This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.

Staying in Montreal this winter break? Brooding about your friends who get to fly back home where the weather is warmer, the ambience is slower and quieter away from the city? Sure, all of these things are nice, but spending the holidays in the city isn’t too shabby either. Montreal is probably one of the best places to spend the Christmas holidays, busy and merry with all the artsy, winter-y events taking place across the city. Where else would do winter better than a city that has snow on their streets for four months straight, every year? For those of you already showing signs of the holiday blues, Her Campus McGill is here to inform you ahead of time on how to celebrate the holidays, the right way, in Montreal.

Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

The Grand Tour: You don’t have to be religious to enjoy the tranquility and warmth the church provides on a cold winter day, with its beautiful architecture and decorations. It offers historical tours of the church about its architectural features and works of art, a great way to learn some interesting art history, which can be used as fancy conversation starters at holiday parties.

Christmas Special Organ Concert: What better way to get into the holiday spirit than listening to traditional Christmas music, and not the Michael Buble type. From December 27th to 31st at 2:30PM is an hour-long concert of classical Christmas songs played by the talented organist, Pierre Grandmaison.

Check out their website for more information.

Embrace the Cold, and Enjoy the Seasonal Outdoor Activities

Skating: There are some prime outdoor skating sites in Montreal for students, such as Parc La Fontaine in the Plateau and Bonsecours Basin in Old Port. Both are great skating rinks, so choosing whichever is closer to you is probably the smart choice in cold weather. Personally, the Bonsecours Basin rink is a favorite to many Montrealers for its beautiful view of the city and the surrounding Christmas atmosphere of Old Port. There is, however, an admission and a rental fee. Check out their schedule here.

Ski-Trip: If nothing in the city interests you, perhaps a short getaway to Mont-Tremblant, away from the city, would be a great way to spend the holidays: skiing, tubing, snowshoeing and even dogsledding. Or better yet, getting pampered at their spas. Check out this article for more information about Mont-Tremblant.

While Outside, Visit as Many Christmas Markets and Other Special Events as Possible

Place des Arts: The 6th edition of Luminotherapie at Place des Arts from December 10 to January 31. This year’s edition will be comprised of seesaw luminous swings (activated by bouncing on and off of them) and visual projections on the facades of no less than 9 buildings of the Quartier des Spectacles neighborhood.

European-style Christmas Market at Place des Arts from December 12 to January 2. Kiosks, little cafes and entertainment areas will fill the Esplanade area of the Place des Arts in creating a fantastical Christmas Village.

Prince-Arthur Street: The street has been turned into its very first Christmas Market that is going to run until December 23rd. Check out Her Campus’ coverage of the event.

Botanical Garden: For the holiday season, the garden will be transformed into a Sweet Christmas-themed Candy Land, with giant lollipops, life-sized cupcakes and other crazy sugary inventions that is reminicient of our childhood favourite Willy Wonka’s version of Candy Land. The exhibit will additionally educate visitors about which plants are used for our favorite bunch of Christmas candies. The event can be accessed here.

Or, Embrace the Warmth and Stay Inside with Warm Drinks and Yummy Food

Some of the great places to get tasty, warm and even alcoholic beverages are:

– Juliette et Chocolat on 3600 St. Laurent: Alcoholic chocolate drinks.

– Cacao 70 on 3485 Parc: Hot chocolate.

– N Sur Mackay on 1244 Mackay: Hot toddies.

– Roberto’s on 2227 Belanger: Bailey’s coffee .

Sometimes it’s just not possible to get out of your warm house to do all of these festive holiday activities. So you do them at home, what’s the big problem? Here is my favorite, easy shortbread recipe from allrecipes that you can make at home to feel Christmas-y. It literally only requires four ingredients. Enjoy!

Wherever you are heading or staying this winter, collegiettes, have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Images and sources obtained from:

http://www.sirencommunications.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Montr…

http://www.worldpropertyjournal.com/news-assets/McGill-College-Avenue-and-Mount-Royal.jpg

http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10856/melt—in—your—mouth-shortbread/

http://www.hercampus.com/school/mcgill/weekend-getaway-mont-tremblant

http://www.hercampus.com/school/mcgill/prince-arthurs-march-de-no-l

http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/activity/skating-rink

http://www.basiliquenddm.org/en/events/concerts.aspx

http://boulevardsaintlaurent.com/custom-content/uploads/2014/05/Juliette…

http://www.mtlblog.com/2015/12/montreals-botanical-gardens-is-turning-in…