Quebec City's Rue du Petit-Champlain decorated for the holidays. Photo by Jean-François Bergeron, Enviro Foto.
In this vast country of ours, landscapes, cultures, climates and in some cases Christmas traditions vary widely.
Here’s just a taste of the holiday season, from gorgeous decorations to quirky annual events, in top destinations across Canada.
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- Christmas tree at the Grand Parade public square in downtown Halifax, which is also the site of the city's largest <a href="http://www.where.ca/atlantic-canada/nova-scotia/halifax/hot-dates-new-years-eve/">New Year's Eve party</a>.
- Photo: John McCarthy
- Halifax
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- Photo: John McCarthy
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- Holiday decorations on Rue du Petit-Champlain in Quebec City's Old Town.
- Photo: Yves Tessier, Tessima
- Quebec City
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- Photo: Yves Tessier, Tessima
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- Fireworks at the <a href="http://www.quaysoftheoldport.com/telus-fire-on-ice.html">TELUS Fire on Ice</a> festival.
- Photo: Nicolas Grevet
- Montreal
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- Photo: Nicolas Grevet
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- Christmas tree in the <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/visitors/index-e.asp">Parliament Hill</a> rotunda. (See <a href="http://www.where.ca/blog/slideshow/10-holiday-lights-displays-canada-2/attachment/6-ottawa-2/">the snowflakes projected onto the exterior</a> of the nation's capitol.)
- Photo: Joel Bedford
- Ottawa
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- Photo: Joel Bedford
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- Toronto’s annual <a href="http://www.torontosantaspeedorun.com/TorontoSantaSpeedoRun.com/Home.html">Santa Speedo Run</a>. Brrr.
- Photo: Paul Henman
- Toronto
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- Photo: Paul Henman
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- Christmas decorations at the <a href="http://www.portageplace.mb.ca/">Portage Place</a> shopping centre.
- Photo: David Ziegler
- Winnipeg
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- Photo: David Ziegler
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- All decked out for the holidays: the <a href="http://www.assembly.ab.ca/visitor/index.html">Alberta Legislature Building</a>, the province's capitol building.
- Photo: Hugh Lee
- Edmonton
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- Photo: Hugh Lee
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- Once Upon a Christmas clydesdale-powered wagon rides in <a href="http://www.heritagepark.ca/">Heritage Park Historical Village</a>.
- Photo: Daniel Arndt
- Calgary
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- Photo: Daniel Arndt
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- <a href="http://www.panoramaresort.com/">Panorama Mountain Village</a> ski resort decorated for Christmas, in the Kootenay Rockies near Invermere, British Columbia.
- Photo: Tourism BC/David Gluns
- Canadian Rockies
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- Photo: Tourism BC/David Gluns
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- The annual Santa Day at <a href="http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/index.htm">Whistler Blackcomb</a> ski resort (Dec. 17 in 2011), when anyone dressed as Santa can ski or snowboard for free.
- Photo: Whistler Blackcomb/Emmanual Mendes Dos Santos (<a href="http://www.coastphoto.com">www.coastphoto.com</a>)
- Whistler
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- Photo: Whistler Blackcomb/Emmanual Mendes Dos Santos (www.coastphoto.com)
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- Santas take over the Pacific Centre for <a href="http://santacon.info/">SantaCon</a>.
- Photo: eych-you-bee-ee-ahr-tee
- Vancouver
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- The historic <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/empress">Fairmont Empress Hotel</a> decorated for the season.
- Photo: Nick Kenrick
- Victoria
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- Photo: Nick Kenrick
Stay, Dine, Do