Megs Rediscovers Toronto: City Christmas Decorations Edition
We're back with another edition of Megs Rediscovers Toronto and today I will be taking you on a Christmas Decorations journey through Toronto! I headed out on a pretty cold winter day, but I figured it was only fitting for today's post, to find the best decorations Toronto had to offer! I have saved what seems like a billion pages of the best places to go to find Toronto's Christmas decorations and I decided to check out what downtown Toronto had to offer.
Yorkville
My first stop was Yorkville to find those massive snowflakes I have seen in plenty of Instagram posts. Yorkville decided to go all out with all sorts of Christmas lights of all shapes and colors. And I'm not gonna lie, I absolutely loved the excessive amount of lights! I love driving around neighborhoods to look at all the different lights. Subconsciously I'm really just making mental notes as to how I want to put up lights in my future home.
But probably my favorite part of Yorkville's decorations were the uniformity of decorations found outside the stores. The matching decorations of ornaments and pinecones gave my need for perfection such a satisfactory feeling.
Yonge-Dundas Square
Next onto Yonge-Dundas Square! Some people call this Toronto's Time Square, which I am actually guilty of, but in my opinion I don't think it is a good nickname. I mean New York's Time Square is the one of the city's iconic landmarks and it is a sight to see. Although Yonge-Dundas Square does emulate Time Square because of the massive billboards and TV screens, I feel it should be considered the hub of downtown Toronto. I personally avoid this place like the plague, mainly because of the vast amount of people that occupy this location. But you're guaranteed to find yourself whatever food you're craving for, the proximity to Ryerson University almost guarantees you'll bump into a stressed out student and of course there's always shopping at the Eaton Centre. However, probably the most iconic aspect of this location is the Believe Man located right outside the Forever 21. If you don't know who this man is, you have not explored downtown Toronto enough. (Now I know a handful of people are laughing at me at this point because every time I run into the Believe Man, my heart jumps out of my body).
Now I went to check out the decorations here during the daytime and I know for a fact all the light displays would look amazing at night when they are all lit up. As I spun around looking at the decorations and the billboards, there was one billboard that caught my eye. Hidden behind the Christmas tree lights, I spotted Coca Cola's winter holiday ad. Did you know that Coca Cola was actually the ones to create the jolly Santa Clause we all know and love today? Traditionally, Santa Clause was depicted as Saint Nick, an older bishop. Then Coca Cola changed the story by making Santa a more kid-friendly icon that we all know and love today.
(And yes majority of my fun facts have to do with random Christmas facts...)
But in general, Coca Cola has some of the best holiday campaigns. They have this way of bringing joy and happiness through a simple ad. Being in my new Digital Marketing program I find myself paying more attention to ads and subconsciously analyzing them. Coca Cola has built up a reputation to put together video campaigns that strike a chord no matter what.
Eaton Centre
To take a break from the cold winds, I took a step inside the Eaton Centre to check out the massive Christmas tree that bombarded my Instagram stories the day of the big reveal. I'm not a huge fan of going to malls and especially not during the holidays because I just know how crowded it will be. But ... I ventured into the Eaton Centre just to see the Christmas tree, which year after year still amazes me.
After strolling for a bit through the mall I determined the theme for their decorations: "Go big, or go home!"
I mean no one can top the massive reindeer they have throughout the mall. And I absolutely loved finding Santa's Cabin located just outside the mall. It's like you're actually visiting Santa's Workshop in the North Pole!
Nathan Phillips Square
The final stop: Nathan Phillips Square! The day I went to visit, the Holiday Fair in Nathan Phillips Square was being set up to get ready for its opening that coming weekend. Every year, while I was studying at U of T, my friends and I would always make our way down here to watch the fireworks show they would put on to kick off the holiday season. And the City of Toronto definitely knows how to put on a show!
I hope you enjoyed my little expedition through Toronto! Go and check out the amazing decorations found throughout the city. Next up on Megs Rediscovers Toronto, I'll be exploring some of the Christmas Markets that have become a huge trend here in Toronto. But my next post, I'll be featuring my first attempt at making Christmas cookies for all of my friends and family. Keep checking back for more of a Glimpse of Meagan's Journey!
