It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

We went downtown on Friday night to have a look at the Christmas windows and decorations. The mall down that way has a enormous decorated atrium and the department store downtown always does lovely animated windows. It was certainly cold when we set out, about minus 3.  Layers upon layers of clothing are needed these days (it's currently minus 10 as i write this, very sunny) and every outing needs extra time for donning all the bits required to keep you warm. Allow an extra 20 mins.

We got the streetcar, which Poppet still thinks is a great adventure, and we love because there's no driving involved and the stop is quite close to our house. After a 20 minute ride we were arrived at Yonge-Dundas Square. First we saw some polar bears...

Then we wandered a block to the Eaton Centre to check out their atrium. Wow. Rudolph and his friends and an enormous tree covered in crystals. Poppet was rather impressed!

Fortunately there's an elevated and enclosed crosswalk between the Eaton Centre and The Bay, which is the store we were heading to next. Nice to keep out of that cold wind for a bit longer, but that also meant I had to carry various gloves and hats and scarfs without dropping anything. Always a challenge.

So, once we got through the crowds and the makeup and jewelery departments and donned our gear again, we emerged back into the cold and found these amazing animated windows. There were five windows in all, and we probably spent an hour gazing at them. There were so many details to absorb.

I think Poppet's face says it all...

With Christmas carols blaring from the store speakers, it was rather fitting that it began to snow. Only a light dusting, but certainly enough to get us Aussies very very excited. We dragged ourselves away from the windows to make our journey home. In the distance we saw more Christmas lights and decided to investigate. It was at Nathan Phillips Square that we stumbled across this...

Poppet may have actually been drooling. We will have to head back soon and put some skates on ourselves.

What a magical evening. We hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. It is always worth braving the cold in Toronto and heading out. We are still to explore the many museums and galleries downtown, they are the perfect thing to do when it's cold. And it will certainly get colder. We may even get enough of that white stuff to make the place look really pretty. 

I don't know what it is about being cold in December, but it just feels more like Christmas to me here than it ever has down under. We are putting our 'merry' on like never before. Husband has even been caught singing along to carols. Incredible.

Hope your Christmas preparations are coming along nicely, wherever you are!

I'm off to bake brownies...