Museums Events Calendar
Christmas & Festive Season Events
(November 2009 to January 2010)
Listed by Type
Please note:
Subject to change without notice
Please contact location directly to confirm
Colborne Lodge in High Park
Colborne Lodge Drive 416-392-6916
Christmas in the Park
Begins Saturday, November 21 - Tuesdays to Sundays, Noon to 4 p.m.
Special Hours: December 24 & 31, Noon - 3 p.m.
Discover the magic of Christmas in the winter wonderland surroundings of High Park and enjoy a tour of Colborne Lodge, the picturesque home of the founders of High Park, which is decorated for a Victorian Christmas. You will discover festive traditions, decorations and foods enjoyed during the 19th century in Toronto. Toast the season with a glass of hot mulled cider by the wood stove and nibble on special holiday treats. Holiday admission prices apply. Adults $5.71*, Seniors/Youths $3.81*, Children $3.33* (*plus applicable taxes)
Gibson House
5172 Yonge Street 416-395-7432
Holiday Season Tours at Gibson House
November 21 to December 23
Tuesday to Sunday - Noon to 5 p.m.
Enjoy a peaceful moment during the rush of the holiday season. Come back to the gentler, quieter era of 1851 at historic Gibson House Museum, where visitors are welcomed by costumed staff for a tour. Children may play in our Discovery Gallery. Adults $5.48, Seniors and Youths $3.10,
Children (2-12 yrs.) $2.62 (plus applicable taxes)
Mincemeat, Pomanders and Paper Chains
Saturday & Sunday, December 19 and 20 - Noon to 5 p.m.
Join in the celebrations of Christmas of long ago! Enjoy the sights and aromas of traditional holiday foods being prepared in the open hearth kitchen. Children can help in the kitchen, make a holiday themed craft or enjoy activities in our Discovery Gallery. Adults $5.48, Seniors and Youths $3.10, Children (2-12 yrs.) $2.62 (plus applicable taxes)
Mackenzie House
82 Bond Street 416-392-6915
A Victorian Toronto Christmas
Begins Tuesday, November 24 -
Tues. to Sun., 12 to 4 p.m.;
Sat. & Sun., 12 to 5 p.m.
Special Hours: December 24 & 31, Noon to 3 p.m.
This festive season step back in time to Victorian Toronto and experience the magic of a traditional Christmas in an 1859 row-house. Escape from the hustle and bustle while you enjoy a sample of mulled cider and a biscuit in the warmth of the historic kitchen. Discover the story of how families celebrated Christmas in 19th-century Toronto as you tour the Mackenzie home that is dressed in greenery for the holidays. Adults: $5.71*, Seniors/Youth: $3.81*, Children: $3.33* (* plus applicable taxes).
Write a Letter to Santa Claus
Begins Tuesday, November 24 and runs until Thursday, December 24
Tues. to Sun., 12 to 4 p.m.;
Sat. & Sun., 12 to 5 p.m.
Special Hours: December 24, Noon - 3 p.m.
Children love writing to Santa Claus to tell him about their Christmas wish lists. We invite your child to go back to an earlier time when writing to Santa was still new. He/She may select either a card or Christmas stationery that has been printed on our 1845 printing press, then write a personal message with old-fashioned pen and ink. Drop the note to Santa into our magic post box and it will go straight to the man himself! Included with admission.
Santa Stories
Sunday,December 20, 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Gather in the Mackenzie's cozy family room and listen to Christmas tales from the Victorian era. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. $8 plus applicable taxes, includes cider and cookies in the historic kitchen. Please call 416-392-6915 for further details.
Kids' Krafts
Tuesday, December 29 to Sunday, January 3
Tues., Wed., Sat. & Sun.: 12 to 4 p.m.,
Thurs.: 12 to 3 p.m., Closed Friday
Bring the family to visit the last home of Toronto's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie, then enjoy some time with your youngsters, printing in the recreated printshop and doing an historically-based activity. Please call 416-392-6915 for further details. Included with admission.
Todmorden Mills Museum
67 Pottery Road 416-396-2819
A Regency Christmas in the Valley
Sunday December 20 from noon to 4 pm;
Tuesday, December 23 from noon to 4 pm;
Wednesday, December 24 from noon to 3 pm.
Discover the simple pleasures and décor of a Regency-era Christmas at Todmorden Mills. Our early 19th-century historic homes are decorated for the season with lovely evergreen garlands. Discover the history of the "kissing bough" hanging in the Helliwell parlour, decorated with cornucopias full of sweets and candles. Sample a period dessert and create your own Christmas decoration using a traditional felting technique. Adults: $5.24 plus applicable taxes; Children: $2 plus plus applicable taxes; Youth/Seniors: $3 plus applicable taxes.
Gibson House
5172 Yonge Street 416-395-7432
The Gibson House Hogmanay Party for Families
Tuesday, December 29 - 7 to 9 p.m.
Bring your family to Gibson House for a candlelight evening celebrating the traditions of a Hogmanay. Help staff prepare for 2010 with luck and laughter. Children's hands and imaginations are needed - help with the baking, make crafts, learn the lore of Scottish New Year customs through stories and song. There will be sweet treats and of course, the fabled First Footer to greet. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and adults must be accompanied by a child! Pre-registration required. $20 per adult (ages 18+), $12.50 per child (plus applicable taxes ).
NOW SOLD OUT!
To The New Year: A Gibson House Hogmanay Dinner
Wednesday, December 30 - 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Gather at the historic Gibson House for a special evening inspired by the family traditions of Hogmanay. Share a scrumptious dinner with familiar and new friends. Be lulled by the fire, and moved by the music. Take an imagined journey through story and drama to a New Year of another time. As the evening closes, come together with staff to welcome our First Footer, celebrate our 2009 season and bring luck and best wishes to Gibson House Museum for 2010. Pre-registration required. (This event is for Ages 14 and up). $50 plus applicable taxes per person.
Mackenzie House
82 Bond Street 416-392-6915
NOW SOLD OUT!
Hogmanay! Traditional Scottish New Year's Celebrations
Monday, December 28, 7 to 9 p.m.
Enjoy an evening of Scottish music and foods at this traditional celebration of the New Year. The decorated house will be illuminated by gaslight and candles. Popular traditional musical group, Gin Lane, will perform Pre-registration and pre-payment required. Tickets: $20 plus applicable taxes. Please call 416-392-6915 for further details.
Colborne Lodge in High Park
Colborne Lodge Drive 416-392-6916
NOW SOLD OUT!
Christmas Trimmings Workshops (7 to 12 year olds)
Sunday, December 20
Tuesday, December 22
Wednesday, December 23
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Get a few errands done when you drop off the kids who'll make traditional Christmas ornaments to take home. A visit to the decorated parts of the house and light refreshments are included. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. $15 plus applicable taxes per child.
Scarborough Museum
1007 Brimley Road, just north of Lawrence Avenue in Thomson Memorial Park 416-338-8807
NEW! December Holiday Camp - Ages 6 to 11
December 28 to 31 - Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Enjoy the holiday season by experiencing the life of an early settler. Create seasonal crafts, cook over the open hearth and in a wood stove, and play camp games. All participants are required to bring a lunch and snacks, but kids eat or take home the treats they prepare. Pre-registration is required. Call 416-338-4FUN to pre-register or register on-line at www.toronto.ca/torontofun. The fee is $116 for this four-day week. Extended care available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
| Holiday-Themed Crafts and Food Workshops for Adults, Families |
Colborne Lodge in High Park
Colborne Lodge Drive 416-392-6916
Christmas Centrepiece Workshops (for Adults)
Saturdays, December 19 at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.;
Wednesday, December 16 and
Thursday, December 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Create your own Christmas Centrepiece using natural materials. This 2 hour workshop is a great pre-Christmas get-together activity for groups of friends and families. Set in picturesque High Park, the house offers a cosy historic ambience for this seasonal craft. A tour of the decorated parts of the house and light refreshments are included. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. $30 plus applicable taxes per person.
| Scottish Holiday Traditions and Events |
Gibson House
5172 Yonge Street 416-395-7432
The Gibson House Hogmanay Party for Families
Tuesday, December 29 - 7 to 9 p.m.
Bring your family to Gibson House for a candlelight evening celebrating the traditions of a Hogmanay. Help staff prepare for 2010 with luck and laughter. Children's hands and imaginations are needed - help with the baking, make crafts, learn the lore of Scottish New Year customs through stories and song. There will be sweet treats and of course, the fabled First Footer to greet. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and adults must be accompanied by a child! Pre-registration required. $20 per adult (ages 18+), $12.50 per child (plus applicable taxes ).
NOW SOLD OUT!
To The New Year: A Gibson House Hogmanay Dinner
Wednesday, December 30 - 7:30 to 10 p.m.
Gather at the historic Gibson House for a special evening inspired by the family traditions of Hogmanay. Share a scrumptious dinner with familiar and new friends. Be lulled by the fire, and moved by the music. Take an imagined journey through story and drama to a New Year of another time. As the evening closes, come together with staff to welcome our First Footer, celebrate our 2009 season and bring luck and best wishes to Gibson House Museum for 2010. Pre-registration required. (This event is for Ages 14 and up). $50 plus applicable taxes per person.
Mackenzie House
82 Bond Street 416-392-6915
NOW SOLD OUT!
Hogmanay! Traditional Scottish New Year's Celebrations
Monday, December 28, 7 to 9 p.m.
Enjoy an evening of Scottish music and foods at this traditional celebration of the New Year. The decorated house will be illuminated by gaslight and candles. Popular traditional musical group, Gin Lane, will perform Pre-registration and pre-payment required. Tickets: $19.05 plus applicable taxes. Please call 416-392-6915 for further details.
