Celine Sang Here
I chose to walk with other above-ground pedestrians back toward my hotel, where I stopped in for a quick cup of tea and some chocolate wafers before the evening's festivities got under way. One of my primary reasons for visiting Montréal on this trip was to attend a Christmas sing-along inside Notre-Dame Basilica (where pop diva Celine Dion, a Montréal native, was married) featuring the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, its chorus, and guest artist Gino Quilico, an opera singer with a devout following.

"Chantons Noel Avec L'OSM" (Christmas Sing-Along with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra) proved to be an experience almost from the moment I stepped through the vaulted doors. I'd been to the basilica on a previous trip during daylight hours, so I was already aware of the beauty of its windows — designed by renowned French stained-glass artist Francis Chigotand — and magnificent altar. But nothing prepared me for the use of interior lighting that lit the altar like a Technicolor backdrop to the music being played.

Iwan Edwards, the evening's conductor, has been Chorus Director of the OSM for 19 seasons. After watching him at work on that Thursday evening, I can't imagine enjoying another conductor more.

French Connection Though most people in both Montréal and Québec speak at least some English, sometimes it's helpful if you speak at least a little French. If you can't remember your high school vocabulary, consider bringing along a pocket guide in French and English. It's especially handy to have with taxi drivers!

From start to finish, he was hilarious — seamlessly blending his obvious enthusiasm for the music with a deadpan delivery of his opinion of our efforts to "sing-along." After our first carol, he turned to us and quipped, "We all know Latin is a dead language, but that doesn't mean it has to be sung by dead people." So we tried it again and again, and by the evening's end we'd re-sung the chorus of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing until he was finally satisfied, and we all felt a sense of pride knowing we'd pleased him.

Victorian Splendor
The next day found me scrambling to squeeze in as many activities as I could since I'd be taking a one-way train ride on VIA (Canada's official rail line) from Montréal to Québec that evening. With that thought in mind, I hurried off to see the Bonsecours Market, a small gathering of several boutiques, and I stopped in at Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada, a big name for a tidy little house where Victorian Christmas traditions come to life.

Our delightful tour guide, dressed in a gown of forest-green taffeta, introduced herself as the mistress of the house. Then, with a twinkle in her eye, began to chastise us one by one for not observing proper Victorian etiquette. None of the men, for example, was wearing a hat — highly improper — and apparently one of them had neglected to return his invitation to dinner within 48 hours, a tremendous faux-pas. The women weren't above reproach either, as she wondered aloud where our gloves were, and why we would be wearing men's pants unless we'd been working in the fields.

After a tour of the property, I decided it was time for me to squeeze in some contemporary holiday activities, and to me that meant just one thing: shopping. I've always prided myself on finding the unusual or one-of-a-kind gift, so I hopped in a cab and headed for the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.

The well-stocked gift shop was ablaze in the sights and sounds of Christmas. Traditional carols played over the sound system, and the trees were festooned with ornaments from around the world. Jewelry cases carried a selection of pendants and necklaces, and several shelves were stuffed with books. I picked up a few glittering baubles to use as package ties for gifts and to add to my collection at home.
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Top photograph courtesy Tourisme Montréal, Stéphan Poulin; bottom photograph by Remi Cloutier