There are fews things that I love more than memories. I’m a hopeless romantic and a sentimentalist. I associate items, songs and places with people. It’s something I have always done and love about myself. I can look at a napkin I kept from a restaurant that I keep in a memory box and remember how it felt to enjoy a meal with someone and the moment I realized I loved them. It seems silly, but that’s just how I see the world – full of beautiful moments that I carry with me. The holidays are a special time for me and while we get excited for the season ahead, and attend some pretty spectacular events around the world, I wanted to take a moment to share why some of my happiest holiday memories might in fact surprise you. It’s not the tree or the onesies (though both important of course) but rather the simple moments with those I love that help to remind me of what is important.
We all know that although the holidays can be an amazing time with friends and family, they are also be incredibly stressful. So when I sat down to think about what the holidays meant to me, I realized that a Sunday on the couch in comfy clothes playing my favourite Nintendo Canada games and ordering in is just as important to me as Christmas Eve with the family. I find solace in the balance of it all, and there is nothing that makes my heart happier than some quality one on one time. Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to work with the Nintendo Canada team as Canadians celebrated the launch of new games, devices, and experiences. One event that has always helped put me in the holiday spirit is the Nintendo Holiday event right here in Toronto!
Catherine had the pleasure of attending last year’s event in Toronto and it was one of her favourite events of 2017. Click here to see some pretty incredible photos from her experience. It’s one of my favourite memories with Catherine on the blog actually because for a long time I forgot how much she also loves to play Nintendo games in an effort to relax and unwind.
But of course our love on Nintendo isn’t just limited to Canada. Pepe and his growing family in Playa del Carmen are huge fans as well and some of his favourite memories growing up are also centered around the systems he had in his childhood. Click here to read his post about Nintendo in Mexico inspired by our love of them here in Canada. I love that Nintendo can bring us all together like that. My dream would be to get the whole team from around the world together for an epic Mario Kart battle. I don’t know if they all know how competitive I am though, so it may get interesting.
From attending conferences to product launches, I can say with certainty that my love of all things Nintendo is stronger than ever. At thirty five, I am still excited to be in my onesie on a chilly winter day headed to the holidays playing Mario Kart or any of the new releases coming to Canada just in time for the holidays. It’s a fantastic way for Catherine & I to enjoy some time together, or to bring the portable Nintendo Switch system with me to Ottawa to battle it out with my brother as we’ve been doing since we were young. I love that the experience is something I can share with friends, family, and those I love. And it wouldn’t be the holidays without an addition of a game or two to our repertoire – though chances are if you asked me to play a game Mario Kart 8 would always be my go to. I’m quite competitive though, so prepare to take on a champ! I’ve played loads of different video games since I was a child so I’m a pro now! Mario Kart is one of my favourite ever video games, it’s just so fun! I saw that it ranked pretty highly on this amazingly curated list of the best racing games and I have to agree! It’s such a fun game no matter how old you are!!
And of course it wouldn’t be a post on Do The Daniel without mentioning how excited we are to try the new Pokémon games tonight! From our first post falling in love with the coming together of two of our favourite things (click here), we’ve grown to love collecting the games as they are released. So tonight we will have the opportunity to play Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! which I have been looking forward to for weeks. But there will also be the highly anticipated #SuperMarioParty for #NintendoSwitch AND Super Smash Bros. I already know that tonight will get me even more into the holiday spirit and will inspire me to recreate the experiences we will share with you on our Instagram account at home with those special people in my life.
Get the party started with the new #SuperMarioParty bundle for #NintendoSwitch, featuring the game and a pair of Neon Green/Neon Yellow Joy-Con! This bundle arrives 11/16 and will retail for $129.99 pic.twitter.com/RCLxHHU9yj
– Nintendo of Canada (@NintendoCanada) November 9, 2018
So yes, while I look forward to picking up some of the new games as gifts during the holidays, I am more so excited to create more holiday memories playing the games with friends and family on quiet days in together. I think it’s important to remember that Nintendo and their full line of products and games is a great way to unwind during the craziness of the holiday season. And why wouldn’t you want to have a special day of doing nothing else other than laughing with someone or the people that mean the most to you?
To join in on the social media conversation, make sure to follow @Nintendo on Instagram, @NintendoCanada on Twitter & ‘Like’ their Facebook page. Make sure to follow and use the #NintendoHoliday hashtag to share how much you love their games and what kind of memories you’ll be making this holiday season. Whether it’s the gifts you’ll be giving to those in your life, or just kicking back like I am going to be doing, I can’t wait to see how you create special memories with Nintendo Canada like I will be.
For more behind the scenes of this and other amazing brands we are working with around the world, make sure to follow along with the #DoTheDaniel Instagram account. We would love to have you join on our adventures!
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Photos: Nintendo, Evan Bergstra , All Social Media Accounts Listed Above & Daniel Reyes
Cheers!
Mobile photos were taken with my #HuaweiP20Pro on the Rogers network