I'll be traveling to Montreal in a week and would like to know about any of the recommended Christmas season sights and sounds. Any suggestions on Christmas activities, nicely decorated places, events and sights. Also interested in what Christmas season food items are available at this time of year and where do I find those?
Thanks/Merci

Don't know if this would interest you but every year at the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul (right next to the Musée des Beaux Arts) on Sherbrooke downtown, in collaboration with CBC Radio Two, there's a sing-in. December 10th at 3pm (maybe before you arrive). There's usually some terrific choral music with talented soloists and usually some top-notch(instrument-playing) musicians are brought in from afar. As the show is broadcast across Canada on CBC Radio Two, you too will be heard nationwide when the congregation is asked to sing at times.

It's a lovely old dame of a church and going gives a bit of a slice of anglo-Montreal. I recommend arriving about 45 minutes early as the concert is free (although donations are taken). Even non-Christians like myself go for the superb music!

Ogilvy's Christmas window, for kids young and old. (Corner of de la Montagne and Ste-Catharine).

I quite enjoyed walking through the greenhouses at the Botanical Gardens. I was there last year a few days after Christmas. They keep the greenhouses open late until the evening where there are quite a few Christmas displays. They even had a violin quartet playing when I visited.

You might enjoy stopping in a bakery such as Pain Doré on Peel street or a Première Moisson, various locations; special xmas pastries and cakes, as well as traditional tourtieres.

Make sure to walk on McGill street from Ste Catherine st., it's a spectacular street for lights.

lf the weather is moderate, the horse pulled calèches in Old Montreal can take you for a ride; they have fur blankets.

The Old Port has holiday activities on weekends; I'll see if their website shows anything.

Pick up free local papers such as Voir and Mirror for a weekly update on what's up in Montreal.

one more thing; if you're planning special dinners and lunches in popular venues, reserve as soon as you can
since most places get pretty booked up with office parties and such in the pre-xmas weeks.

Hi, mitchdesj: You are right about McGill College! I was in Montreal in mid November. The trees along McGill College were all lit up. It was magical. And, they continued the lights on the trees that line the Main Entrance to McGill University. Beautiful.
Where is Pain Dore Bakery....Peel & what?
We had a couple of excellent dinners in "the cobble-stoned street" area ( Prince Arthur). What is that area called?