I’m going to tell you something that might sound crazy, but as a Brazilian, I can’t associate the end-of-year and Christmas season with winter. For me, this time of year is all about sunshine, beaches, parties, and refreshing cold drinks. It turns out that two years ago I decided to move to Canada, and one of my first reality checks was having Christmas in winter. After all, how do you celebrate and enjoy the end-of-year holidays in winter?

That’s what I thought, but little by little I learned here how to have fun even while I’m freezing. In 2024, I discovered new places, different activities, and interesting experiences, and now that this time of year has arrived again, in 2025, I feel more prepared. The place I’m most excited to go is Vancouver Christmas, which is right next to the Vancouver Convention Centre. It started on November 13th and runs until December 24th, so both you and I still have plenty of time to explore it. Is the market a place to take cute photos? Yes! But it’s also an enchanting place, for those who love the Christmas season, it’s a delight to experience this moment, eat delicious Christmas food and stroll through this space all lit up by Christmas lights.

When I walked there for the first time, I felt like I was in a romantic comedy. All that was missing was a man accidentally bumping into me who would later become my romantic partner, but that’s okay, the experience is still worthwhile.

Joking aside, the market is already part of Vancouver’s identity, it’s part of the culture. Everyone I asked what they would do at the end of the year told me that at some point they would go to the Vancouver Christmas Market, so I really think it has become a bit of a comforting moment in the middle of all this cold.

If you’ve made it this far, I think that’s a sign for you to go for a walk through the Vancouver Christmas Market. Your Christmas only really begins when you go there.