The Best Things to Do on Christmas Day

Hit the Ice

Among the surprisingly long list of things to do on Christmas Day is the popular winter pastime—skating! From Ottawa’s Rideau Canal to Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, Christmas is the perfect time to lace up those skates and try out your fanciest skater moves. Triple salchow, anyone?

Order Takeout From Your Favourite Restaurant

A lot of restaurants around Canada are open for takeout and have special holiday menus. From your local diner to a super fancy spot, why deal with dirty dishes when you don’t have to?

Open to a new culinary experience? Take inspiration from these holiday food traditions from around the world!

Hiking

Why not enjoy the great outdoors this holiday season? Throw on those hiking boots or sneakers and hit the trails to experience the beauty of nature this Christmas Day. What’s a better gift than relaxing in the great outdoors?

Marvel at the greatest hikes across Canada.

Have a Netflix Marathon

Brrrr, baby it’s cold outside. Stock up on your favourite snack food, stay in your pajamas and start up Netflix to binge-watch Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek or Friends.

Considering subscribing to Disney Plus or Crave? Don’t miss our ultimate guide to streaming services in Canada.

Window Shop

Take a stroll and enjoy the stunning holiday window displays. Big city stores are known for their fabulous and whimsical Christmas displays and smaller town centres often have fun displays, too.

Make sure you never post this on social media during the holidays.

Enjoy a Winter Wonderland

Add a festive trip to the ski slopes to your list of things to do on Christmas Day. Throughout Canada, some mountains are open for some fun snowy activities like skiing, snowboarding and tubing. And you’ll likely have your choice of slopes! Just make sure you purchase tickets online ahead of time, if necessary.

Need a playlist for your day on the slopes? Here are the best Christmas songs—ranked.

Craft a Cocktail at Home

You might not be able to hit up your local pub or the upscale hotel bar this year, but who says that you can’t bartend at home? Festive suggestions include a champagne cocktail, a hot toddy, or a hot buttered rum. (Psst—this is the proper way to serve a Baileys and coffee!)

Make Brunch

There’s nothing better than waking up to the smell of a delicious brunch spread after a long Christmas day. No trip to the store required—just dig into last night’s leftovers. Now that’s a real holiday treat!

Here are 30 small-scale Christmas dinner recipes to try this year.

Go See Lights

While heading to bustling Christmas markets might not be an option this year, you can still take part in the holiday festivities with drive-through lights displays across Canada.

Next, check out the best holiday episodes of TV shows on Netflix Canada.