If you are staying in the city for the holiday season, your plan might be to bundle up in some blankets and sip on some yuletide drink watching Elf or Love Actually. And, 10 years ago, that’s about all you could do on Christmas Day. Not anymore, urbanites. There are now a few things you can do this Christmas Day if you choose to spend it here in this big, beautiful city.
Grab your friends, your family and other locals to enjoy potentially less crowds at these spots.
Catch a flick: Watching a movie inside the comforts of your home is great, but why not watch it on the big screen? Cineplex cinemas will be open on Christmas Day with a full list of films to be watched. If you are wondering which ones would be the best, NOW Magazine has a decent rating score.
If a Cineplex cinema is too big for your tastes, there’s always TIFF Bell Lightbox. It will be showing the animated films of Studio Ghibli. On December 25th, Howl’s Moving Castle will be playing, a story of a teenage girl who meets a wizard who is trying to stop a war. Other films being shown include Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta, Hitchcock’s Vertigo and more.
If you are looking for something a little more real, the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema will also be open. One feature being shown will be a collection of the year’s best commercials. Each TV commercial is more like a short film and the collection lasts 2 hours. The cinema will also be showing a ballet doc called Reset.
Festivus for the rest of us! It’s true. The annual dinner tradition is being held at The Drake for all those party people who decided to hang out in the city for Christmas. A big holiday meal plus dessert all for $34 per person. Not a bad deal considering the price of a turkeys these days.
A holiday flower show: Allan Gardens is staying open for its annual Flower Show that runs until mid-January. Take in all the poinsettias and Christmas-y flowers you can and best of all, it’s free.
Swim with the fish: Ripley’s Aquarium will be open on Christmas Day which could be the perfect chance to beat the weekend crowds! Who knows, maybe it will be even busier. All the usual fish, rays and sharks will be swimming around for your viewing pleasure.
Skating around Nathan Phillips Square: The weather forecast shows that temperatures are going to melt the ice and snow around the city today. But on Christmas Day, it’s supposed to dip below freezing again which means skating on the pond at City Hall. If you got a pair of skates for Christmas, why not try them out the day of?
And there you have it, party people. A few things to do in the city on Christmas Day. We hope you have a restful holiday 'cause you will need to get readay for 2017!