Hello everyone!  I would just like to take this small moment to wish everyone that reads this blog a Merry Christmas.  I’m guessing that by now everyone has had a chance to open their gifts and experience the first wave of Christmas cheer that comes on this day and I wish everyone well not only on this day but on the others to come as well!

Here is a list of interesting Christmas stories from around the city and the country for this very special occassion:

1) Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Holiday Wishes

2) Casino owners say “What Holiday?”

3) Loonie Worth More than Greenback on Christmas Day

4) Boxing Day Sales Expected to be Lower This Year in Toronto

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Christmas is a very fun time, regardless of whether you celebrate it or not.  You get the chance to be with your family, many of whom you may only see at that time.  You get the chance to watch television and eat chocolate as much as your heart desires.  And of course people that do celebrate the holiday get to have presents, sing Christmas Carols and everyone also gets the day off from work.  All in all, Christmas is a very fun time and if you are going to be in Toronto this evening you can help the Metropolitan Community Church celebrate Christmas by attending their Christmas Eve Service at Roy Thomson Hall.

The service itself will be attended by people from all walks of life within Toronto’s diverse cultural community and people will gather to listen to the singing of Christmas Carols as well as a special performance by Louise Pitre.  It’ll truly be a fun Christmas eve get together and if you enjoy that kind of Christmas spirit, then there are fewer places to get it better than with the Metropolitan Community Church at Roy Thomson Hall.  Tickets start at $10.

Roy Thomson Hall of course has appeared on The Toronto Traveler at least two or three times in the eighty or so posts that this blog has, but just in case you’re new to the blog, here is a map showing you exactly where Roy Thomson Hall is.  it is located on Simcoe Street, which you can reach by going west on King Street until you pass University Avenue.  It is right next to St. Andrew Subway Station however, so if you don’t feel like navigating streets you can simply take the subway to that station and follow all the signs pointing to Roy Thomson Hall.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

I tried it out in preview mode as Alex over at Sirened suggested and it seemed to work well enough, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that this one gets posted.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Annual events around the holiday season are very encouraging to tourism, especially because it gives the tourism economy of a city something to plug each year.  Annual events around the holiday season that are free do this on an even larger scale and if you are a music lover and someone that is interested in developing music talent, then I think there is no event better for you to visit in the city of Toronto than the Annual Tuba Festival and Choir Sing-A-Long.  As a person that used to be a tuba player when I was in high school, I can tell you that I found these concerts extremely fun and it seems like most of the people that were around to spectate the concerts did so as well.

The bands and choirs perform from 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM and the concert is completely free to attend; you either sit or stand and listen to the music that is being played.  The Greater Toronto Area Music Educators have referred to this concert as being “A fun time for young and young at heart” and definitely is something worth visiting especially if you are looking for something to kill time with before visiting another event.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Now that we’ve dispensed with that little bit of housekeeping, it is time for me to move on and talk about the event I’m plugging today; Christmas Around the World.  As most people realize nowadays, Christmas has become much more than simply a religious celebration as while there are about 2 billion Christians worldwide, the holiday of Christmas is celebrated by significantly more than 2 billion people.  It is this blending of old time religious significance and new age social significance that at least in Toronto brings so many people together in order to celebrate this day and that is seen nowhere in more detail than with this event that is taking place in Scarborough on December 1st.

Two of the most multi-cultural musical groups in the country (and therefore probably in the world), the Scaborough Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach Children’s Chorus of Scarborough, are going to be joining forces in order to sing a number of songs with a Christmas theme.  These are going to be songs from all around the world, hence the name of the actual performances.

Here is a list of songs that are being performed:

- Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel Prelude

- Liadov’s Russian Folk Songs

- Waldteufel’s Skater’s Waltz

- Adam’s O Holy Night

- Vince Gassi’s Ding Dong Merrily

The concert will be taking place at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, which is located at 3663 Danforth Road (actually not that far from my house, incidentally enough).  The best way to get there by TTC would be to take the #113 bus east from Victoria Park Station.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler