This will be my first Christmas in Canada as an Irishman, and while there's a lot I'm genuinely excited about, I already know there are a few things I'll miss from home.
I moved to Toronto from Ireland in 2024, but up until now I've still been flying back to the Emerald Isle for the holidays. This year, though, I'm staying put — no flight home, no Irish Christmas.
It'll be a big shift for me, to be honest. I recently turned 30, and in all three decades of my life, I've only ever spent the festive season in Ireland. There are traditions I've grown up with and look forward to every single year, so missing them feels a little bittersweet. That said, I can't deny that I'm excited to experience something completely new.
For one thing, there's an actual chance of a white Christmas here in Ontario — something that would be nothing short of a miracle back home.
And honestly, almost anything will top Christmas 2021, when I spent the entire day self-isolating after getting COVID-19.
With the big day just around the corner, I can't help but think about what I'm excited for — and what I'm apprehensive about — as I spend my very first Christmas as a newcomer in Canada.
What I'm looking forward to...
A shot at a white Christmas
I am dreaming of a white Christmas!
I'm not exactly going full Bing Crosby here, but I'd absolutely love a white Christmas in Toronto this year. I think most people feel the same — quietly hoping to wake up to a blanket of snow on the big day.
When I was younger, we had the odd Christmas snowfall in Ireland, and it always made the whole day feel that bit more magical. Snow is rare back home, though — you're far more likely to get rain than anything picture-perfect.
So the thought of waking up on Christmas morning in Toronto to a fresh layer of snow feels genuinely exciting.
According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, southern Ontario is "on track" for a white Christmas, so maybe my wish will come true!
Christmas dinner in Canada
Even though I won't be home for Christmas dinner with my family this year, I'm lucky to have a great group of friends here in Toronto. A few of them are staying in the city for the holidays as well, so we're all getting together for the big day.
We each have something to cook, and my partner and I have been assigned mashed potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and pigs in blankets. I'm also making banana bread for dessert.
It'll be a very different Christmas dinner from the one my father makes, but even with the sadness of being far from home, I'm looking forward to the change. Plus, taking some responsibility for cooking will be a fun challenge, too!
After dinner, we're planning to play board games and have some drinks — simple things, but exactly the kind that make the day feel special.
It's honestly the part of Christmas Day I'm most excited about: creating a homey feeling, even when home is remarkably far away.
Making new traditions
I'm looking forward to making new memories.
This year, I'm looking forward to making new traditions. For example, I've been excited to visit the many Christmas markets across Toronto, including the one in the Distillery District.
I'm also looking forward to putting on my skates and doing a few twirls on the rink!
But what's also special is that I don't really know what to expect, so there's a sense of wonder about what new things I'm going to see or experience. In fact, it's a little bit like being a child at Christmas again.
What I'm dreading...
Missing family
It'll be hard not to celebrate with family this year.
It's going to be really tough not being at home with my family over the Christmas period this year. The older you get, the more you realize that Christmas is less about the day itself and more about spending time with the people you love.
I'm going to miss our family traditions so much — the kinds of things that might seem small but mean everything to me. Like heading into town on Christmas Eve to pick up last-minute presents, then stopping by the pub for a drink.
We'd head home afterward, make sandwiches with the Christmas ham, and watch a movie together. Those are the moments that really make the season feel special.
Then on Christmas Day, my two sisters, my brother, my partner and I would open our Secret Santa gifts, followed by presents for my parents. It's a ritual I'll really miss this year.
Later in the day, we always head to my grandmother's house, where all the cousins, aunts and uncles gather. It's one of the few times of the year when everyone is in the same room, and it's always so nice to catch up.
I haven't been back to Ireland since last Christmas, so I haven't seen most of my family in a year. Missing everyone this time around is going to be really hard.
...and friends
Even though I have so many wonderful friends here in Toronto, I'm really going to miss my friends from back home.
I'll particularly miss our annual meet-up on December 23, when we do the "12 pubs" — yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. In Ireland, you go to 12 different pubs wearing your Christmas jumper and have a drink in each one.
The 23rd has always been one of my favourite nights of the year. Last year was especially lovely because so many of my friends were home from places like the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada. It felt like this rare, brilliant gathering where everyone was back under the same roof — or at least in the same pub.
Our GAA club in Toronto did a version of it earlier this month, and it was a fantastic night, but nothing quite beats doing it with my closest friends back home.
St. Stephen's Day
St. Stephen's Day is my favourite day of the holidays.
St. Stephen's Day (Boxing Day) is my favourite day of the holidays. Christmas Day is in the rearview mirror, and there's a sense of anticipation that's hard to describe.
St. Stephen's Day is a pub-goer's dream. There's plenty of sport on, with a slate of Premier League soccer games alongside rugby and horse racing. It's the busiest day on the Irish pub calendar (apart from St. Patrick's Day, naturally).
Every year, we have an annual seven-a-side Gaelic football tournament in the morning, which is a good detox from all the food and drink the day before. Then, we hire a bus and tour some of the villages that surround my hometown of Tuam, Co. Galway. It's such good fun going from pub to pub in rural Ireland.
I'm intrigued to see what Boxing Day is like here in Toronto. Will the pubs be busy, or is it only an Irish or British thing to spend the day after Christmas in the pub?
All in all, I'm really excited to see what my first Canadian Christmas has in store for me. Stay tuned — and merry Christmas to you!
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.