15 Ontario Holiday Markets to visit in December

 DECEMBER HOLIDAY MARKETS IN ONTARIO

 

Because I don't celebrate the Holidays with family I have created my own way to celebrate the season with friends and in the events I organize at my workplace.

I also love Holiday Fairs and Markets, with their sparkly lights and lots of pretty things and treats.

There are good and bad things to each market.  Some have no parking.  Some are really hard to get to.  Some are only outside so they can be tricky on extreme winter days.  Some charge excessive entry fees and jack up their prices on goods just to increase the short window of time for profits and costs to set up these markets.  You can literally just go and walk around for free or drop a whole lot of money for a big Holiday experience.

Although it's not on this list, this year I tried to create a Holiday Market experience at my office to raise money for United Way.  In a couple of hours we raised about $280.  I was hoping to raise a bit more because I made most of the items at the market and have a lot left.  It was a lot of work but I wanted to see if everyone would enjoy the experience of shopping for gifts at the office. 

I have a lot of time off this December and I am not going away but a lot of my friends won't be around or will be busy so I am going to try and go to a few of the markets listed below.  It will depend on the weather, public transit which isn't reliable anymore, and the energy it takes to hike over to some of these locations.

I hit my first actual Market on Sunday.  I went to the Holiday Fair in the Square.  It was originally held at Nathan Phillips Square and is now at Mel Lastman Square so it's the closest to me so that's why I started with that one.  I wasn't there very long because I found the lineups for the Coca Cola Santa and your face on a can of Coke to be way too long.  There was also a fairlife activation that also had a very long line.  I didn't purchase any food.  There wasn't anything that stood out as far as food vendors except that Japadog had a booth there.  They have a lot of jewelry vendors and handmade stuff.  Not as much Christmas-themed stuff and I think that's because of the demographics in the area.  If I was with friends I might have sat by the fire pits for a while to chat.  There was a new Maze but there was a fee to do it and it just looked like a lighted fence that looked more like a jail than a Holiday maze.  Not sure how well that will go over.  There were loads of trees around and selfie opportunities with the trees and the Polar Bears and Santa and the Grinch.  I didn't take any selfies but took photos of the Grinch and Santa.

From what I witnessed on Sunday there is a demand for things to do in North York and in the City that are free and family-friendly but I think even the amount of markets we have can't accommodate the amount of people in this city starved for some excitement.

I am hoping to check out the Well Next and at some point during a weekday go to the Distillery when it's less busy.

Here's a list of some of the Markets I would like to attend or will attempt to attend this December.

15 HOLIDAY MARKETS - December 2024

1.     Distillery Winter Village

When: November 13, 2024 – January 5
Where: 51 Gristmill Lane, Toronto

2.     Holiday Fair in the Square

When: December 6 – 23, 2024
Where: Mel Lastman Square – 5100 Yonge St, Toronto

3.     The Winter Market

When: Every Sunday in December
Where: Evergreen Brick Works – 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto

4.     Holiday Hills

When: November 15 – December 29, 2024
Where: Stackt Market – 28 Bathurst St, Toronto

5.     Toronto Botanical Garden Holiday Market

When: November 22–24, 2024, and December 13–15, 2024
Where: Toronto Botanical Garden – 777 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto

6.     Festive Nights At The Village

When: December 7, 14, 21 2024
Where: Black Creek Pioneer Village – 1000 Murray Ross Pkwy, Toronto

7.     Casa Loma’s Holiday Lights and Christmas at the Castle

When: December 5, 2024 – January 4, 2025 
Where: Casa Loma – 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto

8.     Gay Lea Shortbread Village - The Well Toronto

When: December 5 – 22, 2024
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 2 – 8 p.m.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: 12 – 8 p.m.
Where: The Well – 486 Front St. West (lower level), Toronto

Winter Market - St. Lawrence Market

December 5 - 23 | Market St. | Thursdays through Sundays | FREE
 
Thurs & Fri: 12PM to 7PM 
Sat & Sun: 10AM to 5PM
Mon Dec 23: 10AM to 4PM 

Outside of Toronto

9.     Elora Christmas Market - Ontario's Spectacular Holiday Destination

Nov 21- Dec 29, 2024

(*market chalets and fire tables open Thurs Nov 21, Thurs Nov 28, and every Fri, Sat & Sun from 11am-7pm until Dec 29 2024v 21 – Dec 29, 2024

Enter the 'Hallway Of Lights' on Mill Street West (across from the pedestrian bridge)

10.  Pingle’s Farm Market Christmas Fest

Dates: Weekends between December 2–17, 2024, from 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Location: 805 Taunton Road, Hampton

11.  Christmas Market at Niemi Family Farm 2024 

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays between November 15–December 21, 2024, from 12:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: 18463 Highway 48, Mount Albert

12. The Christmas Trail

Dates: November 1–December 20, 2024

Locations: various shops in Stratford, St. Marys and Shakespeare and beyond.

13. Ottawa Christmas Market

Dates: November 22, 2024–January 5, 2025

Location: 1000 Exhibition Way, Ottawa

14. Christmas at Downey's Farm Market in Caledon, Ontario near Toronto

November 30th - December 22nd 2024

13682 Heart Lake RD, Caledon, ON L7C 2J5

12 Holiday Party Hosting Tips

12 HOSTING TIPS

 It's the most wonderful time of the year as they say.  Studies say that decorating your home for the holidays makes you happier.  I started in October.  I have been hosting a Hallmark Movie Bingo Party at home for the past few years in November.  It's a time for my friends to get together before the holidays and chill and watch movies all day.  I don't get to chill because it takes me weeks to prep for these parties.  I am told I am pretty good at hosting so I will give you some of my tips from this year's party.

First, pick a Theme. it will guide you through all of your choices.  I saw a really cool movie theatre display at Michaels inspired me this year.  This year's colors are Black, white and red.  It's classic, elegant and dark but still festive.

I have bingo sheets for everyone and picked up little prizes for anyone who gets a line or fills a page.  I got highlighters instead of the bingo dabbers so that everyone has a different color so they can tell which one is theirs if they walk away.

1.  Get your snacks organized.  This year I got a great divided section carrier to organize my snacks.  I used a lot of Halloween chocolates and each kind of snack has a little container that can be removed. There is also a lid that snaps on top.  Once everyone grabs their snacks the container can be covered and put away.  I used to have huge trays that I would have to bag up what was left at the end of the night. This eliminated that for me.

2. Personalize whatever you can.  This year because of Taylor Swift fever in Toronto this week I made Friendship bracelets for my friends.  Something they can keep as a reminder of the party.

Their glasses will be personalized and they can personalize their caddies and soup mugs if they choose to.  

3.  The selfie and the self-serve.  I found little caddies on Amazon that I will give to my guests for them to load up their snacks and a drink, like a kid's tray at the movies.  

4.  I also found some Holiday t-shirts at the dollar store so that we can take a great group photo that is themed.

5.  Think decor and self-serve.  I like to have candy canes for anyone to grab because it's minty and also it acts as festive decor.

I try and set up as much self-serve stations as I can so that I am not bouncing around and not actually participating in the party.  I am more directing by the time the guests arrive.  I will probably make Cranberry and mint water this year.  I have mixed it up over the years.  And Hot Cider and some mini cans of soda. 

6.  Gift bags,  this year I recycled some Sephora bags because they fit my theme colors, black, white and red.  I found cute mini Santa hat headbands also going toward making a festive selfie.  In the bag is a mini card and some other little gifts.  Sometimes I make these bags as things to use during the party like hats.  

I make these bags and do this party instead of getting my friends Christmas presents.  I create an experience with little take-home gifts.

I went a bit mad this year because I had a bit more money to spend but you can do it as big or small as you like.  I started small with more snacks than anything else.  It was too many snacks so I kind of scaled back this year.

7.  Food.  We have been doing a cookie swap for the past few years.  My place gets filled with cookies and snacks.  I try and make as much room for everything as I can.   I asked that everyone bring 2 dozen cookies for each batch they bring.  I got a headstart by making the dough for these peppermint chocolate chip cookies and rolling them and freezing them so I only need to bake them the day before.

I try and get as much food prep done in advance as I can.  This year I am making chili and I froze ground turkey and added the chili spice before I froze it so I just need to dump into a crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.  Speaking of a crock pot.  I have been using it for the past couple of years so that I can make something and leave it to warm so that the food stays at the proper temperature whether people are late or want seconds later on.  I leave it in the kitchen so people can serve themselves.  

I also put a pot on the stove with Apple Cider and spices and let that simmer on low.  It makes the whole place smell fantastic and it's such a warm hug in the winter.  Also left simmering for anyone to refill their cups at anytime.

8.  Containers and serving utensils.  Sometimes I like to give my friends mugs to take home so that I don't have to wash them all at the end of the night.  This year I found big soup mugs with lids that they will use for the chili.  They can take them home if they wish.

9.  I am also going to use some old stemless wine glasses that will be a crafting item.  Everyone can paint their names on them and then use them for their drinks.  This insures that they don't mix up who's drink is who's and also they can take them home because they become personalized and an art project.

10.  Im going lighter on the appetizers this year.  Opting for some mini cheese balls and crackers.  This covers the savoury snack along with chips and popcorn.  And then there are the chocolates and candies for the sweet tooths.

I will set up the chili and the toppings on the kitchen counter.  Leaving the mess in the kitchen hopefully.

11.  Things to do.  Along with the painting of the wine glasses, this year I am adding an ornament making craft.  I will do an acrylic dip and people can also draw on plain ornaments.  Also something to take home.

12.  Packing things up.  I made sure I got a bunch of ziploc bags in case people don't bring big enough containers for the cookie swap or if there is anything else to take home or put away.  I also got little rubbermaid containers to pack any food.  There shouldn't be much except for the toppings maybe.

And last but not least I found some huge Santa sacks that everyone can pack their cookies and their crafts and gifts into so that they have 1 bag to carry it all  home.

Ricky + Oliva's in Leslieville

RICKY + OLIVIA - Restaurant Opening

 A friend was looking at my blog and I realized that it had been a year since I had been inspired to write anything on this blog.  I have been working on my other blog with some film reviews and realized that I hadn't had a lot of food inspiration in a while until I went to the newly opened Ricky + Olivia's in Leslieville.

This post is late.  I intended to post it after my visit in May but got too busy.

I first encountered Chef Ricky Casipe at one of the many Food Events at Festivals I used to go to before the 2020 lockdowns.  Ricky caught my attention for his friendly smile and his food always blew me away.  It was perfectly cooked and always had some sort of twist you couldn't quite figure out.  It always had great seasonings without drowning in salt,  which my body appreciates.

I was invited with other food bloggers to the restaurant he was at called Hawthorne and I visited it a couple of times, always enjoying the food.  I think the second time I encountered Olivia who also started working there.  She was another friendly face.  I also saw them together at Yonge and Dundas square for a Local pop-up that I checked out while I was on my lunch break from my office across the street.  

I can't tell you how many times I saw them around town but I was happy to see them whenever I went to a food event.  Their food was always my favourite.  

Then the lockdowns hit and they moved to doing private events at a Winery in Niagara. I hadn't seen them for many years, but I knew they were doing some pop-ups here and there but nowhere near me.

I was excited when I found out they were finally opening their own restaurant in Leslieville.  The unfortunate thing though it's way the other side of town for me but at least it's in Toronto.

I decided I wanted to go there for my Birthday dinner with my friend after they had just been open for a couple of weeks.

I was not disappointed and felt like the good old days seeing friends in new places.  I think they were surprised to see me, it had been such a long time.  Ricky was busy behind the open-concept kitchen so I got to say hi as I was being led to my seat.

We were seated at the back of the small narrow restaurant just before the patio entrance.  

The even funnier thing was that about 20 minutes later a foodie friend came in with her partner and they were seated just next to us. 

The first thing I saw at the table was a Birthday Card.  It was signed by all the staff.  I  never saw that in all my time going for dinner on my Birthday and I mentioned to Olivia that it was very special.

They inherited a slushy machine when they got the place and they used it to make 2 boozy drink concoctions,  one was coffee-based and the other cherry-based.  We ordered both of them.  I liked the coffee one the best.

I asked Olivia why they chose to open in Leslieville when most of the food biz people they knew were all in the Queen, King, and the Dundas West areas of Toronto.  She said they lived there and liked the area.  Also, the rent is much cheaper and there is a lot less traffic.  I do feel that they are the ones that may get others to relocate and change the area.  Chef Lynn Crawford used to be in the area and the block she was on shifted a bit to be more food-centric, so will see if their industry friends go east.

We ordered a bunch of things including:

Caesar Salad

Hoogenboom Family romaine, Parallel Brothers’ beet tahini, hickory stick+deep fried saltine crumb, Monforte toscano

R+O Burger

double 4 oz beef patty, pickle aioli, house Brighton cheddar "cheese whiz", lettuce, sesame seed brioche bun

1/2 Chicken

roasted and grilled, hot sauce beurre monté, tahini ranch

French Fries

R+O fry seasoning, wilted lettuce mayo

Everything was amazing.  I think my favourite dish was the Cheeseburger. It had so much flavour and was perfectly juicy without being a mess.

The fries had some sort of secret in the seasoning mix, it may have been brown sugar but I'm not 100% sure and I bet Ricky probably wants it to remain a secret.

The Caesar salad was mind-bending with the addition of beet tahini as the dressing.

And the chicken was your basic Sunday Roast chicken taken up a notch.

I have had a lot of Birthday disasters in my life but this one was memorable in a good way.

I love to support nice people who are also very talented, and I bet the next time I get a chance to go it will be hard to get a table.

I just wish it was my neighborhood joint.  I don't have anything like it where I live, unfortunately.

 

ADDRESS

Restaurant Ricky+Olivia

996 Queen St East

Toronto, ON

HOURS

Dining Room Thursday-Monday 5-10pm

MAKE A RESERVATION — Ricky + Olivia (rickyandolivia.com)