There’s no single way to do the holidays in Ontario.
Maybe your perfect December means wandering a twinkling Main Street with something warm in hand, hunting down the perfect Christmas tree and filling the car with locally made gifts. Maybe it’s gathering around the table over something comforting and discovering a new favourite restaurant. Or maybe it’s packing an overnight bag and turning the season into a full holiday getaway.
Whatever your holiday style, there’s something delicious waiting.
Jump ahead:
- Follow the Holiday Spirit Through Central Counties
- Taste Something New at The Food District
- Make a Holiday Getaway of It at Blue Mountain Village
Follow the Holiday Spirit Through Central Counties
Markets, tree farms, historic Main Streets, local shops and plenty of places to warm up with something delicious make Central Counties an easy destination for a festive road trip.
Rather than trying to see everything in one day, pick a community and make a holiday outing of it.
Make Merry in Newmarket
Potential highlights:
- Neimi’s Holiday Market — traditional European-style Christmas market, baked goods, pre-cut trees, fire pits, s’mores and local holiday shopping
- Historic Main Street — local and one-of-a-kind gift shopping at spots like Vintage Peony, Metropolis Mercantile, Conscious Find Newmarket, Life is Good Shop and Neon Flamingo
- Postmark Hotel + Restaurant — potential overnight stay
- Wine on Main — cozy up with Ontario wines
- Frozen Fridays at Riverwalk Commons
- Market Brewing Company — seasonal brews and beer advent calendar
- The Maids’ Cottage — award-winning butter tarts
- Seasonal performances and events at Old Town Hall
Potential thread: Shop Main Street, grab something delicious, take in a seasonal event and turn it into an overnight stay.
Find Your Hallmark Holiday in Clarington
Clarington leans naturally into that nostalgic holiday feeling with tree farms, local markets, heritage stops and plenty of places to find something delicious along the way.
Potential highlights:
- A Country Path Holiday Treasures — holiday passport/scavenger hunt
- Holiday in the Hills in Orono — family activities, cookie decorating, toy making, story times, tree lighting and food trucks
- Pingle’s Farm Market — Mistletoe Market, bakery and kitchen, pre-cut Christmas trees and seasonal events
- Tyrone Mills — historic working mill, holiday baking ingredients and cozy heritage setting
- Hope’s Christmas Tree Farm — trees, barn marketplace, hot cider and chocolate, fire pits, farm animals and Santa
- Prestonvale Tree Farm
- Sargent Family Dairy — a fun stop for “milk for Santa”
- Visual Arts Centre of Clarington
- Chronicle Brewing — seasonal beers
- Archibald’s Estate Winery — spiced winter apple wine, ginger cider and seasonal mocktails
- Main Street Bowmanville — local shopping and dining
Potential thread: Christmas tree → local shopping → seasonal sip → something delicious.
Cozy Up in Dufferin County
For those who would rather slow things down, Dufferin County offers a cozy mix of outdoor experiences, local shopping, good food and overnight escapes.
Potential highlights:
- Maple Grove Farm & Market — baked goods, prepared foods, Breakfast with Santa and holiday events
- Mansfield Outdoor Centre — heated cabins, hiking and a fire-warmed chalet
- Museum of Dufferin Holiday Treasures Craft Market
- Hockley Valley Tree Farm — horse-drawn carriage rides, cut-your-own and pre-cut trees and barn holiday market
- Hockley Valley General Store — local gifts and café stop
- Hockley Valley Resort — overnight stay, spa and snow globe dining
- Historic Downtown Orangeville — shopping and restaurants including Greystones, Bluebird Café and Rustik
- Orangeville indoor winter farmers’ market
- Theatre Orangeville
- Mrs. Mitchell’s — dining in a historic schoolhouse
- Granny Taught Us — holiday shopping
Potential thread: Turn the holiday outing into an overnight escape with food, shopping and a little time outside.
Taste Something New at The Food District
Not every holiday tradition has to involve gingerbread and mulled cider.
Sometimes the best way to celebrate the season is simply to gather around the table and try something new.
Warm Up at SaiGon Pho
Make newly opened SaiGon Pho the key focus here.
Potential angle:
- warming bowls of pho during the colder months
- gathering around the table with friends or family
- bringing a new dining tradition into the holiday season
- an easy stop while holiday shopping or spending the day at Square One and The Food District
- celebrating the flavours and cultures that shape the GTA
Another Reason to Come Back
[PAI – INCLUDE ONLY IF OPENING TIMING MAKES SENSE]
If PAI is open by publication, introduce it briefly as another new dining experience at The Food District.
If opening later, tease it as another reason to return.
Keep this section focused rather than turning it into a directory of The Food District.
Make a Holiday Getaway of It at Blue Mountain Village
If your idea of the holidays involves twinkling lights, good food, a little shopping and an excuse to stay overnight, Blue Mountain Village makes it easy to turn a festive outing into a full getaway.
See the Village Light Up
Holiday Magic transforms Blue Mountain Village for the season, with the Holiday Light Trail running from November 20 through January 3.
Make the lights the anchor of the experience — wander through the Village after dark, take in the seasonal atmosphere and build dinner, drinks and shopping around it.
Eat, Sip and Warm Up
Once you’ve worked up an appetite, make the culinary side of the Village part of the getaway.
Potential highlights:
- Oliver & Bonacini
- Twist
- 1858 Caesar Bar
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for something sweet
Frame this around moving through the Village rather than just listing restaurants — dinner, drinks and a holiday treat before or after seeing the lights.
Find a Few Gifts Along the Way
Holiday shopping can be part of the experience too.
Potential Village stops:
- Brights Gallery
- Jack & Maddy
- Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for edible gifts and treats
Stay a Little Longer
Rather than heading home after dinner, turn the evening into a proper holiday escape.
Build in time to wander the Village, enjoy the lights and seasonal atmosphere, then slow things down with a visit to iwa Spa or Beauty Bar before or during the getaway.
The idea here should be simple: arrive for the holiday magic, stay for the food and give yourself a reason not to rush home.
How Will You Holiday?
Christmas tree farm or city dinner?
Local market or weekend getaway?
There’s no wrong way to celebrate the season and there’s certainly no shortage of ways to make it delicious.
Whether you spend the day following holiday traditions through Central Counties, gather around the table for something new at The Food District or turn the season into a getaway at Blue Mountain Village, make a little room on your calendar for an Ontario holiday adventure.
