Joyous for some, while dreadful for many, the Holiday season has sprung in Toronto. Christmas trees popping up, “mistletoe hung where you can see,” and flickering lights across the streets of The 6ix. Yup, the reality is that some have literally been working on it since the day after Halloween, while others will literally wait until days before Christmas, its different for everyone–and that’s the beauty.
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Where to find the Ultimate Holiday / Christmas Cheer in Toronto?
For those of you looking for the Holiday Cheer…here’s a quick roundup of where the Holiday Season has sprung across Toronto.
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Distillery District’s Annual Christmas Market
For many of those living in the distillery, it’s the bane of their existence, but for many it’s a chance to trek into the city for that nostalgic Christmas Marketing vibe. Last Thursday night, they lit up their 55-foot Christmas tree–decorated with 60,000 twinkling lights, over 600 giant decorative ornaments and 2 km of garland. Celebrated with a special tree lighting ceremony joined by many (elbow to elbow–which we may add felt so odd to be back in the midst of it), including the Mayor, John Tory, the CEO of Forests Ontario (who provided the tree) and Santa, of course.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre
Later that same Thursday night, Cadillac Fairview also celebrated their tree lighting with a private socially distanced ceremony led by none other than the big man in red. Streamed across social media and local media around 10pm ET. But it doesn’t stop there, the garlands and pointsettias line the hallways and storefront are all decked out in Holiday gear. It’s definitely a sight to see, even if the thought of being back in a busy mall is cringe worth… we promise you it’s not that bad (and actually feels nice to be back to some sort of new normalcy).
Nordstrom inside the Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale and Sherway Malls
Ever since Nordstrom’s arrival in the GTA, their holiday decor, activations and sales are an iconic part of the Holidays in Toronto. They literally deck the halls with ornaments, lights, and so much more. Kind of feels like one of those department stores in the nostalgic Christmas movies we watched through the years. This year, some of their much anticipated festive festivities includes their “Santa Chats,” where you can schedule your child’s 10-minute chat with Santa; OR arrange to have Santa send your kiddo a personal Santa Greeting, for $20 towards Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Also resuming their Letters to Santa initiative, photo-booths and Holiday Breakfasts. Check out their website for the latest updates, as things rapidly change.
[Hero Video is a timelapse of their team literally decking the halls. Credit: Nordstrom Canada]
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Toronto City Hall Cavalcade of Lights
It’s back! The city’s 58-foot tree has arrived and is getting ready for it’s chance to shine for this year’s return of the Cavalcade of Lights outside Toronto City Hall. The city is looking at expanding the activation to encourage social distancing and less crowding. In typical city fashion, we await an official update tomorrow on the dates and times for all the action. Stay tuned!
Dundas Square’s Tech Wonderland
The lights are lit at Dundas Square year round, but it gets extra special during the holidays, with countless activations, street performers and…interesting characters (to say the least). To kick things off BestBuy Canada hosted an activation this past weekend to get Torontonians thinking about what Tech gear to get on their wishlist this year. Socially distanced, and proof of vaccination required at the door, so patrons could then easily wander around and try out the gear. Best yet, they had a little lounge of refreshments too. If you missed it, no worries, head on into one of their stores, it’s almost just as fun. 😉
