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How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays

The Singalong Set

For the artsy Remedios family, the holidays are a time to hunker down with the kids

By Jean Grant| Portrait by Erin Leydon
| December 16, 2019
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Jeffrey and Lucia Remedios lead hectic lives: he’s the president and CEO of Universal Music Canada, and she owns the Analogue Gallery in the Junction Triangle. They used to hold a big holiday bash each year, but were forced to hit pause on the party when they had their kids—Silas is two now, and Luna is one. They hope to bring it back in a few years. “The goal is to host a multigenerational rager,” says Jeffrey. For now, they split their holiday time between Lucia’s mother’s place in Collingwood and Jeffrey’s family’s homes in Guelph and Ajax. They’ll go for long nature walks in the snow, help Silas bake banana bread and whip out the guitars and ukuleles for festive singalongs—which always include the couple’s duet to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

 


Their Holiday Traditions

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“We have a great collection of holiday vinyl,” Lucia says. “Favourites include A Charlie Brown Christmas and Bing Crosby.”

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“Neither of us cook, so our contributions to holiday meals are Argentine empanadas and Portuguese natas from El Almacen on Queen West.”

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“I spend all year searching for matching pyjamas so we can all dress up together on Christmas morning. This year, I got them at Petite Plume.”

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“We subscribe to Charlie’s Burgers’ amazing monthly wine club, and we stock up in preparation for the holidays.”

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“We get paper ornaments, since Silas likes to pull them off the tree and throw them down the stairs.”

How the Remedios family celebrates the holidays
“It’s become an annual tradition to head up to Collingwood in the first week of December and cut down our tree with the family.”

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Jean Grant has been a freelance writer since 2015, covering a range of lifestyle topics like shopping, interiors, wellness and culture for publications like Maclean’s and Toronto Life. She also enjoys working with brands to develop custom content, and shares personal essays through her Substack newsletter, Nobody is Thinking About You.