If you are lucky enough to be spending the holidays in magical Montreal, you will want to give yourself and those you love special gifts from Montreal! Montreal has so many one of a kind shops and great boutiques where you can buy the most exciting gifts. Here are our suggestions for twelve gifts of Montreal Christmas gifts:
- A traditional bouche de Noel from Patisserie Premiere Moisson. Premiere Moisson is a true Quebecois pastry shop and they serve authentic French and Quebecois sweets and ready to eat holiday meals.
- A bag of Montreal bagels from St. Viateur or Fairmount bagels. Montreal bagels are like no other. They are award winning, delicious and highly addictive. Buy a bag and take them back home with you if you are going home for the holidays.
- A Montreal Canadiens Hockey jersey. Hockey is a religion in Montreal and there is no better souvenir than the red and blue team shirt.
- A package of Swartz’s smoked meat. You can find it in any major grocery store or you can line up on St. Lawrence street and get it hot from the restaurant. Be prepared to wait in line for a while, but it is totally worth it!
- A bottle of maple syrup liquor from the SAQ. There is nothing more festive and Canadian than this sweet and strong maple drink. It makes a beautiful Canadian souvenir to take back with you. Buy two, because you will want one all to yourself.
- A Christmas ornament from Noel Eternelle, Montreal’s all year Christmas boutique. They have ornaments that you can personalize or ones that have beautiful Montreal images. These ornaments make the perfect festive souvenir!
- Oka cheese is made right here in Quebec. It is delicious and pairs beautifully with fruit and of course, wine. It has a strong odour but the taste is out of this world.
- Quebec wine makes a wonderful gift. Many are surprised to learn that Quebec has vineyards and wineries that make really delicious wines. My favourite is Domaine de Lavoie from the Rougemont region. Quebec is also known for its ice wine that is sweet and rich. It makes the perfect dessert wine. They pick the grapes when they are frozen and that is what makes the wine so sweet and syrupy.
- Cheese curds. If you have spent any time in Montreal you must have tried a poutine. It is the ultimate comfort food made with fries, gravy and cheese curds. The cheese curds make the poutine so special. It squeaks when you chew it. You have to experience it to understand.
- A jar of pickled antipasto or peppers made by Chuck Hughes, Montreal’s celebrity chef. He owns restaurants in Montreal, Garde Manger being the most popular. He has his own cooking show and now his own line of food products. You can find them in many grocery stores. If you order take out from Garde Manger, you can get some of these items for free with an order of $100 or more.
- A decorative Montreal pillow or wall art from Montreal Artpop located on Mount-Royal street. They have the most unique Montreal souvenirs. They are not the cheezy shot glass or magnet kind of shop.
- The very best Christmas gift you can give yourself of someone you love is the gift of EC Virtual French! Not only is it the gift of language but also the gift of companionship and community.
We hope you will give yourself these wonderful Montreal gifts for a very Merry Christmas in Montreal!
