What do nativity scenes, Christmas trees and a hotdog toaster have in common?
They’re all an essential part of the holiday traditions at the Gross home, where owners Nora and Andy may take Christmas seriously, but where it’s also a lighthearted affair.
That sort of explains the toaster, officially called the Hot Diggity Dogger, which is hauled out on Christmas Day every year for the long-standing rite of toasted hotdogs for lunch.
“People drop in on Christmas Day, we serve them hotdogs,” Nora deadpans.
Andy discovered the toaster more than 20 years ago through his job at Giant Tiger — he retired as CEO last year — and it was a Christmas gift that would go on to become a cherished family keepsake.
Of course, there’s also the more traditional turkey dinner later in the day and mass on Christmas Eve, but few things can top the toaster.
Photos: Hot diggity dog Christmas
Glebe family's holiday traditions include multiple trees and a quirky toaster.
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![Clear balls arranged in a dish on the living room coffee table are Nova Scotian crystal that Nora has collected for years.]()
Clear balls arranged in a dish on the living room coffee table are Nova Scotian crystal that Nora has collected for years.
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![Andy and Nora Gross, along with their Wheaten terrier Aussie, are all set for the holidays.]()
Andy and Nora Gross, along with their Wheaten terrier Aussie, are all set for the holidays.
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![One of five crèches, or nativity scenes, this one in the family room window is from the Willow Tree collection of hand-carved sculptures by artist Susan Lordi.]()
One of five crèches, or nativity scenes, this one in the family room window is from the Willow Tree collection of hand-carved sculptures by artist Susan Lordi.
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![The Hot Diggity Dogger hotdog toaster is still working after more than 20 years, likely because it’s brought out only for Christmas Day lunch.]()
The Hot Diggity Dogger hotdog toaster is still working after more than 20 years, likely because it’s brought out only for Christmas Day lunch.
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![In the dining room, crystal provides a glittering accent to the dining set Andy Gross inherited from his paternal grandparents. The hutch and buffet paired with it were found at the old Stittsville Flea Market about 30 years ago. An artificial tree in the corner has no ornaments, just lights, garland and ribbon. ‘I wanted something simple,’ Nora Gross says.]()
In the dining room, crystal provides a glittering accent to the dining set Andy Gross inherited from his paternal grandparents. The hutch and buffet paired with it were found at the old Stittsville Flea Market about 30 years ago. An artificial tree in the corner has no ornaments, just lights, garland and ribbon. ‘I wanted something simple,’ Nora Gross says.
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![A vignette off the family room adds festive cheer and includes one of several connections to the east coast. Nora bought the rug hanging over the banister in Nova Scotia from a woman who went on to establish the Hooked Rug Museum of North America.]()
A vignette off the family room adds festive cheer and includes one of several connections to the east coast. Nora bought the rug hanging over the banister in Nova Scotia from a woman who went on to establish the Hooked Rug Museum of North America.
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![A sculptural Amos pewter crèche from Nova Scotia was given to Nora by her parents.]()
A sculptural Amos pewter crèche from Nova Scotia was given to Nora by her parents.
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![Simple lit potted trees dress up the front entrance, which is framed by two heritage magnolia trees.]()
Simple lit potted trees dress up the front entrance, which is framed by two heritage magnolia trees.
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![In the dining room, clear plastic tabletop trees are paired with Waterford crystal candle sticks that once belonged to Sen. Cairine Wilson.]()
In the dining room, clear plastic tabletop trees are paired with Waterford crystal candle sticks that once belonged to Sen. Cairine Wilson.
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![Victorian-styled Christmas carollers are lined up on the living room mantel. Found through Byer’s Choice in the United States, Nora’s parents started her on them. ‘I was buying them every year and now I figure I’ve got enough,’ she says.]()
Victorian-styled Christmas carollers are lined up on the living room mantel. Found through Byer’s Choice in the United States, Nora’s parents started her on them. ‘I was buying them every year and now I figure I’ve got enough,’ she says.
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![The living room was one of three main-floor rooms that were not changed in the renovation.]()
The living room was one of three main-floor rooms that were not changed in the renovation.
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![Nora believes a crèche on the piano that was once her parents’ is more than 100 years old, although the ‘stable’ is more recent.]()
Nora believes a crèche on the piano that was once her parents’ is more than 100 years old, although the ‘stable’ is more recent.
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![At the side door, an old-fashioned sled that Nora restored is paired with an arrangement of birch and greenery gathered at the couple’s cottage near Val-des-Monts, Que., and in Nova Scotia.]()
At the side door, an old-fashioned sled that Nora restored is paired with an arrangement of birch and greenery gathered at the couple’s cottage near Val-des-Monts, Que., and in Nova Scotia.
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![An easy way to add lights, one of several trees and a cascading garland dress up the foyer and stair landing.]()
An easy way to add lights, one of several trees and a cascading garland dress up the foyer and stair landing.
Family history, heirlooms, and memories are woven through the Gross’s Glebe house not only at Christmas, but all year long. It’s a home that offers up its own sense of tradition.
Built in 1929 by renowned Ottawa architect W.E. Noffke, it features stately rooms with cove ceilings, arched openings and elaborate trim. Two heritage magnolia trees greet visitors on the front lawn while, inside, stained glass windows capture the magnolia blossoms in full bloom.
The couple bought the home in 2013, attracted to its traditional feel and corner lot. They brought in architect Barry J. Hobin to help them preserve the main elements of the home while adding to it to create an open-concept kitchen/family room and a mud room connecting to a new, larger garage. The six-month renovation by Crossford Construction, which cost more than $500,000, was a finalist at this fall’s Housing Design Awards.
The living room was one of three main-floor rooms that were not changed in the renovation.
Coming from a larger home in Hunt Club Park, Nora had to figure out how to deck out the new place for Christmas. Half of her decorations were sent to the family’s summer home in Nova Scotia, but that still left her with 20 “huge boxes” of decorations.
“Everything I have has been collected over the years, added to over the years,” she says. She’s always loved the holidays, even decorating her parents home as a child.
“Nora goes with the seasons,” her husband explains. “Christmas is the big one. Nora figures if she invests a lot into Christmas, there’s a payback,” adding as they both laugh, “Santa’s watching.”
One of five crèches, or nativity scenes, this one in the family room window is from the Willow Tree collection of hand-carved sculptures by artist Susan Lordi.
She starts decorating around Nov. 25, patiently setting out multiple trees, crèches (nativity scenes), Victorian caroller figurines and lights.
“It takes so long (to set up) that I want to enjoy it for a while,” she chuckles. The main Christmas tree in the living room window is real and is usually trimmed about a week before Christmas to make sure their children — Geoffrey and Sarah, both relatively recent university graduates — are home.
“I decorate and then I tinker,” she says.
In the dining room, crystal provides a glittering accent to the dining set Andy Gross inherited from his paternal grandparents. The hutch and buffet paired with it were found at the old Stittsville Flea Market about 30 years ago. An artificial tree in the corner has no ornaments, just lights, garland and ribbon. ‘I wanted something simple,’ Nora Gross says.
The decorating is understated, but there’s a warmth to it that invites you in, due in part, perhaps, to the personal touches found throughout. There’s the nativity scene under the tree given to Nora’s father by Geoffrey just before her father died on Christmas Eve eight years ago.
“So that was in the hospital with him,” Nora says softly.
There’s the Amos pewter tree topper and delicate crèche on the side table, both gifts from her parents. Amos is located in Nova Scotia, where Nora’s family is from. Another crèche on the piano once belonged to Nora’s parents, while one in the TV room downstairs is olive wood from Jerusalem.
A sculptural Amos pewter crèche from Nova Scotia was given to Nora by her parents.
Wood stars in the family room were made by Nora’s brother-in-law, while clear plastic tabletop trees in the dining room come from Giant Tiger and are paired with a set of Waterford crystal candle sticks once owned by Sen. Cairine Wilson and given to them by Andy’s grandmother.
“I tend to gravitate to things I like,” says Nora, who is a fan of trees and lights. “I don’t collect things with the intent of putting things together; everything I do is sort of mixed up.”
And, chances are, next year, it’ll all look different — except for the hotdog toaster.
The Hot Diggity Dogger hotdog toaster is still working after more than 20 years, likely because it’s brought out only for Christmas Day lunch.
