MommyBear888,
I am very disturbed right now by reading your post. Why do you guys want to purchase a flight ticket without a visa to Canada? who said that you will get your visa in December? Now correct me if I am wrong. You have a TRV that is why you want to flight here in December is that right? If no, I am sorry because CIC told me this in 2008 before they completed my PR Application:
What you should know
§ You should not take any irrevocable action such as selling your property, quitting your job, or buying plane tickets until you have received your passport(s) and permanent resident visa(s).
§ Your visa(s) will be issued to match the information in your passport(s). This will be the name that appears on all of your government-issued documents after you become a permanent resident of Canada (for example, your driver’s license, you social insurance card, your provincial medical insurance card).
§ You must also immediately tell us if it family composition changes (e.g. by marriage, divorce, birth, death etc.) before the date of your intended departure. Information in our systems must be up to date and considered before anyone can be granted permanent resident status on arrival.
§ Your visas will expire one year after the date of your medical examinations. However, if your passport or any of your family members’ passports are due to expire before this date all visas will expire on the date that the first passport expires. If your passports are due to expire, it is in your interest to send us NEW OR UPDATED PASSPORTS to ensure that your visas can be issued with maximum validity. You must enter Canada on or before the expiry date on your visas.
§ The validity of a permanent resident visa cannot be extended, nor can a replacement visa be issued with a new expiry date. If you do not use your visa(s) before the expiry date, yet still wish to immigrate to Canada, you will have to begin the application process again, and pay new fees. The new application would be assessed according to the immigration legislation in force at the time of submission.
It is good to have "Recommended Pass" in your application, but remember your file might stuck in the final review queue if your VO is experiencing backlog. Again you are not sure if BGC are completed? You don't have a very recent GCMS notes to show you that your BGC is done. So I would advised you to hold your piece a bit until they request your PPT. Even after PPR they usually take 3-5 weeks to send back your PPT. I cannot find refuge in your decision to buy a ticket while things are still under ice.
Good Luck
Eagle333