With Christmas Day fast approaching, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford appears to be in a reconciliatory mood as he invited media and members of the city council to his mum's house in Etobicoke for the Ford annual Christmas party on Wednesday, Dec 11.

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The controversial mayor had previous brushes with the council and the press, whom he had driven away from his yard and called them maggots, when video of Mr Ford surfaced showing him smoking crack and inebriated. This behaviour led the council to cut back his power, which resulted in shouting matches at city hall.

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However, everything appeared to have been swept under the rug on Wednesday when Mr Ford regaled the dozen journalists who accepted his invitation with his childhood anecdotes.

However, to ensure it was all fun and no work, Mr Ford banned cameras or recording devices. Was it to prevent any accidental videos of another incident of smoking prohibited drugs or drunken stupor from the mayor?

Hard not to be tempted because besides the excellent chow catered by a local Italian restaurant, there was an open bar, flowing with liquor, wine and beer.

The mayor toured the reporters on the three-storey house, showed them the souvenirs he had collected when he travelled across Asia with his dad, gave them a peek of his childhood bedroom and the backyard.

Gone for the night was the arrogant mayor who dodged media. However, the council appeared not to buy this good boy image and most of the councillors snubbed the affair, except for three.

One of them was even the mayor's brother, Councillor Doug Ford, who introduced the guests to a Moroccan immigrant, Mohsine, who met their father in Tangier and moved to Canada in the 1980s, and lived with the Ford for four years. The councillor said he considered Mohsine a brother.

The mayor also recalled misadventures with their foreign guest, including Mohsine ripping off a turkey leg at a Port Credit Yacht Club buffet, instead of slicing it.

The two other councillors who showed up at the Ford bash were Gary Crawford and Frank Di Giorgio. The latter explained the low council attendance to the short notice given for the event, which was also the birthday of the mayor's wife.

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