2011 Toronto Christmas Market in The Distillery District


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December 7th 2011
Published: December 7th 2011
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The Toronto Christmas Market runs from Dec 2nd to the 18th every year, and is filled with seasonal attractions including live reindeer, troops of singing Christmas carolers, elves making toys and over one hundred vendors and food merchants and mulled wine dispensaries. Santa is here and a tall Christmas tree, there is also a merry-go-round and a Ferris wheel attraction too. But more, the magic happens in the air. There is soft gentle holiday music coming from audio speakers and the sounds and smells of the season echo about the red brick courtyard and Victorian age buildings. Christmas is in the air here.

Some backstory on the venue- this historic place has been preserved like a museum and that alone is worthy of a travelblog post. The Christmas Market is now permanently fixed at the Distillery District which is in the oldest part of the old city and still remains much as it did in the 1870s. Yes, I know, that's still not very old in comparison to other North American cities, and nothing in terms of Europe's great centers, but here in Ontario Canada that's old. Going way back, the story actually starts in 1837 when two men, William Gooderham and James Worts, who had moved to Toronto back when it was called 'York' in 1831, converted a small portion of their prosperous gristmill into a fermenting cellar and roaster, and there they started the mash that would be distilled into rye whisky. Different grains, such as barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, and even wheat were used for the preparation of whisky in the early days. Indeed it was this diversity and surplus of food grains that prompted the two entrepreneurs to attempt the venture.

In a long process of continuous improvement the whisky making enterprise grew and eventually prospered. It wasn't until the late 1840s that the two great men bought the tract of land upon which 'The Distillery District'' in Toronto now occupies. Today, the front door is 55 Mill Street, but you can see that in the 1850s, Mill Street was just another muddy lane that actually ran through the compound, much like Case Good Lane and Tankhouse Lane do today. Without relating a long history of this fabled area let me summarize by saying that this venue is the perfect fit for a traditional European style Christmas Market - its magic.

The Toronto Christmas Market comes complete with a 46 ft White Spruce Christmas Tree that is decorated with over ten thousand intelligent light bulbs. The rumour is, and there is no signage to substantiate this, that the lights are equipped with a magnetic reed switch components which oscillate luminosity in accordance with the audio from nearby stage. I would have to visit at night to see the Christmas tree 'singing along' as it were to the carolers.

Santas' Lane is where the most action happens - here are many wooden vendors selling their wares opposite a hedge maze that is the playful obstacle to every Child's fantasy - a moment alone with Santa to tell him in person exactly what they want for Christmas! Santa's house sees an average of 1000 kids a day. Behind this attraction is a reindeer petting zoo and Storyville warm-up room and toy center.

On the other side of the complex, underneath the looming 44 story Gooderham condominium building is a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. This property development project is nearing completion as you can see in my photos. Glass is going in the windows now and people will be moving into the new structure as early as Spring 2012. The cultural festivals below help improve the prices above, says Toronto mortgage brokeras he points out how nobody imagined that heritage buildings could be profitable developments, until the condo craze seized Toronto. There are over 100 towers being erected in the downtown core and most lack imagination. The units here in the Distillery District sell for an average of 33%!m(MISSING)ore than similar spaces downtown and its the cultural amenities that are adding the value.

In the center of the red brick courtyard there's an old fashioned clock which is actually brand spanking new. It was just put up last week and replaces the earlier model that was damaged by a reversing delivery truck in May 2011. That was a real disaster - those big trucks beep (too loud!) but the old clock didn't move out of the way. SMASH. The new clock is the darling of commercial photographers who just love framing it up against the Gooderham and Worts sign on the wooden pipe trans way above - plus the new clock light up at night which is another good reason to visit in the evening.

During the Toronto Christmas Market the entire Distillery District is licensed to serve alcohol. There are also plenty of free nibbles for folks walking about with their families. Small portions of imported delicacies and local fare made with organic ingredients are served free as just about every food station. The vendors are encouraged to make a strong appetizing smell and so the olfactory parade of the compound is another Christmas memory - a trigger to eat and drink and consume and make memories in the spirit of our ancestors.

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