Big fat snowflakes falling softly to tickle the nose, church bells pealing and silver bells ring-a-linging. During the holidays, Old Montréal, with its narrow, cobblestone streets, old buildings and choirs in public squares, is especially Dickensian. That’s why Old Montréal’s Holiday Extravaganza was created, to experience Christmas through all the senses: the Choralies choir festival, free horse-drawn carriage rides, the Christmas Market at Marché Bonsecours, outdoor skating, Historic Christmas at the Château Ramezay, giant cartoon characters made of LED lights, Victorian Christmas at Sir George-Étienne Cartier House and Who Is the Real Santa Claus? at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum.
Choral and chamber music for the season pour out of every church and concert hall all over the city. There’s a Christmas sing-along each year in Notre-Dame Basilica with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Another perennial is Les Grands Ballets Canadiens’ The Nutcracker at Place-des-Arts. A boys choir sings Mass up at St. Joseph’s Oratory, which also hosts an exquisite array of nativity scenes from over 100 countries.
Christmas shopping in Montréal is like living in a carol: McGill College Avenue with its fantasy of lights leading down to the giant Christmas tree at Place Ville Marie, Ogilvy’s 50-year-old window display of toy animals getting ready for the big day in their fairytale village, restaurants with seasonal food that grand-mère used to make, and underground shopping! The city’s public markets are busy with cooks stocking their supplies for the season, looking over Yule logs, fruitcake and tree ornaments. And gift shoppers flock to the Salon des métiers d’art, where 450 artisans from the Québec contemporary arts and crafts scene offer traditional items and one-of-a-kind pieces for travelers to take home.
