Canada is one of the most Christmas friendly countries in the world.
Canada might not have directly contributed to The Christmas Story, but they do have a unique affiliation with this holiday.
Keep reading to discover the traditions, culture, festivals, customs, activities, and events that Canada has with Christmas.
The North Pole Connection
The land of Canada is considered the home of Santa Claus. After all, the nation of Canada is situated at the top of the world near the North Pole.
Naturally, many Canadians believe that Jolly St. Nicholas lives at the most northern point of their nation. This is a fun way that Canadians view Santa Clause.
How do Canadians Celebrate Christmas?
The country of Canada is very diverse. There are people from many different parts of the world that relocate to this nation.
Most of these individual cultures have their own unique way of celebrating Christmas. However, all the citizens of Canada celebrate certain customs together.
Keep in mind that Canadians celebrate the holidays through national customs, local traditions and by personal preferences.
So, every province and the cultural group will also have their own unique way of celebrating Christmas.
The Christmas season officially begins in Canada on December 20 and it lasts all the way to January 3. Keep in mind that Canadians celebrate the Day of Epiphany and it takes place on January 6.
So, Canadians have a holiday season that lasts for about 3 weeks.
Most Canadians will start to decorate for Christmas in December. However, a few people will start to get ready for the holidays after Remembrance Day (November 11) in Canada.
A lot of Canadian retailers will also put up gifts during this time of the year too.
By the way, each province and city will have its own unique way of celebrating Christmas.
Still, most regions of Canada will deck out their cities with lights and displays. Many retail outlets and malls will start to promote products for the holidays.
Just so you know, the busiest shopping day of the Christmas season is December 23 and Boxing Day on December 26. December 23 is right before Christmas Eve and retailers tend to mark everything down on this day.
Boxing Day happens after Christmas, but retailers give good bargains for shoppers.
Christmas Season Activities
Canadians do a lot of different things during the Christmas season. They prepare for the holiday by decorating their home and putting up Christmas trees.
They attend various festivals, visit family and friends and department stores. Canadians love to shop during this time of the year.
People will send Christmas cards to each other and they will go sledding and drive around on snow mobiles.
Winter ice skating is fun and so are hockey games that take place during the holiday season. As a matter of fact, it is a tradition to watch (or attend) hockey matches during this time of the year.
Many provinces have parades and festivals. They also have special Christmas events. People in the province of Quebec set up markets and have lots of carolers sing songs.
Locals in Newfoundland will dress up in disguises and annoy their neighbors until someone can guess who they are.
There is even a Santa Claus parade in the city of Toronto. This annual parade is the event of a nation that is televised to the world.
Sinck Tuck is an Inuit (or Eskimo) festival that takes place during the Christmas season in Canada. It too is also a huge event in Canada during the holidays.
As you can tell, Canadians do a lot of things during the Christmas holiday.
Once again, each province and region have their own unique tradition and customs for celebrating Christmas.
Some regions take a more traditional approach and others are more modern with their Christmas festivities.
Things Canadians do on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Canadians will prepare their homes for Santa Claus’s arrival. They will make sure to have cookies or some other type of treat available for St. Nick when he arrives.
They will hang up stockings and have their trees decked out with Christmas splendor.
Some Canadians will exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. Other Canadians will wait until Christmas Day to open their presents.
Many Canadians who are Christians will attend a Midnight Mass. They will go to their local church and honor the birth of Christ.
Canadians can have a big feast on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day. Turkey will be the number one meat for this feast.
Popular Canadian foods will also be served during the holiday as well. You might even have poutine (French fries with gravy) served with some holiday meals.
Canadian Christmas Traditions
Many Canadians believe that Santa Claus lives at the northern point of their country.
Since Santa’s home is in the North Pole, the nation of Canada is considered the place where he stays.
This is just a fun way for Canadians to celebrate Christmas. They know people associate their country with Santa’s home.
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and even Frosty the Snowman are also from Canada.
Once again, their origins have been closely connected with Canadian actors who brought these characters to life on television.
Canada is a place of snow and ice during the Christmas season.
The snow and ice help to make the land of Canada a true winter wonderland.
People like it and a lot of them get a white Christmas. Snow and ice in Canada during the holiday season makes it special.
The fact is that people just like the wintry feel that is a part of Christmas.
Canada is a great place to spend the holidays. People in this nation are friendly and are caught up in the Christmas spirit.
Once again, Canada’s modern culture really loves the malls and commercial side of Christmas. Still, they value the old traditions and customs.
A Canadian Christmas is hard to beat. The people of Canada love this holiday and they will celebrate it with enthusiasm.
Canada is truly a place where Christmas shines and the holiday season comes to life. Canada is truly one of the best places to enjoy the Christmas holiday.
Learn More With the Help of Video
Main Points About Christmas in Canada
- Christmas in Canada is truly a white Christmas because of the 12-14 feet of snow. Skiing, tobogganing, and skating are some of the popular Christmas day events.
- Canadians like to decorate internal and external parts of their houses with Christmas trees, lights, stockings and other forms of Christmas decorations.
- During Christmas, the Santa Claus parade in Toronto is one of the largest Christmas events in the world.
- The Canadian Christmas meal includes turkey, vegetables, potatoes, puddles, tarts, crackers, and a fruit rich Christmas cake.
- Many Canadians love to open their Christmas presents on Christmas eve while others save it for Christmas day. Families and loved ones get together for a fun-filled Christmas.
Conclusion
Christmas in Canada is very similar to Christmas in the USA, with lots of decorations but many families open their presents on Christmas Eve, unlike in the USA, but as people from many different cultures live here, there are many different traditions here.
Roast turkey is common for dinner and The Santa Claus Parade in Toronto is one of the largest in the world and many Canadians say that Canada is home to Santa Claus.
Word Cloud for Christmas in Canada
The following is a collection of the most used terms in this article on Christmas in Canada. This should help in recalling related terms as used in this article at a later stage for you.
- https://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/canada/canadas-10-most-festive-christmas-cities-old/
- https://www.canadianaffair.com/blog/top-6-festive-places-spend-christmas-canada/
- https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/canada.htm
Last Updated : 24 November, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
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