For Day 2 of our Advent Activities Calendar we went to the Toronto Christmas Market in the historic Distillery District. We went there three years ago with friends (our first Christmas together!) and had a great time. Thankfully it was a wee bit warmer this year!
The Distillery District is one of my favourite areas in Toronto and it’s especially wonderful at this time of year when it’s all lit up with this traditional European style Christmas market.
Even on a Monday night, the place was bustling with shoppers visiting the booths and stores, while listening to carolers.
The streetlights are gas lit and really added to the historic atmosphere.
The streets still contain many of the industrial elements that give a nod to this area’s previous use, but they look extra festive with garlands and wreaths.
All along the main paths, there are cute little pop-up shops full of toys, figurines, wood carvings, candles and hand made ornaments. There is lots of food too like grilled sausages, gourmet grilled cheeses, roasted nuts, baked goods and mulled wine.
If we didn’t have Whiskey with us, I would have loved to have dinner at one of restaurants, under all the lights. Every patio has big heaters or toasty fire pits, making it easy to stay outside and enjoy all the decorations.
We heard that they let dogs take their picture with Santa on Mondays, so we brought Whiskey along with us so he could see the big guy in red.
Needless to say, he was a little spooked…
…and then he tried to escape but Santa caught him…
….so I went and sat up there with him, but he was still giving Santa the stink eye.
Oh well, maybe next year
Needless to say that with lots of dogs around, Whiskey got in his fair share of dog sniffing.
There were lots of carollers and the Salvation Army brass band, but our favourite music performance of the night was the The Scat’rBugs. These sweet ladies are a great 40’s style group which reminded me of the Andrews Sisters. I loved hearing their renditions of some of my holiday favourites.
We bought a few gifts while we were there, but of course we had to bring a couple of cute ornaments home with us too. We grabbed a traditional glass German pickle ornament and a super sweet smelling beeswax ornament.
The Toronto Christmas Market is open from now until Sunday December 15th, so be sure to check it out!
What a beautiful area! I’ve only been to the Distillery District once… and it was during the day… and it wasn’t Christmas. I might have to make up an excuse to visit during the holiday season!
Christmas lights and decorations always put me in such a cheerful mood. I also have almost that same exact pickle ornament. I had no idea it was traditional, though, it just amused me : )
You hide the pickle in the tree and then the finder gets a little gift or good luck for the next year! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pickle