Distillery Winter Village Nov. 13, 2025

Long before LED lights and Instagram shots, Christmas markets were places for neighbours to gather—steaming mugs in hand, carols in the air and crafts laid out on wooden stalls. Originating in Germany in 1434, these open-air fairs brought warmth to cold winters. Canada soon embraced that same spirit, turning snowy evenings into celebrations that felt both old-world and wonderfully local. Today, cities from Montreal to Vancouver—with stops in Quebec City, Edmonton, Banff and Toronto—keep the tradition glowing with their own festive markets.

© Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images

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Today in History

An oasis in the desert
Nov. 13, 2023Serra de Tramuntana, Balearic Islands, Majorca, Spain
Nov. 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico

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Jul. 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Jun. 1, 2025World Reef Awareness Day
Jun. 29, 2025International Day of the Tropics
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Oct. 7, 2024World Architecture Day
Nov. 7, 2023Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
Nov. 13, 2024Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
Dec. 21, 2023December solstice
Feb. 21, 2025Champaka Sarasi, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
Warm light through an ancient forest
Jun. 17, 2024Pollinator Week
May 24, 2025European Day of Parks
Jun. 5, 2024World Environment Day
Nov. 3, 2023World Jellyfish Day
King of the ocean
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
Mar. 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Jul. 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Sep. 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Oct. 12, 2023Old barn and canola field, Palouse region, Idaho
Oct. 20, 2024International Sloth Day
Love is in the snow
Desert daggers?