Only spend a dollar at Christmas

How to feel Christmas and only spend a dollar? Yes, call me mad if you like, but recently I have been on a quest to forgo the commercialism of the large shopping outlets both online and off. I am trying to find an ideal form of holiday spirit. I know that this will not apply to some people as their spiritual background does not correspond to any kind of engagement during this time of year. If you are a member of the groups, as mentioned above, you are always welcome to join without any fear or prejudice. The holiday spirit should encompass, inclusivity.

I will be the first to admit that it is not always easy to achieve the merry and disregard the humbug, especially when funds are low. We all want to be able to purchase that fantastic gift for our friends and family and often, here we miss the mark.  I am reminded of the movie “Citizen Kane” the joy he felt when he received “Rosebud” for Christmas. For those that have not seen the film- it has been a while for myself, too; I will not ruin it for you. Suffice it to say, and it is not the monetary value of the gift that can bring the greatest joy. Yes, that does sound ideal, in a society that values the gift that is directly related to the price — the “Great Expectations” syndrome.

My Business

Needing to feel more than just a strain on my credit card, I embarked on finding something that so few people try to obtain. Christmas on only a dollar. Is it even possible? I will be honest with you, there were a few hidden costs, like a cup of coffee I purchased and the cost of parking and of course my carbon footprint. Here I will let some young girl from Sweden chastise me. Armed with only my camera, a notion and a quest, I went to seek out to see if I could find something that Christmas is supposed to inspire us.

Walking along Adelaide Street in downtown Toronto- the heart of the financial district, as one would expect there was nothing specifically Christmas here. The tall buildings act only as a wind tunnel for the executive business people leaving the local bars after a long day of trading and now stumbling into the dark street. Although pedestrian, the glow of the well-lit skyscrapers create a whimsical backdrop for the snow-covered sidewalks and roads. Turning left and then a right, I have arrived at my first destination — Toronto City hall.

City Hall(s)

This night was warm(ish) not any colder than minus 3 degrees Celsius and a few clouds hung in the air creating an atmospheric reaction. Snow began to descend slowly from above. City hall is very bright with the lights of the trees and the vendor’s stalls- currently closed. Under the archway, there are a few ice skaters doing pirouettes as the Toronto Sign glistened off of the shiny ice surface. The backdrop of the city hall with the massive Christmas tree adorned in the blue twinkling of illumination added to the festival of the now quiet hub of municipal politics and power. With only a handful of people in the vicinity this evening, the night transformed itself to a simpler time when Christmas was more than polar bears selling Coke-a-Cola.

Beyond the arches was a true testament to those times of the one-horse open sleigh. The old city hall looking back towards the iconic arches of Nathan Philips square as the hands of the clock in the tower reminds us that the time has changed, not necessarily the sentiment.

My demeanour began to change from critical to whimsy. I noticed a hot dog vendor serving a customer and the thought of a time when that may have been chestnuts roasting over an open fire. Crossing Bay street, I adjusted the scarf around my neck as the wind began to pick up as I walk in front of the Old City hall. A true testament of Romanesque revival architecture that is so rare in Toronto today. A streetcar blew past me while others were trying to cross the road at the stoplight as it went from green to red. Within a couple of minutes’ walk, I was now before the store shop windows that have depicted the way society and technology have perceived this time of year for many generations.

Traditional Windows

Through the ages, large department stores, such as Eatons, Simpson, The Hudson’s Bay Company and now Saks 5th Avenue has used this as a vehicle to sell the items that have been most coveted by the consumer; at the same time offering us a glimpse into the future of technology. From the very first Soldier nutcracker to the spring propelled car to current manufacturing techniques, these shop windows have been a seasonal glimpse as to what is and what will become. These brightly adorned facades are a feast for both the eyes and imagination. This year was more about the selling of Christmas than the vision of the season. I guess there were staying with their traditional theme. With my dollar still in my pocket walking the streets to see where my Christmas strolling would take me.

Off in the distance, I thought I heard bells ringing, not very likely at this time of night. The volume of snow increased as did the sound of the chiming. A romantic flavour of the holiday season began to fascinate me. My imagination began to envision “Dickens” like Characters walking these same streets from a time long past. The bell got louder and then past, as the sound of the tram pressed on. Lost in a Jon in wonderland sensation, I found myself at the Gooderham and Worts “Distillery area.”

People of the old City

Walking through the iron gates of the distillery, old Scrouge himself would have felt at home. Here we are cast back into the world of our 1800’s ancestry. You can almost smell the coal burning, the citizens of yesterday’s Toronto would stand near the cauldron trying to stay warm during a cold Christmas night and perhaps enjoying a swig of holiday cheer while singing a Yuletide favourite. Replaced are the containers and the coal, strings of lights are what brings the area to life. The giant Christmas tree marks the centre of the square, located beside a clock that reminds us of time that has since past. The beautiful stone buildings that still stand are a testament to the enduring quality and resilience to this era.

Most are converted into expensive shops, that vie for the patron’s commerce. Ignoring that, you can find yourself surrounded by the antiquity that was at its height the pinnacle of Victorian Industrial architecture and Canadian society. A dollar would have gone very far back then, yet I still have one in my pocket.

Bye Bye Distillery

While the lights illuminated the distillery square, I walked through the iron gate and bid farewell to the luminaries, spelling out “Toronto Christmas Market.” Not realizing how long I had been out into the night, absorbed by the Christmas season. I heard bells from an echo past, a vision of Christmas from long ago. I felt that the underlying theme was to sell sports equipment and ugly Christmas sweaters. Was this what had become of the 25th of December? Or was it always what it had been? It was beginning to get difficult to differentiate between the two. Yet the bright and festive lights and snow falling was stirring up something in me that I didn’t entirely expect. Walking and contemplating, I heard a voice. I have to admit I was startled for a second as it was a cold, snowy night and did not expect to hear anyone else.

Looking down, I spied an old man sitting on a grate in the most shabby clothes.” Excuse me, can you spare some change?”
Engrossed in thought, I paid the man no attention and continued on my way.
“I like your hat he continued.” While I continued to walk past.
In my self absorbed way, I continued to pass the essence of Christmas that I was too selfish to notice. I was on a Christmas quest if you will and what better way to embrace the season other than charity, like the fable of Christ and the manger. Struck as if Plato clipped me upside the head. All of a sudden I had a Liza Manelli flashback from her one-woman variety show from the 1970’s “That’s Liza, not Lisa” ( if you have seen it you may know what I mean.)
Promptly I turned around and went to see if the fellow was still on the grate ten minutes earlier. He was gone. I was lost.

The Lonely People

As I walked back and forth, he was not on King St., nor was he on University St.; it was if Santa Clause himself allowed me to experience “real” Christmas, and Plato just frowned down at me. How could I not see what was in front of me? Up and down and back and forth, I looked for the man. He was nowhere to be seen. I was about to give up the search, peering down a dingy alley I spied a figure in a doorway.
“Excuse me, are you the person that was on the grate a while back?”
“Yes, that was me,” he replied. Being the first time I looked at his face — a long white beard and a red nose, with a shabby jacket and a raptors hat.
“I said I was coming back,” I lied, “I suppose you did not hear me.”
“People walk by, rarely do they come back to see one of the invisible people.”
“I have been wandering around taking pictures,” I could not divulge that I was on a Christmas quest. We stood and chatted under the cloudy sky, while the snow fell around us under the canopy of a safety light illuminating the doorway.
“Can I take a pic or two I asked”
“Sure, go ahead, I am not doing much tonight” The resemblance to a 21st century Santa was uncanny.
Reaching into my pocket, I apologized for only having a dollar and said: “This is for you modelling for me.” I spoke with a smile on my face, we shook hands, and I wished the gentleman a Merry Christmas. As we departed company, he shouted: “Your beard is almost as white as mine.” I chuckled as I think I discovered the meaning of Christmas for one dollar.

Big City Big Heart

I didn’t need to buy, nor did I need to sell. All I had to do is give. What I received in return was my individual, “Rosebud.”

A personal recount of an evening walk, I was able to view many places that Toronto has available to celebrate the holiday season. The effervescence of the Toronto letters reflecting off of the freshly cleaned Ice. The majesty of the old city hall standing like a beacon for Christmas past, present and future. The historic windows, depictions of the current society and what they envision the future to be. Of course, the Distillery area, where if you listen carefully, you can still hear the sounds of Christmas harking from the past. Wherever you find it, the spirit of the holidays is never far away; it may take a little seeing to find your Santa Clause.

Welcome to Toronto, a city that is generous yet self-absorbed. Doesn’t that sound a little like you and me? I hope you have enjoyed my homage to Christmas and my saga, who knows, maybe it will be an enduring tale through the ages- although I am very doubtful about this. Are you thinking of spending some time in T.O. over the holiday season? Please enjoy all the city has to offer as these are only a brief few examples. Never been here and would like to know more about Holidays in the city? Do so in the comments sections, and I or a member of my team- me, will be happy to reply.

Until the next time we meet…Hold on. Like Dr. Seuss mentioned: “And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!”

Your Vacation Your Escape…My Escape this time

VTE