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The Traveller World Guide | Best Travel Tips and Vacation.

The Things I Love About Home: A Paint Photo Essay, Part 1

Travel Blog - Ross French - December 26, 2010

By: Lindsay Hogg

I love coming home for Christmas, my friends and family throw great parties. One of our traditions is the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party that begun years ago among my close group of friends. This year I stole one of my dads Santa ears-thingies because I couldn’t find an ugly sweater. The excitement of seeing everyone quickly fades when my friends do things like this.


That’s me in the middle wearing my sweet ass Santa hairband ears. Chipper as can be, with all the Christmas spirit in the world. But then something HORRIBLE happened.

NOT COOL MAN.

You guys are assholes!

Just to note, I actually didn’t know that my Santa ears were broken until I saw these pictures on facebook the next day.

Although my friends are able to make me very angry, nothing cheers me up and makes me look like more of a psycho than being able to smother my cat with love.


I don’t care how crazy I sound, I loved my cat very much and unfortunately Bobo has recently passed away, but even the thought of smothering her still makes me smile.

Coming back from travelling and having to live with my parents may suck at times, but it has it’s upsides (aka their wine cellar).


Okay, maybe this is a slight exaggeration, but it’s not far from the truth…

Lastly, I look forward to food. Pizza is quite common all over the world, but it just isn’t the same as when I get it at home. So I take it upon myself to stuff my face as much as possible when I’m back in Canada.

Tags | Christmas spirit, Parties, Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
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Ross French

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43 Comments

  • Avatar
    Alex December 26, 2010 at 5:43 PM

    i’m in love with everything about this.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga December 26, 2010 at 7:56 PM

      Damn Diggity!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Katie Wisniewski December 26, 2010 at 8:14 PM

    Oh my God this is funny! Daisy and I are killing ourselves laughing…

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Lisa E @chickybus December 27, 2010 at 7:53 AM

    This is wonderful…so much fun! Did you create those images yourself? If so, wow. Funny and creative! And I hear you re: the pizza thing. When I returned home after living abroad for a while, I pigged out on pizza for weeks. Couldn’t help myself! Actually, I’m still doing that….and I haven’t just been away recently. Hmmm….

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga December 27, 2010 at 8:02 AM

      haha yes, this is the one I was telling you to read! I did the images in paint, I have some time on my hands now haha.

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Ayngelina December 27, 2010 at 9:37 AM

    Laughed so much with this post, you must do more illustrations!

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga December 27, 2010 at 11:03 AM

      hahaha… I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I enjoyed making them.

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Michael Hodson December 27, 2010 at 11:21 AM

    Too much time on your hands. You got too much time on your hands….

    isn’t that how the song goes?

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga December 27, 2010 at 11:23 AM

      haha never heard of this song, but yes I do… it was much easier to paint/doodle a post with my nieces running around rather than trying to concentrate on writing. Oh Christmas time!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Amar December 27, 2010 at 12:17 PM

    Mrow?
    Haha
    Brilliant post and very creative!

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Margyle December 31, 2010 at 5:17 PM

    This is the most accurate representation of Hogga I have ever seen… especially the death pass out in the wine cellar.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga January 6, 2011 at 10:32 AM

      You wish! I’m only in a drunk coma… no death… nothing can kill me!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Garreth Lodge January 6, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    I frigging LOVE this. I was in stiches. Great job. Can’t wait till the next one. Still laughing….

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga January 6, 2011 at 10:07 AM

      Haha, I loved making it! Working on #2 right now…

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Samantha Dermot February 8, 2011 at 6:38 AM

    Funny! That was a great Santa ears (albeit, a ruined one). But it sure looks good as a moustache! Kidding aside, sharing experiences makes me remember how funny and wacky Christmas can be. Every good or funny moment seem to happen concurrently.

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Jeremy February 8, 2011 at 12:09 PM

    [died]

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga February 8, 2011 at 12:23 PM

      hahaha death by humor? best way!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Abbey Hesser February 17, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    I like this. A lot.

    That is all.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga February 18, 2011 at 9:31 AM

      high fives!

      Reply
  • Guest Post: Don’t Be a Jackass, Push Through That Homesickness! April 1, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    […] will always have days where you miss the comforts of home. For me, it’s often food, particularly PIZZA (sorry friends and family… food trumps […]

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Mack Reynolds July 29, 2011 at 4:17 PM

    these paintings are hilarious. i particularly like the sequence of you finding the wine cellar and passing out down there. very well detailed. gold star!

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga July 29, 2011 at 4:21 PM

      haha i like gold stars!

      Reply
  • The Things I Love About Home: A Paint Photo Essay, PART 2 | The Traveller August 3, 2011 at 7:41 AM

    […] I mentioned in PART 1. I love pizza. So it may come as a shock to you that I also love vegetables (yes, I said it you […]

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Mica August 6, 2011 at 6:01 AM

    This stuff is why I heart you so much. hugs and unicorns.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga October 7, 2011 at 1:02 PM

      and presents? i like presents…

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Erica October 7, 2011 at 1:23 AM

    Love your cracked out wine face.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga October 7, 2011 at 1:04 PM

      You should see it not in drawings! Exactly. The. Same. haha

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Margo October 7, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Sorry about your cat and Santa ears! Yay M and D’s wine cellar! 🙂

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga October 7, 2011 at 1:03 PM

      Yeah, that cellar can be pretty deadly. And has given me purple teeth on more than one occasion haha

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Stephanie - The Travel Chica October 7, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    I have some friends that do the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, but I’ve never been able to attend. The pictures are always the best!

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga October 7, 2011 at 1:04 PM

      You should attend! It’s so much fun. We have been doing it for years and have a contest for best sweater as well… You win a bottle of something delicious!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    DTravelsRound October 7, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Ohhhh goodness. Can you illustrate my life please??? I think you could make the crap I am going thru super funny. xx

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga November 2, 2011 at 8:07 AM

      I can do anything I put my mind too!!!!!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Raymond @ Man On The Lam October 8, 2011 at 2:47 AM

    Is there even such a thing as a “nice” Christmas sweater? 🙂

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga November 2, 2011 at 8:06 AM

      I think they’re all lovely!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Nomadic Samuel October 8, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    Why can’t more travel posts be like this one! 😛

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga November 2, 2011 at 8:07 AM

      I’m working on it!

      Reply
  • Avatar
    Abby October 9, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    Good to see your awesomely hilarious drawings on the new site! My old company had an ugly Christmas sweater party every year.

    Reply
    • Hogga
      Hogga November 2, 2011 at 8:07 AM

      Thanks Abby!

      Reply
  • The Things I Love About Home: A Paint Photo Essay 3 | The Traveller January 23, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    […] likey??? Read Part 1 or Part […]

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Christy March 15, 2013 at 1:19 AM

    My parents wine supply makes me happy too. I get sad when I remember how far I live from them and that I have to buy my own wine. 🙁

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Elisa December 15, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    They broke your Santa ears???? 🙁

    Thank goodness for Bobo and wine 😉

    Reply
  • Avatar
    Shaiane November 10, 2015 at 3:17 AM

    Oh I couldn’t even pick, I think all Japanese names are pettry!Thank you for your comment, Aron!! I’m not Japanese, though I do admire the culture so much. I’m Canadian-born Hong Kong Chinese!I found the same okonomiyaki mix pack that my aunt used and made some myself yesterday – it is so good! Do you ever make it yourself? I’d like to try from scratch, but I really, really hate that gooey yam stuff, haha. I don’t even know if I’d like to touch it! Luckily in the mix it comes as a powder, hehe.Oh, you should come! Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that. I love Toronto and I think it’s a great city to live in, but there aren’t exactly any world-class tourist-type attractions. I wouldn’t recommend someone make a point of coming here, but if you go to Montreal or New York, you should definitely swing by, I’d be happy to show you my favourite spots!It’s funny you should say we’re friendly because I always thought that was a cliche, but whenever I go out of Canada, I notice it immediately. Not to say that other people are rude or mean, but Canadians really do take it to an extreme sometimes :PSpeaking of your job, we’re getting a J Crew in Toronto in August!! I am so super excited! Must start scraping my pennies together!That one caught my eye too! I might buy one of the passes to see a few films. I’ll let you know how they are!

    Reply
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    About Me

    About Me

    Ross French grew up outside Toronto, blah blah… he went to the University of Western Ontario for fine arts and like any degree, has since done nothing in that field. More seriously, Ross French is a travel junkie & a tech nerd with a slightly concerning love for beer & wine. he a has a great awareness of life outside the 9-5 and hopes to aspire to be a hammock bum one day.

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