Are you sticking around Montreal for the holidays? Instead of envying your south-flying friends, here are some ideas to make your staycation feel like a fantastic voyage.

1. Hit Mont Royal for some snowy (fingers crossed!) exercise

2. Spend a day relaxing at Le Spa Scandinave. We love that we can see snowy cars from the window by the hot tub.

3. Treat yourself to a night in a hotel to really feel like you’re getting away. Hotel Place d’Armes has a fab Christmas package and we love Hotel Nelligan for New Years.

4. Enjoy a classic afternoon tea at Birks Café, The Queen Elizabeth Hotel or Le Maître Chocolatier.

5. Avoid the usual crowds at Montreal’s amazing attractions, including the Big Bang exhibit at the MMFA.

6. Go see to The Nutcracker by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

7. Stay in and curl up with great books, DVDs and wine (our recommendations coming next week!)

—Jennifer Nachshen

Jewellery is such a personal thing, so we like to shop for everyone we know at the same place.

Make sense? Only if you’ve visited La Raffinerie. The jewellery line created by Julia Vallelunga offers pieces for every taste, like these statement necklaces (starting at $80) for our boldest fashionista friends and dainty dangling earrings ($45) for the classic ladies in our life. You can also find pieces by La Raffinerie at Anthropologie.

Treat the ladies in your life to something pretty. —Jennifer Nachshen

At various locations and online at www.laraffinerie.ca

Some celebrate Hannukah, others will use any excuse to eat the holiday’s traditional potato pancakes. But if the traditional fried latke is getting you down, we found a few variations to keep the fires burning for eight days and nights

Purple is the new black, so stylish cooks should try out these purple sweet potato latkes. Go international with these curried sweet potato versions. For the health-conscious we suggest this gluten-free recipe by Gluten Free Girl or add some zucchini for a little extra fibre. You can also go really irreverent with a recipe that incorporates bacon.

We promise we won’t tell the rabbi. —Jennifer Nachshen