During the holiday season, Ontario is all aglow with magical Christmas lights. Every village, town, or city has at least one or two picture-perfect houses or buildings worth travelling to see.
From the spectacular illuminations of Niagara Falls to breath-taking glow of 5 million lights in Canada’s Wonderland, Ontario is the place where the Christmas magic happens.
In Ontario, Christmas is celebrated with a range of traditions and special activities. One of them is the Christmas parade, which is held in many cities and towns. These parades often feature floats, marching bands, and other performances, and are a fun and festive way to celebrate the holiday season.
During the holiday season, many cities and towns across the province hosting stunning light displays. Some of the most famous Christmas light displays in Ontario include the Toronto Christmas Market, the Cavalcade of Lights in Toronto, and the Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls.
Celebrating Christmas in Toronto
Toronto Christmas Market
With over 100 vendors selling handmade gifts, decorations, and food, as well as live entertainment and a large Christmas tree, the Toronto Christmas market is illuminated with over one million lights.
Toronto Cavalcade of Lights
The Cavalcade of Lights in Toronto is another popular light event, featuring a parade of floats and performances, as well as the lighting of Toronto’s official Christmas tree.
Celebrating Christmas in Niagara Falls
Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls
The Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls is a must-visit place with over two million lights illuminating the falls and the surrounding area.
Niagara falls in winter
With a 2,000-foot-wide (610m) waterfall, Niagara Falls is one of the most intriguing places to visit at Christmas. With staggering scenery, exciting attractions and an extensive list of activities to choose from, Niagara Falls holidays promise to be top-tier.
According to the Travelbag website, Niagara Falls is the most picturesque fall in the world.
The Niagara Falls are beautiful all year round, but they can be particularly stunning in the winter months. When the temperatures drop and the crowds thin, Niagara falls become even more magical. With trees that sparkle and views that take your breath away, bundle up and come experience what is considered one of seven natural wonders of the world. The view is spectacular. The frozen mist from the falls creates a unique and magical winter wonderland that is definitely worth seeing.
Have the Falls ever been frozen?
It’s what written in the Niagara Parks website:
“It’s hard to imagine anything could stop the gigantic rush of water over the Falls, yet records show it happened once. For 30 long, silent hours in March 1848, the river ceased its flow. High winds set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion and millions of tons of ice became lodged at the source of the river, blocking the channel completely.”
Canada’s Wonderland Winter Festival of Lights
Located just outside of Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland Winter Festival of Lights is really magnificent. When you are there, you feel like your childhood dreams have come true. Five millions of spectacular holiday lights, hundreds of beautiful Christmas trees, amazing décor, world-class live entertainment, savory treats, and fanciful Christmas activities make – it’s the real world of holiday magic and enchantment. This is one-of-a-kind holiday event and the place where the life-long memories are made.
Victorian Christmas in Toronto’s Black Creek Pioneer Village
From Christmas cards to Christmas trees, many Christmas traditions as we know them today are products of the Victorian era. Black Creek Pioneer Village is an open-air heritage museum where you can experience authentic Victorian Christmas.
With over forty original buildings of the 1860s and operated by historical interpreters and craftspeople housed in the restored buildings, the Village recreates the life in 19th-century Ontario. At Christmas, the place is warmed by the glow of twinkling lights, cozy fires, and old-fashioned oil lamps. You can grab a piping hot chocolate and enjoy the warmhearted and nostalgic festivities of the season, including a whimsical puppet show, Victorian parlor games, live entertainment and samples of delicious holiday treats.
Christmas in Ontario’s Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg
Depicting a life in a rural English Canadian setting during the 1860s, Upper Canada Village is a living museum. Domestic arts, social life, music, religion, and politics are interpreted and demonstrated at by staff dressed in the period clothing. Over 40 historical buildings include several working mills (woollen mill, grist-mill and sawmill) and trades buildings (blacksmith, tinsmith, cabinetmaker, cooper, bakery, cheese-maker).
At Christmas time, the Village becomes one of the Ontario’s largest outdoor light festivals with more than a million lights. The multi-sensory experience creates a one-of-a-kind evening stroll through a picture-perfect postcard setting steeped in holiday magic.
Christmas dinner
Like anywhere in the Christian world, in Ontario, Christmas Eve is an important event when family and friends are gathering together. A traditional Christmas dinner menu includes roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.
“There is nothing that makes me happier than sitting around the dinner table and talking until the candles are burned down.” – Madeleine L’Engle