

Mitzie Hunter: Going over to my mom’s house on Christmas eve and staying up late wrapping presents together and talking. We would enjoy my mom’s Jamaican rum cake – it is a must-have for our family.

Lisa Weagle: Decorating the Christmas tree. I like to get Christmas ornaments to mark special occasions, and looking at the ornaments is a nice walk down memory lane.

Jacie deHoop: Gingerbread house making/decorating!

Vassy Kapelos: St. Nick’s Day (Dec. 6). In Greek tradition, it’s my dad’s name day, and in German tradition (I’m half Greek, half German) it’s Saint Nicholas Day. Growing up it always meant a boot outside our bedroom door when we woke up with an orange, a chocolate, and a new book. 

The best holiday gift I ever received was:

Justice O’Bonsawin: An Atari with seven games from my Aunt Julie.  She worked at WalMart in New Mexico and sent me an Atari the year they were sold out in Canada.

Liz Renzetti: Last year my husband stood in line for hours to get me a rare LP, Keith Richards with Lee Scratch Perry. It was him and hundreds of Gen Zs waiting outside a record store, and he felt young again!

Mitzie Hunter: When my nephew Joran was born in December 2020. He was so welcomed during the pandemic and I had the chance to hold him soon after his birth and that first Christmas.

Lisa Weagle: The best/most practical gift I ever received was snow tires for my car! Nothing says I love you quite like a set of winter tires. 

Jacie deHoop: A heartfelt, old-fashioned letter!

Vassy Kapelos: I honestly can’t think of one but I do love giving gifts… I used to do all my mom’s Christmas shopping… My favourite gift I ever gave was when I was completely broke in my first TV job and used my line of credit to buy my sisters each the prettiest designer wallet. Legit the dumbest thing someone who made as little money as I did then could do, but I couldn’t resist the idea of treating my sisters! Moral of the story, don’t take financial advice from me, lol. 

My favourite Christmas carol is… because:

Justice O’Bonsawin: Not really a Christmas carol but I love Ave Maria.

Liz Renzetti: We Three Kings, sung by Mario Lanza. Brings me right back to childhood. It’s cheesy, but deliciously cheesy. O Holy Night sung by Placido Domingo is a close second.

Vassy Kapelos: Anything Celine Dion, because it’s Celine. 

My favourite Christmas or Hanukkah meal is:

Justice O’Bonsawin: Tortière!

Liz Renzetti: I’m a stuffing gal. I could easily just eat stuffing and gravy.

Mitzie Hunter: The traditional turkey with all the trimmings and sides, including traditional Jamaican dishes like rice and peas, oxtail, and candied sweet potatoes.

Lisa Weagle: A big breakfast on Christmas morning with lots of coffee.

Jacie deHoop: Not really a meal, but the Christmas cookies that are always around over the holidays are my favourite.

Vassy Kapelos: Greek stuffing – ground beef, parsley, roasted chestnuts, pine nuts, and rice. Sounds weird, but it’s next-level delicious. 

I always/never make New Year’s resolutions because: 

Justice O’Bonsawin: I rarely make New Year’s resolutions because I normally don’t keep them.

Liz Renzetti: Never. I’m too lazy and life is short.

Mitzie Hunter: I set my goals for the coming year in September around my birthday. I love to set annual goals.

Lisa Weagle: I don’t make resolutions, but I do set intentions and goals for the year.

Jacie deHoop: I like to make New Year’s resolutions and to reflect on the past year and all the growth, challenges, and moments worth taking stock of and taking into the upcoming year. 

Vassy Kapelos: I never make New Year’s resolutions because…I don’t enjoy setting myself up for failure. 😉

This coming year, I’m most looking forward to:

Justice O’Bonsawin: Going to see a couple of Metallica concerts with my husband.

Liz Renzetti: Hanging out with my kids, and the publication of Widows and Orphans, the second Quill & Packet mystery novel written with my darling friend Kate HIlton.

Lisa Weagle: Continuing to grow my curling academy. I’ve got big ideas for new projects that I’m really excited about.

Vassy Kapelos: Seeing how my son develops and changes. It feels like so much changes in such short periods, I can only imagine what he’ll be like a year from now. 

This coming year, my goal is:

Justice O’Bonsawin: To be a good mentor to my clerks.

Liz Renzetti: To follow the news but not have my head explode.

Lisa Weagle: To improve my golf game!

Vassy Kapelos: To care even less what people think.