Growing up in Canada, Christmas was one of those holidays that I just couldn’t wait for. The holiday meant surprising gifts, warm get-together, and delicious food. Obviously, Christmas also meant a break from school and work, which was always a bonus.
The celebration of “Christmas” literally started as soon as Halloween was over, which was October 31st of every year. The week that people started taking down their Halloween decorations was also the week they started putting up their Christmas lights and trees. If you took a drive down Mississauga Road (which was one of the major roads in my neighborhood) anytime during November, you’ll see creative Christmas lights and decors on almost every house. It was even more spectacular and picture-perfect at night.
Since almost every house had Christmas decorations up, it almost became a friendly competition between neighbors and neighborhoods. At the same time, residents of the same area would expect each other to put up lights at the very least to show off the “value” of that particular area. In other words, you almost had no choice but to decorate your house during Christmas.
So what exactly did we do during the Christmas season?
During November and part of December, you could feel the Christmas spirit everywhere you went. Being in that atmosphere itself was already exciting enough, so no one ever seemed to be sad during this time, which made the atmosphere even more euphoric. All you could think about were the people that you were going to see once the break came around.
The holiday season leading up to the actual Christmas was filled with shopping trips. Vendors were constantly pushing out deals and price cuts starting in November that were just irresistible. Obviously, you also had to get your Christmas shopping done before seeing friends and family so gifts and cards could be exchanged.
People typically shopped at malls, and the biggest mall near where I lived was called Square One (pictured left). It was one of the largest shopping malls in Canada boasting over 1.6 million square feet of retail space and over 360 stores. Everything you could possibly think of could be bought here. In November and especially the beginning of December when people were getting their last-minute shopping done, the amount of people in Square One was unimaginable (pictured right). However, it was always exciting to be in the crowd since you normally didn’t see that many people.
Where and what did us Canadians eat during Christmas?
Besides shopping, I spent a lot of time having both formal and informal dinners. We usually save Christmas Eves and Christmas Days to have dinner with our closest family. Therefore dinners with personal and family friends as well as co-workers were eaten continuously all throughout November and December. This was also a chance for me to see people that I didn’t get to see much during the year.
In contrast with the Chinese New Year holiday celebrated in Asian countries, restaurants and even entertainment centers such as movie theatres still opened during Christmas. Therefore, most of the dinner plans were scheduled in restaurants contrary to the popular beliefs. However, dinners with the closest family members were usually held in a home with home-cooked food.
The type of food we had depended on the people we saw. With personal and family friends, dinners were planned in typical Italian restaurants such as Boston Pizza, Kelsey’s, or East Side Mario’s (pictured below). With close friends and family members, home-made food such as turkeys and stuffing, beef, oysters, lobsters, caviar and pumpkin soup were served (pictured below). Let me tell you though, the clean-up after these home dinners were always tiring. Between close friends, sometimes we would host pot luck dinners at home. Not only was it more convenient and involved less preparation, it also offered a coziness that restaurants couldn’t offer.
During these dinners, alcohol played a significant role as well. We usually had both white and red wines during dinner, and champagne, sparkling wines, or ice wines for dessert.
Due to the multi-cultural makeup of Canadian’s demographics, many of the Christmas traditions involving food were mixed together. For example, Italians traditionally had more seafood for their Christmas dinners, whereas some of those from a Latin background preferred roast beef or pork as their main course. However, my generation would usually serve both at dinner parties. Moreover, dishes such as pumpkin soup were usually served during Thanksgiving, but since it was typically served with a turkey, it became natural to serve it with Christmas turkeys. Needless to say, Christmas feasts were one of the activities I looked forward to the most during the holiday season, and unfortunately, it’s tough finding it here in Taiwan.
Gifts time! What did we give each other during Christmas?
Exchanging gifts and cards had long been a tradition during Christmas. However, the type of gifts and cards varied depending on the people.
With close friends, it was a common practice to buy things that were of his/her interest, such as CDs, movies, or collectable clothing (ie. team jerseys). It was considered rude to give close friends gift cards or coupons because it showed a lack of effort. In the end, with close friends, it was the thought that counted.
As for co-workers or those that you saw more in formal settings, alcohol such as wine or liquor were the number one gift of choice. Wine was always the safer bet because liquor usually only catered to those with a strong preference. When I was working, I received up to 15 bottles of alcohol every year, which came in handy when visiting friends. Next on the list was chocolate. It was the second favorite gift of choice because everyone had the sweet tooth during Christmas. At my old office, we usually went home with at least 5 boxes of assorted chocolates a year. Additionally, while it was considered rude to give gift cards to close friends, it was an appropriate gift in this case. I’ve received gift cards for places from coffee shops such as Starbucks to retailers such as Wal-mart in the past (pictured left). Interestingly enough, although we didn’t usually admit it, many of these “generic” gifts were re-gifted in similar settings due to their appropriateness.
The best gift I personally received was from my boss at the time. She gave me a trip to Niagara Falls with 3-nights stay at the Fallsview Resort – a five star hotel and casino (pictured right). The room I was staying in had a spectacular view of the Canadian falls (the bigger, better one), and was just loaded with every luxuriousness you could think of. She also gave me a package which included buffet for two and a considerable amount of casino chips for me to use. It was a very memorable experience and made that year’s Christmas amazing.
As for family, children usually didn’t give gifts to parents until much older. Personally, I’ve only given my parents Christmas gifts a few times, which included dress-shirts and ties for my dad and jewelry and spa packages for my mom. And let me tell you, it was tough shopping for parents because… what could you possibly give your parents that they don’t already have? but again, it’s the though that counts right? On the other hand, parents usually gave their kids toys and books when they were younger, and money or shopping sprees when they were getting older. I’ve received both before, but I’m still waiting for my Playstation 3.
Other fun stuff during Christmas in Toronto!
Lucky for me, Toronto holds one of the biggest Christmas parades in the world on a yearly basis – the Santa Claus parade. The parade was usually about 6 km long and traveled through different routes each year. It included celebrities, giant floats, local bands, and entertainers such as clowns. Usually I would meet with friends ahead of time, bring lawn chairs to downtown Toronto and just sit at the side of the road to enjoy the show. We would typically pick the section of the city where there were more adults since parts of the city were more children oriented. During the parade, special events such as face-painting and contests would also be held to encourage more interactions from the crowd.
As for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I had to attend church masses when I was young. However, I stopped attending these masses since the end of high school because I moved closer to my university.
Masses to a lot of Christians and Catholics were an integral part of the Christmas holiday because it had significant religious meaning and values. Some attended midnight masses on Christmas Eves and some attended masses in the morning of Christmas Day, but both had a similar purpose - to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. However, just like mentioned before, Canada consisted of people from many different backgrounds and nationality. Therefore, church masses were only attended by those of a Christian background. Interestingly enough, in order to respect people of various backgrounds in Canada, the phrase “Merry Christmas” was actually changed to the more politically correct “Happy Holidays” to avoid any religious connotations.
December 26th? Is it the end?
Last but definitely not least, just when you think Christmas was over, you were hit with another opportunity to spend more money. The day after Christmas was Boxing Day. Although not a statutory holiday, most people would still get that day off school or work to go shopping.
Since Christmas was over by the 26th, Boxing Day was a day for retailers to clear out their inventory and make room for new products in the coming year. Therefore a 20% to even 80% reduction in price was a common practice. Obviously, seeing this, consumers would rush to find the best deals and stock up on new clothes and electronics.
Unfortunately, because it was becoming a common practice, prices were starting to increase for Boxing Day sales. You could no longer find true sales because businesses knew people were still shopping on this day. However, this wasn’t enough to detour people from shopping. Although, speaking from personal experience, silver and certain kinds of jeweler would receive a notable discount during this time. Therefore, if you were planning on giving jewelry as a gift sometime after the new year, you might want to consider buying them on Boxing Day.
Still one of the best holidays!
Although Christmas had become somewhat of a commercial holiday in the last few decades, the Christmas spirit was still very real and alive-and-kickin’ in Canada. It was only after I came to Taiwan did I feel a noticeable difference between a country that didn’t traditionally celebrate Christmas, and one that had deep-rooted Christmas traditions. It made me appreciate and miss Christmas, especially my friends and family back in Canada, even more. Still, I’m looking forward to a feast, no matter where I am and who I’ll be with this year. Now, who wants to have a beer in the name of Christmas?
By: Dan Lee
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