TORONTO -- With wrapped gifts and tickets in hand, thousands of Greater Toronto Area travellers are making the trip home for Christmas Tuesday.

For Mary Shabahang, being with her daughter means everything. Canada accepted her as a refugee, but her daughter lives in Buffalo, N.Y.

“For 19 years, I want to bring her here and have her come visit me, she can’t. I had two accidents. I’m in very bad shape. I have to go all the way there,” she said while waiting at the downtown bus terminal.

Shabahang said this month has been hard because she was hurt in a pedestrian-vehicle collision and slammed her finger in a car door.

Cheryl St. Louis is on her way to Sudbury to meet her grandson for the first time. She’s been travelling non-stop for 24 hours after spending time with her other children in Chatham, Ont.

“Excited ... Playing Santa Clause, flying roof to roof here,” St. Louis said with a laugh.

At Union Station, passengers have been boarding trains to Ottawa, Montreal and many other destinations to see their loved ones.

“This is the first Christmas without my dad. So it will be a nice pleasant time for my wife and I to see my mom,” said Keith Barnes.

“I’m surprising the whole family. They don’t know I’m coming,” said Lise Rouleau who was on her way to Belleville, Ont.

“It’s amazing. I’m so excited. I hope they don’t see this,” she added.

Komal Patel, a student in Calgary making her way to London, Ont. to be with family and invited her best friend, cousin and several students from India to join her.

Many of them are celebrate their first Christmas in Canada without their families.