Maureen Gilleece

The Uxbridge Christmas Home Tour has become a yearly tradition for many, a fun filled day with tons of festive ideas, sparking holiday shopping, baking & of course holiday decorating.

The Tour is a great way to ease yourself into holiday bliss; you will be amazed at the subtle & more obvious hints of the latest decorating trends infused in each home. Clever ways to incorporate your existing decorations & everyday items with fresh greenery, berries & twigs will inspire & motivate you to turn your house into a holiday haven.

Traditional & contemporary holiday hue combinations will take centre stage, popcorn garland never looked so good & all the "Must Have's for the Season" will be featured this year in our beautifully festooned homes! Affordable, eco-aware & elegant ideas will help make your space "holiday ready" thanks to our very talented homeowners, decorators & florists!

With your support over the years the Uxbridge Christmas Home Tour has been a huge success for our community. In 2010, you helped us to raise over $19,000, and since its inception in 2004, the Tour has given over $100,000 to local charities. The recipient of the 2011 event is Jennifer Ashleigh Children's Charity. We are delighted to be helping children within our reach.

Your community spirit & generosity continues to make a difference.

For more information regarding the tour and how to purchase a passport, visit The Uxbridge Christmas Home Tour website.

There are many reasons why people choose to live in Uxbridge and the trails is certainly one of them. In 2008, Uxbridge staked claim to being the Trail Capital of Canada. No small feat considering the beauty that abounds Canada from coast to coast. Uxbridge is located an hour northeast of Toronto, making it easily accessible for tourists to spend a wonderful day exploring many trails that make up the 220 km. of managed trails on over 8000 acres of protected greenspace.

One of the prettiest trails to walk has got to be the Countryside Preserve Trail. Located in the Oak Ridges Moraine, it is made up of of 140 km. of rolling meadowland, wetlands, woodlands & ponds. Whether you are a hiking enthusiast or prefer to take a leisurely stroll, this trail is sure to provide what you are looking for. What a great way to spend time with family and friends - don't forget your dog. When you are done, don't go home before you treat yourself to an ice cream cone from Kawartha Dairy, located just up the street at 304 Toronto St. South.

6 kilometres of marked trails.

Art pedestals along the trail display the beauty captured by local artists

A wonderful place for the whole family to enjoy

Have a wonderful time and be sure to check out the other trails.

The Wood Team - RE/MAX Allstars Realty Inc., Brokerage

My day began in the usual way, sipping coffee at my computer in preparation of the day that would follow. My phone alerted me that an email had just arrived. Nothing unusal about that, but it sounded again and again and again and... What could possibly be causing such activity? - NEW MORTGAGE RULES!

Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister announced 3 new changes to the rules for government insured (default insured) mortgages. The intent - support long term stability of the housing market and address rising household debt in Canada.

Sounds good doesn't it? But what does it mean to you?

1. Lowing the maximum amount consumers can borrow when refinancing their mortgages. This change will lower the maximum mortgage amount to 85% of the appraised value of the property from the current 90%. This change will help to promote savings in homeownership and ensure that homeowners don't become overextended by using all the equity they have built up in their home when refinancing.
2. Reducing the maximum amortization period for new government insured (default insured) mortgages. The maximum amortization period for all new mortgages will be reduced to 30 years from the current 35 years. This change will help reduce total borrowing costs to consumers, helping them to build up equity more quickly.
3. Withdrawing government insurance backing on lines of credit secured by homes: effective April 18th.

The effective date of the first two changes will be March 18th. Applications submitted and approved by CMHC prior to March 18th will still qualify under current guidelines.