In Iceland, they celebrate Christmas jolabokaflod style, which translates to book flood, where people gift books and then read them while snuggled up together drinking hot chocolate.
This year we have every reason to enjoy the holidays anyway we please. The season doesn’t have to include a hectic rush of last-minute shopping in a crowded mall or obligatory attendance to never-ending gatherings.
We have license to skip the office party, avoid the in-laws, camp out on the couch in our pjs, and binge-watch all the terrible holiday movies.
To get some fresh air, many seasonal activities have always taken place outside, making a socially distanced festive season even easier.
The upsides of the commercialization of December 25th are all the traditions provided, from looking at catalogues (RIP Wish Book!) to gathering outside freshly decorated department store windows.
It’s sad that many stores are no longer with us, but still, a nostalgic trip back in time in the Toronto Archives seeing the displays from Christmas past invoke joy.
An investment in pubic buildings is important to pick up the slack when retail drops the ball. If anything ever happens to the Bay and their windows go dark, places like Casa Loma remain decked out for the season.
Date: December 26, 1958
Archival Citation: Fonds 1526, File 101, Item 19
Credit: City of Toronto Archives
www.toronto.ca/archives
Copyright was transferred to the City of Toronto by the copyright owner.
