A politically incorrect Christmas in Montreal
After the first smattering of newspaper articles about the battles to set up a Christian manger in the town square, an argument on talk radio about whether the pine tree festooned with lights should be called a Christmas tree or a “holiday” tree, or hearing of hours spent in town council meetings about where to place a menorah, I know that Christmastime has arrived.
Let me be perfectly clear. As far as I’m concerned, this is not Winter Solstice or our national winter holidays. These days celebrate Christmas. In our Western civilization, these have been the days set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ. Now, I am not a terribly religious guy, but I can recognize everyone’s right to believe what he wants to believe.
I received an email from Tourism Montreal, our neighbors to the north. The publication covered the city’s Christmas celebrations for 2007. As I perused the listing of activities, attractions and festivals outlined by the tourism office, I realized that Montreal is committed to enjoying Christmas with all of its nuances and flavors … and dare I say religions.
Montreal is a not-so-distant metropolis that knows how to celebrate an inclusive Christmas that spans the spiritual and commercial.
On only the second page of the release, I read about Christmas celebrations where local citizens and visitors alike can “soak up spirituality and wonder as part of their Nativity celebrations.” The tourism office publication proclaims, “these festively decorated places of worship open doors wide, welcoming all to a convivial ambiance for the occasion.” These are not words a government worker in our United States would ever approve for use in an official government-funded publication.
Tourism Montreal highlights the decorations and nativity scenes of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, Mary Queen of the World Cathedral and Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal as having exceptional decorations. At Saint Joseph’s Oratory visitors can discover 300 different nativity scenes created by artisans from more than 100 countries around the world.
Montreal’s Christmas celebrations are not all focused on churches and their lavish decorations. The magic and wonder of Christmas fills every nook and cranny of this amazing city. Montreal takes the Christmas season to heart at its renowned skating rinks on Mount Royal or along the piers of the Old Port. Musical fireworks fill the skies with light and the city with melodious sounds. Parks are settings for Christmas villages. Cirque de Soleil performs Saltimbanco and the Grand Ballets Canadiens de Montreal presents The Nutcracker through the end of the year.
The city hosts an exceptional series of Christmas concerts and shows in its neighborhood concert halls, theaters and churches. The Place des Arts presents full symphony performances, choral groups with scores of voices fill soaring cathedrals with music and string quartets provide a more delicate touch of holiday elegance.
The Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History gets into the act with its astonishing display dedicated to Santa Claus in his various guises. The creative show asks,
“Could it be Babushka, the grand mother? St. Nicholas, the patron saint of schoolchildren and protector of children, well known in Europe? Perhaps Black Peter, who punishes naughty children? Or our own Santa, who appeared in North America in the early 20th century and travels the world with his eight reindeer on Christmas Eve?”
Come meet them all and decide for yourself.
Combined with these exceptional events and activities, Montreal is nothing less than magical for anyone planning to shop for everything from the latest European fashions or local crafts. The city’s diverse restaurants serve a level of international and local cuisine rarely found in the United States.
If the thought of Canada’s piercing cold weather worries visitors, Montreal has constructed an underground city where the climate is never frightful. Thousands of downtown shops, cafes and restaurants line underground passages that link the center of the city from the hillside home of McGill University down to the Old Port.
Bring a passport if you fly. Forget pretensions. Go to Montreal to discover a city filled with an honest and joyful Christmas spirit.
To make your plans go to www.tourisme-montreal.org.
All photos courtesy Tourism Montreal
Christmas Tree scene by Daniel Choinière
Nativity scene by Gabor Szilasi
Notre-Dame-Bon-Secours by Stéphan Poulin
McGill Street Scene by Stéphan Poulin
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