18 ideas for fun over the Christmas break

1.9K

It promises to be a holiday break like no other any of us have seen in our lifetimes. Quebec will be locked down for 18 days starting Christmas Day. Our region of Ontario will be locked down for 28 days starting Boxing Day (in northern Ontario, the lockdown will last 14 days). It’s back to where we were in March, with everyone being urged to stay home, non-essential businesses shuttered and restaurants back to takeout-only service.

Here in Ontario, elementary schools are closed until January 11. High school students will be back to remote learning on January 11 and back in physical classrooms on January 25.

So what can you safely do over the next few weeks? Here are a few suggestions. Most of them are virtual and online, but I do have some ideas for outdoor exercise as well.

Note: As of this writing, both provinces are allowing socially distanced groups of up to eight (in Quebec) or 10 (in Ontario) to engage in most outdoor activities except team sports; Ontario is also forbidding downhill skiing. However, please keep up to date with any new restrictions that may be announced after December 23. (I will do my best to update this post, as well.)

Keep an eye on Santa

As always, NORAD will be tracking Santa’s progress around the world on December 24. You and your kids can check out the Official NORAD Santa Tracker website, or follow Santa by phone or by app (all the details are on the website). P.S.: If you’ve ever wondered why NORAD tracks Santa on Christmas Eve, Veterans Affairs Canada has the scoop.

Catch an online performance

Pour a glass of something festive, curl up under a warm blanket and enjoy one of these online shows:

• New York City’s Metropolitan Opera is streaming concerts every night from December 21 to 27, including Hansel and Gretel on Christmas Day.
• If you missed one of the National Arts Centre’s many streamed concerts this year, lots of them are available on demand on the NAC’s website.
• Similarly, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts offers videos of many past shows in its Digital Concert Hall, including a recent Christmas concert by Kingston-based vocalist Michelle Kasaboski.

Hold a socially distanced party

Sure, most of us are old hands at Zoom and FaceTime by now. But if you’d like to shake up your video get-together with a group activity, you can! Ottawa Tourism has tons of ideas, including live-streamed cooking classes, virtual beer halls, online magic shows and cocktail delivery services.

Get outdoors

Since Ottawa Road Trips readers come from across Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais (and beyond), these suggestions cover a wide geographic area. HOWEVER, lockdown rules require us all to stay as close to home as possible (and, in particular, governments are urging us not to cross provincial borders for non-essential reasons). So if you’re looking for some fresh air and exercise, choose one of the following that’s near where you live. Before heading out, confirm that the specific destination you hope to visit is currently open. And if you get there and the site is crowded, please skip it and move along to somewhere less busy.

• Ottawa Tourism has detailed posts about local outdoor skating rinks, cross-country skiing trails and snowmobile trails.
• Here is the Tourisme Outaouais guide to West Quebec’s 540 kilometres of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails.
• For those in Lanark County, here’s a roundup of winter activity ideas.
• The Ottawa Valley Tourist Association promotes Renfrew County and offers lots of ideas for winter fun, including snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
• Visit Kingston’s winter sports page includes links to posts on skating, cross-country skiing and more.
• Here are Brockville Tourism’s ideas for local skating and cross-country skiing.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve…virtually

I suspect that most of us will be mightily relieved to say goodbye to 2020. If you’d like to do so online, options include Ottawa’s New Year’s Eve Charity Ball and Auction (with proceeds to Journey House), the Times Square ball drop in New York City and a pay-per-view KISS concert streamed live from Dubai. If you can’t wait to kick this year to the curb, you can livestream the New Year’s Eve countdown clock from Hong Kong starting at 11pm Hong Kong Time (10am Ottawa time).

In “normal” years, a Ron James comedy special usually airs on TV on New Year’s Eve. This year, the Canadian comic has taken his show online. His new show, Hindsight Is 2020, is streaming from his home at 8pm on New Year’s Eve. Tickets are $30 per household.

And here’s a really cool twist on Ottawa’s annual Hogman-eh! Scottish New Year’s celebration: You can stream a lively New Year’s Eve show featuring all sorts of Celtic music and dancing, and watch fireworks going off in Edinburgh, in this year’s virtual version of the event. But here’s the best part: You can also order “celebration bags” packed with shortbread, whisky fudge, party hats and much more—even the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne—and a volunteer will deliver them to your house in time for the celebration. There are even bags specially tailored to wee bairns (that’s small children, for you non-Scots).

A few end-of-the-year words from me

Normally, my last “road trip roundup” post of the year is a two-week post, as I always take the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. And this year is no different! I’ll be back with some new suggestions for you during the week of January 4.

In the meantime, all the best to you and your families for the holidays. It’s been a crazy year, but I’ve been cheered, energized and deeply touched by the many lovely comments and emails you’ve sent my way. Thank you. ❤️

I’ve been happy to do my small part to keep you informed and amused—and I’ll do my best to keep on doing so, no matter what the next year throws our way. Peace, love and courage, y’all. See you in 2021!

—Cheers, Laura

Looking for more tips on real-world and virtual things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter.