fledermaus

We had spring this weekend. We will have another one sometime in March or April.

tbontb

I am sure you will see another one before the year is over... oh, wait...

Maria_747

Hi Guys,

Whats Christmas and New year like in Toronto and in Ontario in general ?

I really like Christmas in London seeing all the houses dressed up with Christmas treess and festive lights. Also, hearing the christmas carols from Kings College Cambridge.
I don't go out as much now on new year's eve, the Christmas/New programmes are quite entertaining.

P.S
happy new year everyone

johnh009

Look at how many people are looking at britishexpats.com at this time of night in TO on New Years Eve (myself included) and that will just about tell you what the social life is like in this part of Canada.

DaveLovesDee

Culture can be found in yoghurt

It's not necessarily just about the social life, I don't like large crowds and see no reason to drag myself downtown in very cold weather just to have to drag myself back out again at the same time as thousands of others. We're having a family get together at home.

johnh009

Exactly, stick with family and the rest of the Scottish Presbiterian extracts will ignore you.

Settlers_Unlimited

New Year Eve is not really celebrated here. We went to downtown TO - there was nothing special. Were very amused to see that to buy some alcohol on 31st, one had to wait in a line of 100 people (yes, really) just to get into LCBO store. There was a show near the city hall, by that time we were back home and watched it on TV. I bet that people got lots of frost bites on that show - it was -7 or lower and it started to snow when we took the train. And: no fireworks at all.

In contrast, Christmas decorations on suburban houses where we live are the most beautiful I ever seen. There were of course some concerts in churches in December but we are not into that.

tbontb

I went to the 2000 celebration in Central London... LOTS and LOTS of people, way too many... and the Greater London people had not deployed one single portaloo... plus people drinking on the streets and not one single bar open anywhere... you can imagine what it turned into...

The fireworks were OK, but I have seen better ones in Spain. When the fireworks were over by 00:15, that was it, nothing else to do. It took me one hour to talk what should have taken 15 minutes, due to the sheer mass of people, then about 1.5 hours just to get into the tube station. When I got to Waterloo, I had to wait 4 trains to be able to get into one, I am surprised no one was killed by being pushed into the railway from the platform.
In all, I finally got on a train at about 4:15am, 4 hours after the fireworks.

Since that event, I only do New Year's eve at home or at friends' houses.

I agree 100% that canadians, in general, put up a good show of Christmas lights.

What I do not get is why half the neighbourhood had their real Christmas trees on their front yard ready for collection by 27th December... and half my neighbours had taken down their lights before New Year's eve.

Cheers

JamesM

I enjoyed Christmas and NYE in Canada immensely. I went and spent Christmas Day at a freinds for dinner and then spent NYE at a house party which was good fun.

My boss at work told me not to bother booking anytime off as there would be nothing to do anyway so just say I was working from home and dissapear.

I seem to recall lots of treks in the snow to bars and having a nice steak at The Keg on Christmas Eve.

The bars, pubs and clubs in Toronto aren't as busy over the festive season in Canada but then they aren't as busy anyway. Canada just doesn't have the booze/ binge drinking culture that we have in the UK.

tbontb

Having lived in a few countries, I agree, there is somewhat of an 'excessive drinking' culture in the UK.

I do like the level of drinking in Toronto... it goes beyond the 'let's have a drink' in the USA (they do literally have one drink), yet does not approach the 'let's get paralytic' attitude in the UK (these days... )

Then again, there is a drinking culture in northen Ontario, or at least on the failing towns (anywhere that used to be a paper mill or lulmbering town)... it is called visiting the LCBO and getting plastered at home... nightly.

Cheers

cheril

Is there anybody out there that can give me some info on Toronto? We are a family with 2 boys aged 3 & 7 living in NZ, but looking for an adventure in Canada. We'd like to stay at least 2 years, maybe never go home. We're so over the weather here, very hard with young kids when it rains continutally!! Is Toronto a family-friendly place? Not interested in the nite life/restaurants etc. we like a big city with things to DO, but what do you do with all that snow & seriously, how long does it go on for? Because it is winter for about 8 months of the year in Wellington, NZ. Wld like to move to Australia long term, but we're not ready to settle down just yet. We're not the camping or sky-diving kinda family, we like soccer, BMX racing, sea & sand, family restaurants, picnics at the river, fun parks & shopping - whataya got??

Lindita

I lived in TO from 1999 until 2006 and just love the city vibe, mind I was young and single.
Now living in the UK thinking to move back again, married, with 2 babies..so we are considering Richmond Hill or Vaughan instead...

Novocastrian

Welcome Lindita. If you need local insight on RH or Vaughan, ask away.

Lindita

Thanks a lot...
I have a job offer from a company who is ready to apply for an Arranged Employment Opinion, and once is approved (fingers crossed) I will be aplying for PR in CHC London...so hopefully everything goes well...

Thanks!

Linda

Novocastrian

OK. Good luck with it all. Out of curiosity, where is the job?