But we ask ourselves, does everyone celebrate Christmas the same way?
You may wonder: how do they celebrate Christmas in Canada?
The nice thing is that Christmas in North America and Canada is not seen as a purely religious celebration that only Christians celebrate. Instead, it is considered as a party in which we celebrate togetherness, love and family. As a demonstration of this, Canadians do not have the custom of decorating the nativity. In fact, only some Christian families (perhaps European immigrants) maintain this tradition. This is a perfect demonstration of successful multiculturalism from which we should also take an example.
But now we come to the most delightful things ...
What are Canadian Christmas traditions?
The symbol most dear to everyone of December 25th is Santa Claus to which children usually write a week before the 25th using a postcard of their city containing their wishes and a list of the gifts they would like to find under the tree on that day.
The tradition that unites all Canadians is the Christmas tree: it is decorated with colored lights and laurel wreaths. Even the house is the centerpiece of Christmas made in Canada: crammed full of decorations and stockings for every member of the family, hanging from the fireplace as in Canada all the houses have one, usually will be filled with sweets and candies during the night of Christmas Eve.
Canadian families challenge those who best decorate their homes and trees. Every year, Canadians prepare well in advance so that already from the first days of December the lights are already in position and ready to illuminate the streets. I assure you it's a show.
Naturally, Christmas means so much food too. The Christmas lunch does not differ from that of Canadian Thanksgiving. In fact, we normally eat stuffed turkey with baked potatoes and sauces as a side dish. The meat is the most popular: those who do not love turkey cook roast duck with roasted potatoes and many side dishes.
Also, in Canada, the tradition of door to door songs is followed, in exchange for which the little ones receive either sweets or coins, and a cup of hot chocolate, since the climate in Canada is really rigid.
Christmas markets are very famous in the cities and the best ones I visited were in Toronto.
The most famous is the Toronto Christmas Market in the distilleries district. It opens its doors in November and closes at the end of December. Admission is free on weekdays but they charge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. The place is enchanting, you will feel like being projected into Victorian England surrounded by ancient architecture and hundreds of stalls from which to buy sweets, drinks, handicrafts, typical clothing and more.
If, on the other hand, you want to stay more in the city center, I propose these other two markets: The Union Station Holiday Market and the Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillips Square which I visited.
The first is right next to Union Station (the one closest to the CN Tower so to speak). This is the most modern definition of Christmas market in which downtown artisans and sellers are invited to set up stalls to sell their products. However, it is very interesting, you can find lots of different things ranging from clothes to healthy drinks and so on.
The second has a more traditional imprint and is a must for the Torontonians. It is set up right in front of the Municipality, in the Nathan Phillips Square (the square where TORONTO is written big). There are rides, pyrotechnic and musical shows and of course the classic stalls that serve food and anything else. It's a perfect place to go with your family and there is also skating on the special ice rink set up for the holiday season.
