Get a Christmas feeling in Canada

CANADA's wonderful scenery is the best place to enjoy the festive season, writes travel editor Brian Crisp.

banff escape dec 23

THE weather bureau had forecast fresh snow for Christmas Day in Canada last year and, for once, they got it right.

The fire was stoked inside, but I couldn't wait to head into the chilly air and toss a few snowballs, make a snow angel and then down copious cups of piping-hot mulled wine.

When I walked out the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, it hit me. It was so cold that within seconds I couldn't feel my fingers. Steam rose from my mouth and icicles formed on the seven-day growth around my chin.

"This is the Christmas dream," I said to my wife. Alison, who, having grown up in the cold of Scotland's winter, replied with a smug glow: "Now you get it, don't you?"

The thing we wanted so badly when we were kids was to see a white Christmas. Everything we knew about Christmas from television was white. Even when my parents bought a colour television, Christmas was somehow still white. And that's what we wanted, especially, if like me, you were raised in the heat of Australia.

I still remember my family's Christmas tradition. We would spend the morning at church, come home and unwrap our presents before sitting down to a feast of turkey, chicken and pork prepared by mum in a kitchen without airconditioning, where the room temperature peaked at 40C.

After lunch, we would climb in Dad's Holden Premier and start the 12-hour drive to Burleigh Heads on the Queensland coast where it was even hotter.

We did that every year. It was Christmas, as we knew it.

But now I've discovered something different. Something better, more authentic. Christmas is a dish best served on a cool winter platter.

In the first week of this month, I was wandering the streets of London and Paris temperatures around 2C exploring the Christmas markets.

In Hyde Park, London a city still brimming with post-Olympic joy was putting on a party.

There were rides, stalls and even an ice-skating rink. There were homemade bargains to be had in the stalls. Beer to be drunk in the pop-up pub and everyone offered a smile and a warm season's greeting.

A few days later, in Paris, both sides of the Champs-Elysees were overflowing with Christmas cheer. There was a crush of people eating sweet and savoury treats. The French make the best sausages in the world and on a cold Saturday afternoon, there is nothing more attractive than a baguette filled with a saucisse de Toulouse smothered in onions.

My companion was on the hunt for a beret for her sister-in-law and these markets offered a plethora of options.

But enough of London and Paris (that's next year's Christmas column) let's head back to the Fairmont at Banff Springs for my Canadian Christmas.

Canada's scenery is its best asset. I think it is the most beautiful country in the world. It is great in summer but, at Christmas, with snow hanging from the trees and falling to cover the ground, it is something else again.The Banff Springs Hotel was opened in 1888.

It is designed in the Scottish baronial style. It is one of a kind in the world of travel. Guests can take daily tours of the property and it is something you shouldn't miss. If you don't do the tour, you will never discover that the best views are from Surprise Corner on the Tunnel Mountain side. This is a hotel filled with hidden nooks, a vibrant history and a fantastic future.

In the 1930s, it was the place to be seen. People such as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stayed, as did Benny Goodman but only after they built a landing strip for his plane.

It is a big hotel some would call it a destination and many, like us, never left it on Christmas Day. We did wander around the grounds and stopped for a drink at the Ice-Bar. We watched people swim in the heated outside pools but mostly we either ate or snuggled around the fire with a mild Okanagan red.

The evening meal was the big Christmas feast and we dined in the Bow Valley Grill along with hundreds of other guests dolled up in their best Christmas clothes. There was more food than you could ever have imagined. Each section of the smorgasbord served something special. This was not the day to start counting calories.

We stayed in Banff Springs for three days before flying home from Calgary via Fort Worth, Texas.

Banff Springs is a small town but it is geared towards tourists. In winter it is a fully serviced ski town. In summer, it is a centre for people to venture into the stunning Banff National Park.

This festive season, I am back in the sun, exploring the South Pacific on an intergenerational family holiday on board the cruise liner Carnival Spirit.

On behalf of the Escape team, I would like to wish our readers a safe and Merry Christmas. It has been our pleasure sharing travel stories with you this year and we look forward to doing it again in 2013. 

-- Brian Crisp is News Limited's national travel editor.

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Go2

- NORTHERN CHRISTMAS

- Getting there

The author flew Qantas to Canada and London. See qantas.com.au

He caught the Eurostar from London to Paris.

- Staying there

For the best deal on Canada's Fairmont Banff Springs, see fairmont.com/banff-springs

In London, the author stayed at The Pullman St Pancras. For the best rate, see accorhotels.com

The Pullman is within walking distance of Kings Cross station, where the Eurostar leaves for Paris.

In Paris, the author stayed at Hotel Pullman Montparnasse. See accorhotels.com

More: See canada.travel