Out & About #174 | Pt. 2: Toronto Christmas Market 2015

For the past few years, the first half of December has always been dedicated to the intense review of course material in preparation for final exams. Temporarily exempt for academic stress (and happening to be in the downtown area already), I made plans to check out the Toronto Christmas Market held in the Distillery District every year.

The sky had began to darken to solemn royal blue hue as we neared the area; the mobs of Friday evening market-goers contrasted with the daintily-lit Christmas lights strung between the brick buildings.

There were various vendor booths located throughout, and merchandise varied from Christmas sweaters to scented candles to freshly-grilled, fragrant sausages.
A lofty pine tree stood in the very centre of the chaos - the Christmas tree. Numerous lights and ornaments adorned its needles, but the plethora of other surrounding decorations drowned out its grandeur. Nonetheless, it remained a must-selfie-spot for almost all visitors.

Behind the tree were carnival rides: one revolution on the very colourful ferris wheel or the dazzling merry-go-round was $5 each.

View the full album HERE !

Of course, dancing was aplenty, especially by the elves and angel who had been performing on the stage adjacent to the tree.

The market was an interesting combination of lights and rustic holiday gifts, with all the action taking place amidst a crowd the size of a mass exiting John Bassett post-encore.

We were none too great fans of steeply-priced merchandise, nor had a specific need for Nordic-inspired sleepwear or cured meats. Instead, we grabbed a cup of the ever-so-popular mulled wine and a juicy chicken steak drizzled with Sriracha mayo prior to our departure.

As a first-timer at TCM, I can honestly say that I was glad to have the chance to visit the market once in my lifetime. While I can't predict whether any re-visiting opportunities lies in the future, I also can't say I'd miss The Distillery District too much when Celebration Square is closer to home and congestion is less common. (I need to try Cacao 70 at least once though!)

I later headed towards Dragon Pearl for a family dinner, though hadn't been too keen on capturing too many shots as the journey had already left me famished. Gyoza, tamago, and carb-heavy dishes were devoured within seconds of arriving; it wasn't until I had reached a certain point of satiation that my phone camera lazily emerged from its case to save a record of my Orange Caramel-like waffle creation (not pictured) and The Red Bench-esque, sprinkle-crusted ice cream sandwich.

Hailing from the same management team as Dragon Legend in Markham, this location in North York somehow happened to be much less chaotic than its sister shop and boast higher food quality, despite its identical interior decor, lighting, and layout.
My suggestion: if possible, opt to drive a bit further south for this more successful location. (It even offers a Galleria next door for some late-night shopping!)