Family dinner with all the fixings, a visit to Santa, a solitary evening stroll in the snow — many of us have holiday traditions we look forward to all-year long.

The Star asked readers to share their most cherished traditions. We also asked some well-known Toronto residents and visitors to the city to tell us their favourite moments at this special time of the year.

The mayor’s Christmas letters

“In our house, both when I was growing up and when our kids were young, many a comic moment unfolded on two of our traditions: putting up the tree and getting the presents ready on Christmas Eve.

“Both generations of dads (my dad and me) seemed to have an unerring ability to purchase a tree with a hole in it or a curve in the trunk, or both. This led to great hilarity with guy wires, piles of books and, more than once, a fully decorated tree which just fell over. Such disasters happened more years than not. As for setting up the toys, there was always a part missing or we would play with the toys so raucously that they would end Christmas Eve broken. Problems on Christmas Day!

“Not as funny but more meaningful was the tradition my dad started, and which I have continued, of writing letters to each of the kids each year on Christmas Day. The letters were and still are meant to be encouraging and loving and inspiring, but the odd piece of unvarnished advice was usually included as well.

“I remember how proud I felt reading of my dad’s recognition of some of my accomplishments in that year and how good I felt reading words which conveyed that special love which came from my mom and dad. It is my hope that my kids have the same reaction to their letters that I did from mine. As I said, there were almost always a few words of ‘advice,’ always lovingly put, whether it was about weight (too much) or rest (too little) and probably because it was surrounded by loving words, you read it and took it to heart.

“I have to this day saved the Christmas letters from my dad and they remind me of the values that he considered important, the love he had for me and most importantly they remind me of him. I hope my kids find my letters to them similarly loving and worth keeping. I am looking forward to writing them ahead of Christmas Day.”

— John Tory, Mayor of Toronto

A big squeeze

“Growing up, there were eight children in my family, and Christmas was always a cherished celebration. Our parents made it a happy and fun time and there was always lots of food, special candies and nuts. My mother would create Christmas dinner with all the works, including her steamed pudding. It was to die for. Later that evening, we would visit my grandparents’ house. My grandmother would make the most delicious homemade ice cream. She used the old-fashioned churn with ice and rock salt plus fresh cream. It was usually so cold she would set the whole contraption outside in the snow until it was time to eat. To this day, my siblings and I talk about the sweet vanilla flavour. Even though some of us have moved abroad, my siblings and I continue the tradition of a big family meal on Christmas Day. Two of my sisters have hosted the dinner and in 2011, when I returned to Toronto, the baton was passed to me. Not all the original siblings are able to come each year. But when they do, we make the table a bit longer to squeeze everybody in. It’s special because we have family discussions, pass on bits of history to the offspring, share recipes old and new and reminisce about our childhood. We think our parents would be pleased that we make the effort to get together. It is the family thing to do.”

— Wilhelmina Cromwell-Heyliger, North York

Sleepover with a theme

“At our house, New Year’s Eve is an overnight, multi-family event. We have friends with kids both older and younger than our 8-year-old daughter, and depending on the year, there have been as few as 14 or as many as 30 people of all ages dressed up in their finest! There are multiple parties happening at once in different parts of the house … movies, ping pong, arts and crafts, kitchen conversation and tons of both kid-appropriate and grown-up food and drink. We often have a theme for the meal, something tongue-in-cheek about the year that was or the year to come, and everyone participates in the cooking. Last year, our theme was ‘Make America Taste Great Again,’ and it involved some classic American foods as well as dishes from countries affected by Trump’s travel ban. Everyone of all ages stays up past midnight and we do a big countdown. Then we all have a huge sleepover with air mattresses on the floors and lots of little people giggling until late into the night. The next morning the groggy grown-ups make a big breakfast for the whole crew and people don’t go home until well into the day. It’s a tradition that offers just the right mix of family and friends, excitement and ease, and we all look forward to it every year.”

— Dr. Danielle Martin, family physician and vice-president of medical affairs and health system solutions at Women’s College Hospital and author of the 2017 book, Better Now: Six Big Ideas to Improve Health Care for All Canadians

Read more:

Giving back with the Santa Claus fund becomes a holiday tradition

How the Nutcracker went from failure to beloved holiday tradition

Making the holidays about traditions — not things

A fishy tradition

“For more than 60 years, our family has enjoyed salmon for lunch on Christmas Day. This tradition began when I was a child when my mother wanted to serve something different yet filling for lunch on this busy day. She would mix two cans of sockeye salmon with celery and onion and serve it on white bread. It was delicious. Over the years, we have altered the tradition slightly. We have enjoyed salmon mousse, smoked salmon, salmon dip and sometimes salmon and cream cheese on bagels. But always, we have salmon. Sadly, my mom and dad are no longer with us and my brother lives in Mexico. But my husband and I and our two daughters continue to love this tradition and begin planning for it far in advance of Dec. 25. This year, they are planning a trip to St. Lawrence Market to purchase fire-baked bagels to be topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon.”

— Lynn Detcher, Mississauga

A walk on the chilly side

“I’ve always enjoyed taking a walk on Christmas Day, peering into windows, quietly observing other families around the table, or kids in the yard tinkering with new outdoor toys. Not sure if it’s the chocolates and pastries I usually binge on early in the morning or the emotional weight of the season, but I find that I crave the cold air to clear my head, to invigorate my body. I also like walking the streets when nearly everything is closed, minus a 7/11 or gas station. As I wander, I pay close attention to who else is out and about. As I pass strangers, I imagine where they are going. I like to unravel an imaginary story of what their day is about in my mind. A solo walk on Christmas Day, even for just 15 minutes, gives me peace, quiet and solitary reflection that I cherish. It’s extra special if there is fresh snow and I get to hear a crunch as I walk the streets and sip a coffee.”

— Jen McNeely, founder and editor-in-chief of the women’s news and affairs site Shedoesthecity

A special tree for late grandparents

“Growing up in Toronto, my brother and sister and I had the blessing of having our grandparents live with us in our home. Every Christmas morning, we’d go downstairs and gather around their small Christmas tree to open their gifts to us. It’s been nearly 20 years since their passing, yet we still think of them every Christmas. Seven years ago, my siblings and I, along with our mother, planted a small evergreen tree at their gravesite. Each year, we decorate their Christmas tree to honour their memory and keep that childhood tradition alive in a small way.”

— Damian Campbell, Mississauga

YYZ to NYC

“I created this Christmas tradition because the first time I did it, I found it affirming and uplifting. It has felt that way ever since. Each Christmas, I go to New York. I love Christmas in that incredible city. Everyone that lives there becomes a family for just one day of the year; no one seems lonely even if they are alone on Christmas Day. I love being with my family and feeling like we are a part of that citywide community, one in which everyone comes together to prevent people from being isolated and alone. Just before or after Christmas Day I treat myself to a Broadway show; it’s a way for me to disconnect and immerse myself completely in the experience. Last year, I saw Hamilton, which was great!”

— Olivia Nuamah, executive director of Pride Toronto

Gift-opening go-getters

“We used to have a tradition where every Christmas Eve, my brother and I would be allowed to open one gift before bed. One year, it escalated and we ended up opening all our gifts on Christmas Eve. We were sad we had nothing to open on Christmas morning. And that sort of ended the tradition!”

— Darcy Oake, one of the stars of The Illusionists — Live From Broadway performing at the Princess of Wales Theatre from Dec. 12 to Jan. 7

A tradition for generations

“Our family’s annual tradition began 33 years ago in 1984 when we lived in Mississauga. That December, our three boys were 6, 3 and 1 years old and we decided to take the Go Train downtown to enjoy the department store window displays, see Eaton’s Lego exhibit and, of course, visit Santa at the Eaton Centre. It was a full day of excitement and we promised ourselves that we would do it all again the following year. We’ve kept that promise, returning every Christmas season. Now, our adult children, their partners and our grandchildren cannot wait for our special family day in downtown Toronto. These days, we start our day early by meeting for breakfast and we enjoy watching our three grandsons (ages 11, 9 and 3) decide what they are going to tell Santa. From there, we all head to Hudson’s Bay to visit with Santa and have our traditional family photo taken (this year, we are adding a new tradition of everyone having to wear plaid). We then head to the main floor to see the Bay’s window displays. Next, we decide who will buddy up together, and the rest of the day is spent shopping with our buddies. Late in the afternoon we meet at a restaurant for a relaxing meal and have a wonderful time talking about our day. It’s a tradition that brings us closer as a family and a day where everyone feels young at heart. I know it’s a tradition that will continue year after year.”

— Pat Kelly, Burlington, Ont.

The magic of real candles on a real tree

“My grandparents all lit their trees with candles. My parents brought this tradition, plus the special tree clips and candles, called ‘baumkerzen,’ over to Canada from Germany. Once Liz and I had kids (our oldest is now 20), we got our own clips and candles, as I wanted to maintain the tradition for my children. Lights that blink or change colour can be fun, but it is hard to beat the flicker of real candles on a tree!

“We buy our balsam tree — one with widely spaced branches — late in the season, to ensure it is fresh when it is put up shortly before Christmas. Candles are lit for the first time on Christmas Eve, before opening presents. All the kids have to sit and watch the candles as we listen to a vinyl recording of traditional European Christmas songs. After about 20 minutes, the candles are snuffed and presents are opened. That’s just long enough for everyone, including impatient kids, to sit quietly, watch the candles, speculate about the wrapped presents under the tree, and perhaps think a little about the meaning of Christmas and appreciate being together as a family for the holidays.

“The adults, of course, carefully watch the lit candles. The fire extinguisher is kept handy, just in case, but it’s never been needed. For everyone, the tree is a beautiful sight to behold, and a special start to the Christmas season.”

— Tom and Liz Schnull, Mississauga

It’s the people not the place that matters

“What’s important to me during the holidays is finally getting that downtime with my family. For the last 10 years, my family and I (me and my mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law) go to New York City between Dec. 27 and 30. It’s the only time during the year that we get that time together. But this year, I made the decision that I just can’t go because life is so hectic. And what’s really cool about my family is they said, ‘If you can’t go, then we all won’t go.’ Instead, all of us will go up to Niagara on the Lake for one or two nights. Having that time with my family to reset is so important to me. It doesn’t matter what city we are in, as long as we get to spend some of that time together.”

— Rachel Kelly, founder of Make Lemonade, a co-working space for women

Jimmy Christmas!

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“It is the late 1960s and my two toddlers, Jimmy and Mary, who are deaf and hard of hearing, are learning to listen and hopefully one day talk. This is before cochlear implants. Teaching them was long, arduous and frustrating with many hours of bah, bah and awh, awh, with the hope of one day saying actual words. That Christmas, we planned to go to Grandma’s house for the holidays. I thought it would be great to have them wish Grandma a Merry Christmas. So, after many hours of repetition and practicing the greeting, Mary was able to hesitantly but carefully say ‘Merry Christmas’ to Grandma. She was rewarded with a hug and a treat. At first, Jimmy refused to say the greeting. Instead, he crossed his arms, had a determined look and shook his head. When I asked him again to say the greeting, he loudly and clearly said, ‘No, Merry Christmas, Jimmy Christmas!’

“My children are now in their 50s, settled and speaking well. The next generation continues to enjoy the story and have carried on the tradition of saying ‘Jimmy Christmas’ with laughter.”

— Eileen Purdie, Etobicoke

Feeling the gratitude

“Regardless of where you come from and what you practice as a religion — Jewish, Christian or Muslim — for me, it’s important to feel the gratitude and the giving in the season. My position is to feel grateful and to feel generous to those who you love, those that you care for, your friends, your staff — you celebrate with them and feel that festivity with them.

“I want to do a shout out to everyone who came to Canada, this great country. We need to get used to celebrating more things together, all of us. There is a lot of negativity around the world but we are thankful to be in Canada and live in a lot of positivity. We should embrace that and we should celebrate each other and take advantage of every day that one of us is celebrating and all join with them and celebrate together, regardless of what that celebration is.”

— Mohamad Fakih, founder of Paramount Fine Foods and philanthropist

A true original like Mum

“In 1979, my recently divorced mother and I moved into a modest apartment in southern Ontario. I was barely 3 years old but I can vividly remember her paint-splattered blue jeans as she worked tirelessly to make a comfortable home for us. It wasn’t easy being a divorcee in a small town in the ’70s. Social norms and expectations were more rigid then. Even in early childhood, I too was aware that we were different. But in the face of an uncertain future, my mother created special traditions to strengthen our sense of family. That first Christmas, Frosty came into our lives, cheerfully signifying a fresh start. Mum proudly inscribed 1979 on his bottom, and so began our practice of selecting one meaningful ornament each year to add to our tree. Now that I am grown with a family of my own, she remains an integral part of our Christmas celebrations. And the tradition has expanded to choosing special ornaments for her grandsons to enjoy. I still hang Frosty in a place of honour on our tree. He’s a true original, just like my wonderful Mum.”

— Donna Cooper Tredway, St. Catharines

Shake up the holidays

“One of my favourite holiday traditions is to take classic North American desserts and give them a holiday spin. With cheesecake, one thing I have done is to add crushed candy cane to the mixture. I just love how the peppermint from the candy canes pop into your mouth and how the crushed melted candy canes swirl into the mixture as it bakes. The base of the cheesecake also gets a holiday makeover by adding ginger and cinnamon.”

— Bruno Feldeisen, judge of The Great Canadian Baking Show

Grandmaman’s tradition

“Every year while I was growing up, my mother made tourtière, traditional Quebec meat pie — kind of like the recipe my Grandmaman made, and certainly to the satisfaction of my dad, the only true Québécois in the family!

“The autumn both my parents died, Mum already had all the elements in the fridge to make her annual-for-the-season batch. So we spent a weekend making up what would have been her pies. And then we gave them away.

“Each year since, I have made a big batch of tourtière. Mine are spicier, with a little more clove than salt and pepper, and with a lot more meat than Grandmaman’s. They’ve been used as gifts, auction items for TIFF fundraisers and for our own Christmas Eve dinners. My family’s tradition of when to eat the pies has evolved, from Christmas Eve with parents-in-law, or my aunt and special friends Sharon and Carl and their family, to our cabin in the woods up north with just me, John and our two kids. We’d put the pie in the oven to warm while we hiked up to the little church in Priceville for a candlelit evening of stories and song. We’d come back to the entire cabin smelling of Christmas tourtière (perfect with a bold red wine) and then we’d let the kids open one gift before bed.

“For the past couple of years, I’ve invited people from TIFF into my kitchen to make tourtières together. It’s been so fun to share, and has forced me to try to come up with a recipe instead of my memory method. We are doing it again this year, an even bigger group than last. I think maybe a new tradition has been born — and, of course, I still make enough to have some for Christmas when friends drop in.”

— Michèle Maheux, chief operating officer, TIFF

Yummy eats and northern feats

“My holiday tradition involves lots of driving to all ends of the city, eating everything from tea sandwiches to barbecue pork, turkey to tourtière. Having such a diversity of cultures in my and my fiancé’s families really makes the holidays for me. I also love being up north, going snowboarding, enjoying the hot tub and being by the fire. Winter sports are so important because otherwise the cold, snow and dreary light become aggressively abysmal! Nothing combats S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) like catapulting yourself down a white mountain at a high velocity. The setting is so dreamy and surreal it feels like a video game IRL.”

— Berkeley Poole, creative director at Tokyo Smoke

Gingerbread smash

“Starting in the 1980s, our holiday tradition was something lovingly created and savagely destroyed. Today, it’s not Christmas without our family’s gingerbread house.

“Once decorated, the gingerbread house would sit on display, taunting us. It looked great, but my older brothers and I were only interested in one thing: the smash. But that had to wait until New Year’s Eve. By then, the house was good and crusty and the icing — made to withstand the annual New Year’s trip into camp on the back of a snowmobile — was like cement.

“Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of drooling, the kids would gather around the house and get ready to pound it into oblivion. Dad would get the video camera, Mom would urge us to share and away we’d go. One … two … three … SMASH! Fists would fly! Shards of razor-sharp icing would fill the air! We’d pillage the house for the best candies available! Every child for themselves!

“More often than not, the boys would get all treasures and I’d be stuck with one of the walls, all gingerbread and icing and no chocolate. But it didn’t matter. It was the thrill that made the tradition stick.

“Today, building the house is a time that Mom and I cherish. My brother’s kids have now taken on the tradition of smashing the house to bits and I love to watch, picking up a scrap here and there for old time’s sake.”

— Sarah Ryeland, Toronto

I’ll be home for Christmas

“For me, December is always about family, especially because I’m away so often. I train in Baton Rouge, La., and the indoor track season starts in January and then I travel every two weeks until August. This year is my first season competing in bobsled, which I started in December. I’ll return back to track in March once this season is done. Right now, I’m in Germany and I have one more (bobsled) race in Austria before I get to go home for Christmas. I’ll have to leave on Dec. 26 to go racing again.

“To me, being around my family means it is Christmas. I have a twin brother and three older sisters. We all get together to decorate the tree and we find our decorations that we made in grade school. On Dec. 25, we eat breakfast and open our presents at home. Then we usually go to my aunt’s house for a big family dinner with my aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. I’m of Grenadian descent and I look forward to eating traditional Caribbean food when I come home. I love the macaroni pie that my aunt makes.”

— Phylicia George, of Markham, is a two-time Olympian in the 100-metre hurdles (qualifying for the finals at the 2012 Games in London and the 2016 Games in Rio) and is an Olympic hopeful for bobsled at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Aussie Christmas

“We start the day early, I mean really early, like 5 a.m.! After wrapping presents well into Santa time, I can’t bear to tell my kids to go back to sleep, so there we are under the twinkling lights of our real pine tree, deciding/arguing over who is going to hand out the presents. It’s usually always my youngest, Charlie!

“While they marvel over the contents of their stockings, I toast their joy with a glass of chilly sparkling Shiraz and grape juice for the kids!

“Our pre-breakfast ritual involves munching on my own Christmas Tarts, and once the paper is strewn all over the room, we adjourn to the kitchen to make crepes (the batter being prepared the night before). Lashings of maple syrup and vanilla bean ice cream make this a once-a-year treat.

“We continue to celebrate with our main meal — lunch of roasted stuffed Spatchcock with all the trimmings — followed by my very own steamed Christmas pudding doused in brandy and served with a generous amount of Brandy Anglaise. With lunch over by mid-afternoon, there is always a nap scheduled, followed by precious time spent playing with all the spoils Santa left. By late afternoon, we are on the beach. (Sorry, Toronto!)”

— Rochelle Adonis, judge on The Great Canadian Baking Show

A tradition of poverty that doesn’t need to be

“My older brother and I were raised by a single mother. We were materially poor. This, of course, made life difficult and more stressful than it needed to be. It presented all kinds of challenges for us, but I think none more so than during the holidays.

“Each year, I was never sure if Santa was going to visit. Some years he did and some years he didn’t. What made it even more difficult was the fact that I was bombarded with commercials, TV shows and stories from friends about the wonderful gifts that they had received.

“One tradition that I’m reminded of is that I used to spend the holidays collecting the flyers that most people threw out. I searched for details on the latest and most popular toys so that I had something to say when everyone in class talked about the gifts they had received. It was always a time of great sadness and I’m sure frustration for my mother.

“While I may not be in poverty anymore, the unfortunate truth is that far too many families are. Far too many kids navigate the same challenges that I did. This simply shouldn’t be the case in a country as rich as Canada. I think about all of those families that struggle throughout the holidays to simply get by, and some will struggle without food. Why can’t this be the last year of poverty in Canada? The only gift that I want these days is for all families, especially the children, to enjoy the holiday season.”

— Paul M. Taylor, executive director, FoodShare Toronto