It is colder than the North Pole in Montreal this week! We are experiencing below 30 degree weather but it’s fine with us because we have got the spirit of Christmas to keep us warm in Montreal! Everywhere you look you are reminded of Christmas with all the festive lights, decorations, markets and events! There are pop up restaurants and holiday bars set up all over the city for people to enjoy!
If you are lucky enough to be spending the holidays in Montreal, there are so many things to do to celebrate! Here are ten suggestions from your EC Montreal team:
- Visit Santa’s village in the Place Montreal mall. You will feel so much joy by watching children’s faces light up as they sit on Santa’s knee. It will surely put you in the Christmas spirit!
- Visit the Miracle Bar in Old Montreal! It is a pop up Christmas bar that is all decked out for the holidays and serving the most festive drinks!
- Head over to the Scotia Bank theater and watch a holiday movie! There are so many great movies coming out this week including Cats, the new Star Wars movie as well as Jumangi, Bombshell, Little Women and Black Christmas.
- Visit the Christmas display at the Complex Desjardins mall. There you will find a water fountain display set to lights and music as well as Santa’s village and a holiday train.
- Visit the Christmas market at the Atwater market. There are so many outdoor vendors to enjoy like hot chocolate, churros, sugar cookies, apple cider and so much more!
- Help your homestay hosts to decorate and bake for Christmas! We are sure your hosts will appreciate the help and share these holiday preparations with their students. You can use this as an opportunity to learn about Canadian Christmas traditions as well as other cultural customs, as our families are made up of so many different nationalities.
- Get tickets to the Nutcracker Ballet. You can see Les Grand Ballet Canadiens in action at Place des Arts! It is an annual performance that is absolutely spectacular!
- Visit a local restaurant for a traditional Quebecois Christmas dinner. Gather your new EC friends together for a group dinner. A traditional meal includes meat pie, mashed potatoes and la bouche de noel for dessert. It is a chocolate log sometimes made with ice cream!
- Visit a chocolate shop like Juliette et Chocolat or Cacao 70 for a sweet treat! The shops are so beautifully decorated and smell just like Christmas should! – sweet and cinnamony!
- Take a road trip with your EC friends to Santa’s village in the Laurentian mountains. There you will also find dog sled rides and snow mobile rides! You can also get a ski lesson in Saint Sauveur or Mont-Tremblant and spend a snow day right in the country!
Whatever you choose to do to celebrate the holidays, have fun and stay safe! Remember to keep warm while you are outdoors. It only takes 30 minutes being outdoors to get frost bite so make sure to keep your extremities warm. Get a warm hat and gloves and water-weather proof boots. The Dollarama downstairs sells really great winter gear and the most expensive item in the store is only $4!
Seasons’ Greetings from your EC Montreal family! At ESL Montreal we are full of joy these Holidays!!