The 110th Grey Cup championship took over Hamilton last week, and it was a wild week indeed. Visitors came to our city from all across Canada, and they left knowing for sure that Hamilton knows how to throw a party.

The Grey Cup arrived in style with a naval escort aboard the HMCS Harry DeWolf, with an official arrival ceremony at the HMCS Star naval reserve. Our Grey Cup celebrations included a holiday for students; a free breakfast for fans; beer gardens, many official and unofficial; food trucks; a Christmas market; and live music up and down James Street North.

Saturday morning, I had the thrill of walking in the Santa Claus parade with MPP Monique Taylor. The streets were lined with tens of thousands of folks in the holiday spirit. Many, many CFL jerseys were on display, but of course, there was a sea of Ticat black and gold. To the absolute delight of hometown fans, Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence joined Mrs. Claus in the parade.

Then there was the sellout game between the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. And what a fantastic game: The Bombers led after the half, but Montreal took the lead with only 11 seconds on the clock. I learned last night that 12 out of 16 of the last Grey Cup games have been decided in the last three minutes, proving without a doubt that there’s no football on the planet more exciting than Canadian football.

Hamiltonians may be disappointed that the Cats weren’t in it this year, but next year, in BC, the Cats will be there. Oskee Wee Wee!