Wowza!  I can’t believe Christmas is right around the corner!  I am so unprepared this year.  Our decorations are not even out of the basement yet, and it is already the middle of the month!  We’ve just been very busy.  I’ve been thinking, lately, about all the opportunities we have to celebrate here in Canada — parties, special treats, traditions, gift giving.  Seems like the entire country takes on a whole new look at Christmastime,  with lots of places getting all dolled up for the occasion.  I thought I would share a few of the places I would love to visit (or have already!) and share how they decorate for the season.

Old Montreal/Quebec City, Quebec

  We’ve been to “La Belle Province” numerous times and the architecture is fabulous in any season — but nothing compares to when it gets all dressed up for Christmas.  The cobblestone walks and quaint shoppes step right out of Currier and Ives.  Twinkling lights and the snow amidst the sound of french accents… ooh, la, la!  It’s as romantic as Paris without the plane ticket!  The stone and stained glass of the candle lit basilicas demand silent reflection. For the more adventurous, Quebec has some great skiing (or so I hear.).  Quebec should definitely be on a Canadian traveler’s Christmas bucket list!   

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Craftadian Market in Hamilton, Ontario

I haven’t been to this one yet, but was exposed to it via the Hamiltonhippie.  It sounds like a super duper craft market featuring local artisans!  I love seeing what other people are making from scratch!  Celebrating their God given talents and sharing them!  And what a better excuse than Christmas to share?  This one is on my list for next year!  Perhaps my cousin’s son, Jonathan, from an edible therapy will be there next year displaying his wares.  He (with help from his wife Chelsea) has turned a challenging experience into a beautiful testament to His Saviour, through his beautiful wood pieces.  I am hoping to get him to share his story someday here on mittonmusings.com!

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Brickworks/Evergreen Toronto, Ontario

This is our go-to, Sunday afternoon date destination! I especially love it at Christmas time when their Winter Village is alive!  They have a tiny, little (free) public skating rink surrounded by evergreen boughs that smell super Christmas-y!  We get hot cocoa or cider and tour around the pond before stopping at the big Muskoka chairs for a snuggle by the fire.  The food is phenomenal and I love the diversity of the artisans who display their wares at Brickworks!  Fresh and usually straight from the farm, the market is a unique blend of farmers market and craft fair… I love to scoop up unique treasures here for gifts!  

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Christmas Market in the Distillery District Toronto, Ontario

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For a more adult date night, the distillery is a must see.  Definitely instagrammable (yes, that is a real word!) it is the millennial hang out at Christmastime.  It makes me feel young and hip. (A statement that just made me old again). The first time we visited, we sipped free mulled wine at the fires.  Now, the marketers have discovered it’s popularity and commercialized it up a bit with tourist-y samplers, but it is still the best decorated spot for that classic, European Christmas market experience in Canada.  Book early if you want a reservation for dinner, though!

Vintelier Boutique in Abbotsford, BC

Okay, so I thought this was just a fleeting Christmas pop-up shoppe when I first saw it on Facebook, but apparently it is a quaint boutique that sells all kinds of adorable little things!  Shout out to my fabulous sister-in-law, who has been graciously employed there recently, for getting my boutique senses all a-tingle! If they have a stationary section, the first born daughter and I are going to drool. Literally.  Oh, how I would love to see inside this gem in person — and especially see what trinkets it has for the holiday season!  I am expecting a cute gift sent to me, O, darling sister-in-law!  

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Your local Thrift Shop!

A bonus locale for all things Christmas.  It’s funny how second hand stores get an eclectic gathering of Christmas goodies piled up from days gone past.  Being a big thrifty shopper, I seek out these shops often… not so much to purchase, but to browse the holiday aisle to see how quickly the holidays are discarded.  Those oh-so special objects become outdated, worn and donated away, all too quickly.  I am taken back to my childhood when I see some chipped china plate or tacky, tinsel lined, flashing star tree topper à la 1970, shoved onto the discount shelf at my local Sally Ann.  Occasionally,  you can still find a singing fish or a Macarena dancing Santa.  Oh, the memories.

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And so, I take a step back this Christmas season, and see the beauty in “things”.  Of places decorated so beautifully.  The outward appearance of places that represent a little bit of our inside lives.  Yet, I am reminded, again, to dig even deeper than the “things” I see around me.  These picture perfect places and lovely bits and baubles, although beautiful, are not the true meaning of Christmas.  They are precious, yes, but I have to think of Mary on that first Christmas night.  Oh… I am sure she wished she was in a beautifully lit inn off the cobble stone streets, and had warm flannel blankets to wrap her newborn in as she sipped mulled wine by the decorated fireplace.   But these are the romantic gestures we have come to associate with Christmas.  May you and I never lose sight of the cold, dark, dirty stable, as we are coerced by the “pretty things” of this world.  For the true joys lie there… in the warmth of a mother’s touch, the awe struck shepherd’s weathered features, and the piercing cry of the newborn who came to save the world.