This is nice news about the City of Toronto. All its residents should be congratulated for showing that a huge city can be a good one… and Toronto is a good one !
Christmas in Toronto, as seen by an out-of-towner
Toronto Star • 27 Dec 2025
I’ve just returned to my home in Collingwood, Ont., having spent two nights in Toronto, and I feel compelled to write. As an 82 year old who uses a cane owing to a broken hip, I tend to travel with anxiety. I worried that my visit to the city would be marred by obstacles or people’s impatience. What I experienced instead was kindness, again and again. My goal was simple: to enjoy a few of Toronto’s seasonal offerings. On Monday evening, for example, I went to hear “Messiah” at Roy Thomson Hall. I arrived without a ticket when a woman at the door noticed me and guided me toward a seat. The music was glorious, the welcome more so.
Throughout my stay, the pattern repeated itself. On the TTC, people hurried ahead of me to hold the door at subway entrances and exits. When I stood by the staircase of the original entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum, a woman came out simply to ask whether I needed help climbing it. Later, after a visit to the Eaton Centre, I made my way to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hoping to see The Nutcracker (once again without having bought a ticket beforehand). Five minutes before the curtains rose, the box office offered me a seat. I had not seen the ballet since my children were very young.
At the end of the evening, some teenage girls helped me arrange for a taxi and showed me exactly where to stand for pickup. The next morning, another taxi delivered me to Union Station for my journey home. I’d been nervous about travelling alone, but I ended up being carried along by the small acts of thoughtful strangers. For that, I am grateful. Christmastime in Toronto, as I experienced it, is generous and kind.
Margaret Donahue, Collingwood, Ont.
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