One-Tank Trip for
Dec. 8/12
(c) By Jim Fox
A seasonal European
tradition dating back 700 years has been recreated in Toronto and Kitchener.
Christmas markets
have been a popular annual treat for centuries across Germany, Austria and
other parts of Europe.
 |
| Old-fashioned Kris Kringle arrives on a white horse at the Distillery District’s Toronto Christmas Market. |
They are a feast
for the senses as families gather to view and buy gifts and enjoy entertainment,
festive activities and decorations.
Sights, sounds and smells
The “Old World” has
come to Toronto’s Distillery Historic District (55 Mill St.) now through Dec.
16.
Known as the Lowe’s
Toronto Christmas Market, about 200,000 people will “experience the grandeur,
sights and sounds” of this traditional European custom, said Mathew Rosenblatt,
one of the event’s creators.
 |
If features 18,000
twinkling lights, a 13.7-metre white spruce, 40 vendors, handcrafted items, free
gift wrapping and live entertainment Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
There are also the
Candy Cane Carollers, Santa’s elves’ sing-alongs, the Oriana Women’s Choir and
the Salvation Army’s Christmas Brass Ensemble.
On Santa’s Lane,
there’s a “fairy tale forest maze,” Santa’s House, a children’s size
gingerbread house and elves’ workshop.
New is the South
Pole with a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, train and pony rides.
Refreshments are
available at beer and Gluhwein (mulled wine) gardens along with specialty baked
treats.
Today (Dec. 8) at 5
p.m., there will be a bid to have 15,000 carollers set a new world record for
the most people singing in one place.
Hours are Monday to
Friday, noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. www.thedistillerydistrict.com;
(416) 364-1177
Everything’s wunderbar
 |
| Folkloric characters Christkindl and her twin angels are at the German Christmas market in Kitchener. |
Smells of the season, German style, are
in the air at the Christkindl Market this weekend at Kitchener city hall.
Aromas of cinnamon,
apple fritters, mulled wine and grilled sausages fill the air with the sounds
of choirs and brass bands.
Sights include a
huge Christmas tree, twinkling lights, glittering ornaments and baked treats.
Visitors will see German
folkloric characters such as Christkindl and her twin angels dressed in gold
and white gowns with wings and crowns.
There's Knecht
Ruprecht, a companion of Nikolaus, and Klaus with his hand-cranked street organ
and stuffed monkey.
See a huge model
train display, blacksmiths showing their skills and live nativity scene depicting
Mary and Joseph with their two donkeys.
The free event with
70 vendors continues today until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.christkindl.ca
How sweet it is
 |
| A gigantic holiday gingerbread house and Santa are featured at Loblaws’ Maple Leaf Gardens store in Toronto. |
A giant and edible
gingerbread house decorated with 317 kilograms of candy, including 5,000 mini
candy canes, is at the Loblaws store at Maple Leaf Gardens (60 Carlton St.) in
Toronto.
The house is “complete
with Christmas trees, festive trimming and surrounded by mounds of snowy white
and warmed up by the glow of a cozy fireplace,” said Marcello Piane, store director, Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Called the President's
Choice Giant Holiday Gingerbread House, it is “quite a sight to see –soaring
almost to the height of the store's well-known cheese wall and about as long as
our popular deli counter,” she added.
Every weekend until
Christmas, Santa is there along with the elves to take pictures and help decorate
“gingerbread men” cookies to eat or take home, along with musical entertainment.
http://loblaws.ca/60carlton
Ho, ho, ho
Children can visit
old St. Nicholas as Fanshawe Pioneer Village (2609 Fanshawe Park Rd. E.) in
London holds a Victorian Christmas.
Visits take place this
weekend and next and include a pancake breakfast/lunch with baked gingerbread
men to decorate for dessert.
Horse-drawn wagons
provide a tour of the village, while visitors can see the buildings being
prepared for the holiday.
Saturday sittings are
at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. while Sundays are 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. 12:30
p.m. and 2 p.m. Reserved tickets costing $12 plus tax are required.
The village’s Victorian
Christmas event is on Dec. 15 and 16 from noon to 4 p.m. www.fanshawepioneervillage.ca;
(519) 457-1296
Sing it out
Christmas Dreams
will be presented by the Woodstock Choralaires on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the
Maranatha Christian Reformed Church (735 Frontenac Crescent) in Woodstock.
Music will include old
favourites, well-known carols in “new and entertaining arrangements,” more
recent Christmas songs and some surprises, said publicist Pat Lapier. Tickets
are $20 and $25. www.woodstockchoralaire.ca;
(519) 456-5270
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Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
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