Around the World: Thanksgiving in Toronto

The big Thanksgiving is celebrated here in Canada every year. This is a holiday we can compare to Thanksgiving. Many people take time off and do not have to work or go to school. Since Thanksgiving always falls on a Monday, many use the holiday to visit friends or family.

Great host family get-together

This is exactly what I do with my host family. On the Friday before Thanksgiving, we set out to Toronto with our bags packed. Toronto, along with Montreal and Vancouver, is one of Canada’s most famous and largest cities.

After about a five-hour drive, we arrived in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, to my host mother’s parents’ house, where we would spend the long weekend with them and with my host mother’s brother’s family. As we approached “dinner time” nothing but bags were unpacked, we exchanged news and then we ate.

Discover the city of Toronto

Saturday starts early because we have big plans. Since I’m the sister of host Tai Baby and I really wanted to go downtown Toronto, we got permission from our host parents and guardians to explore the city on our own.

Since the family home we are staying in is not far from the city center, my host parents drive us to the subway station in the morning, where Bibi and I buy day tickets and take them downtown.

Landmarks and shopping centers

Once we get there, we walk to the famous CN Tower – at 553m it is the tallest building in Canada and, for a long time, the tallest TV tower in the world. We pass huge and impressive buildings.

The host mother gave us some recommendations. For example, the Skywalk, a bridge about 500 meters long with a glass ceiling suspended over the street we cross. She also recommended a music and culture fair and several shopping malls where we spend several hours.

Family day at the amusement park

And of course we’re busy taking pictures of everything we see. As the day drew to a close we found a nice little cafe where to stay for a while until we took the subway back to the meeting point, where our host parents picked us up again.

The next day we all go to the nearby amusement park “Canada Wonderland”. The amusement park is very big and decorated in autumn. Since we go to the park in the morning when it opens, it’s still relatively empty and wait times are relatively short.

Classic Dinner with Turkey & Co.

With all the big attractions behind us, Pepe and I met the rest of the family again at Kinderland, where they spent most of the day.

When we get back to the grandparents’ house, they’ve already prepared a big Thanksgiving dinner. There’s turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and salad, glazed carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin rolls and pumpkin cake and chocolate for dessert.

On a Monday morning, when we all still have free school and work, my host family and I would say goodbye and head back to Cornwall. But I’m sure this won’t be my only visit to Toronto. Bye!