The weather outside might be frightful and that’s why there’s no better time than December to boost spirits and celebrate our jolly festive season.

Whether your mark the holidays in piety or in more material ways or perhaps, like many of us, a combination of the two, Toronto has a bountiful assortment of ways to make merry. Let’s take a look:

The Distillery District’s Christmas Market is a throwback to the street markets that originated in Germany in the 1400s. Offering traditional sights, sounds and scents of Christmas, this seven-day-week market runs until Dec. 21. Dozens of live entertainers, craftspeople, artists and artisans, seasonal food and drink offerings and merchandise are on hand. This event has something for every age.

The One-of-a-Kind Christmas Show and Sale marks 40 years this year with more than 800 artisans selling their wares at the Direct Energy Centre until December 7. Known as a flagship destination for Canadian handmade designs and merchandise, the event will be attended by more than 140,000 who come to buy, browse and appreciate quality craftsmanship and design.

Longing for a Christmas straight out of an Osmond family TV special? You’re in luck because Donny and Marie Osmond will be tra-la-la-la-laing at the Princess of Wales Theatre from December 9 — 21. Expect plenty of holiday faves with a review of hits from their lengthy careers in Donny & Marie Christmas in Toronto.

If the Osmonds don’t rock your boat, you may want to try homegrown talent in the form of the Barenaked Ladies, performing Hits & Holiday Songs at Roy Thomson Hall December 11 and 12^th.

Get a photo of you and the team at Purina PawsWay (245 Queens Quay West). The real team of dog sledders are on hand December 13 & 14 and 20 & 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The canine fun takes place during Winterfest and lets you see up close and personal what equipment is used in dog sledding. Sneak a quick puppy pat or brief chat with Tanya Hawley and her authentic sledding dogs.

Don’t miss Santa in the Junction on Sunday, December 7 beginning at 11 a.m.  A Dundas Street West winter market, a visit from Santa and his elves, live holiday music, a Reindeer Scavenger Hunt, various workshops and demonstrations plus plenty of holiday-themed refreshments for everyone.

If you’re in the neighbourhood, visit the Global News Toy Drive Live event at the Shops at Don Mills on December 4. Donate a new, unwrapped toy in exchange for free food and drink from on-site vendors. Children are encouraged to bring their letters to Santa, take photos with Santa and his reindeer and visit the Global News and Spin Master seasonal booths. The Toy Drive Live event will also feature a selection of holiday carols sung by the Crestwood Choir and an official tree lighting ceremony, taking place during the live broadcast from 5 to 8 p.m.

There’s nothing like a spin around an open-air ice rink come winter’s cold. Whether you’re gliding mitten-to-mitten with your sweetheart or teaching your wee ones how to balance on blades, nothing says wintertime fun quite like an outdoor ice rink.

That’s one of the reasons Freeman Real Estate is sponsoring a free community skate from 5 to 6 p.m. o n December 13 at the Bill Bolton Arena, 40 Rossmore Road. Everyone is welcome to join in the festive fun but space is limited so please RSVP to frontdesk@freemanrealty.com or call 416-535-3103. Refreshments will be served.

Did you know Torontonians are quite enamoured of al fresco skating? We must be because the city has 51 open-air ice rinks. Here, in no particular order, is a peek at a few of the finest:

Christie Pits Park is an 8.9 hectare park located at 750 Bloor Street West and Christie Street, across from the Christie subway station. The park features the Alex Duff Memorial Pool, three baseball diamonds, a multi-sport field, basketball and volleyball courts, a community garden and an artificial ice rink. The sides of the pits are highly sloped and are used in winter for tobogganing and related activities. There’s street parking on the outskirts.

Founded in 1954, the Phil White Arena at 443 Arlington Ave. in Cedarvale has an outdoor rink for free skates adjacent to the Cedarvale Park Ravine system. The City of Toronto offers various Learn-to-Skate programs as well as Drop-in Skating for Older Adults, Drop-in Skating for All Ages and Drop-in Hockey.

At 875 Dufferin Street just south of Bloor St. W.  is the 5.3-hectare Dufferin Grove Park. It features a multipurpose sports field, a basketball court, a picnic area, a wading pool and a children’s playground. At the north end of the park is the Dufferin Grove Park Artificial Ice Rink and Clubhouse. Don’t forget delicious fresh, local foods for sale and its Friday-night community dinners.

The city’s grand dame of outdoor skate rinks is probably Nathan Phillips Square, a high-profile space that is enjoyed by the public all year long. Enjoy the tranquil sights and sounds of the outdoor water fountain in summer, then lace up during winter and coast to your heart’s content. Skating is free here. Skate rentals are not.

Trinity Bellwoods Park is located on Queen St. W. at Strachan Ave. The 14.6 hectare park features three ball diamonds, eight tennis courts, an off-leash area for dogs and owners, a picnic area and an artificial ice rink. The southwest section of the park houses the Trinity Community Recreation Centre.

Two artificial ice rinks are featured at Wallace Emerson, a 2.7 hectare park on Dufferin south of Dupont St. The ice rink offers changing facilities. In addition to skating there is a children’s playground, three bocce courses and a motocross bike area.

The Evergreen Brick Works at 550 Bayview Ave is a new kid on the skating block with skate rentals available and a green conscience that donates all of its rental fees back to its free skate program. Thanks to its trees, this spot feels like a winter oasis.

At 76 Wychwood Ave., you’ll find a natural ice rink that is maintained by volunteers. Known as Wychwood Barns Park, the rink’s conditions can vary depending on weather and the availability of volunteers. While the city offers support by providing access to water and shovels, community-made rinks such as this one shoulder no liability so use at your own risk.

The Colonel Sam Smith Skating Trailat 3131 Lakeshore Blvd W. is a unique outdoor rink shaped in a figure eight and covering 250 metres of chilly adventure. The facility features a rink change area which includes a large change room with benches and washrooms.

At the foot of Lower Sherbourne Street between the Gardiner and Lakeshore East near Sugar Beach is the city’s newest ice rink at Sherbourne Common Park.

At 235 Queens Quay W. is the Natrel Rink at Harbourfront, which is located on Toronto’s harbour. Admission is free. Skate rentals are on hand as is sharpening.

Enjoy and don’t forget the hot chocolate afterwards!

Think of it as a place where modern-day geeks collide with a retro kind of stylishness.

That’s what you get at A Nerd’s World, a fun and funky storefront-looking office on Bathurst Street that doesn’t sell products per se, but plenty of creative business services that range from website and logo design to branding, SEO strategies, copywriting and even photography.

“We’re very passionate about our business,” says owner Grace Hughes. “We’re nerdy in a way of wanting to create a brand not just for ourselves but for everyone else. We try to make sure everything comes together, not just in a cookie cutter fashion but in a way that is very unique.”

While A Nerd’s World has existed since 2006, Chris and Grace Hughes, the married owners of the business, decided to house their offices in a storefront space so they selected the Bathurst location two years ago. The two-level shop provides office space for about ten web designers, some of whom work full-time and some on an as-needed basis.

Don’t let all the retro cameras fool you, though. The owners happily enjoy showing off their impressive 300-plus camera collection that includes a World War One stereoscopic camera that has received a fair share of international press. Because of the number of cameras, the models, some of which are a hundred years old, are rotated for display in the office. The store’s walls also boast a photo gallery of the community it serves.

While it’s obvious that art and business are near and dear to the owners’ hearts, a lesser known facet of A Nerd’s World is its philanthropy. Chris, 36, travels once a month to Cuba, donating medical supplies, clothing, school supplies and toiletries to the poor. Wife Grace, 27, tends to the office and their three children during Chris’ humanitarian visits.

Chris initially visited the country on a photography trip and that’s when he discovered the profound poverty among some of its citizens. Heartbroken by the depth of despair he witnessed, Chris phoned Grace back home in Canada and asked her to wire him $5,000. With that, Chris’ mission to heal, feed and care for those in need began in earnest.

“He considers everybody there his family,” says wife Grace. “He wants to help the people there and that’s why he brings humanitarian donations.”

Thanks to social media, word on Chris’ efforts has spread and donations to his cause come in from all corners of the world. But the couple is always looking for assistance. Donations are welcome and can be dropped off at 986 Bathurst St.

Just as the name suggests, Insomnia is the kind of restaurant you can lose yourself in day or night, no matter what your appetite or state of being.

If you’re more of an early bird, you’re sure to love the seven varieties of eggs benny, including pulled pork or perhaps you’d prefer the waffles or the pancakes? The 17-year-old restaurant has had plenty of time to perfect its cuisine and brunch seems to be a big hit with locals. Just witness the line-ups to get in. In fact, NOW magazine readers named it the city’s best brunch in a 2014 poll.

Located at 563 Bloor West, Insomnia is the kind of restaurant that is perfect day or night for family get togethers, intimate conversations or business pow wows. The beauty of the space is that it’s not overly loud so guests can easily hear each other and engage in conversation that is all manner of silly, strange and serious.

The 96-seat restaurant offers patrons a wide selection of gluten-free dining in addition to accommodating numerous allergies.
“Our brunch is executed very well,” says Insomnia general manager Ainsley Sinclair. “We produce things fast so people aren’t left waiting around forever. There is a lot of choice and customization on our
menu.”

Insomnia started out in the late ‘90s as a cyber café. Thanks to its loyal following, staff have witnessed customers grow up over the years and are now watching one-time children and teens coming into the restaurant with their own families in tow.

If you’re more of a night owl, Insomnia also has you covered.  Its wide-ranging dinner menu will take you late into the night with international comfort foods that are sure to satisfy any palate. Start your visit off with a selection of the establishment’s seasonal and classic cocktails or an imported or domestic beer. If vino is more your taste, the restaurant offers a nice choice of reds and whites. The full menu is available until 2 a.m. seven days a week.

Here’s a glowing endorsement on Yelp from one very happy customer:

“Why I love this place – they put cucumber in their water overnight, they make their delicious drip coffee with cinnamon, wait staff have always been rock stars. This place is a lean mean brunch making
machine.”

Visit the website at insomniacafe.com.

Toronto might be the city of neighbourhoods, but in October that all changes as the city makes way for  the walking dead, ghouls, witches, monsters and a startling cast of very scary characters.

If you’re aching for some macabre fun this Halloween, you’re sure to find it just around the corner this year as Toronto salutes its dark side.  Here’s a look:

In its tenth year, this Toronto fan favourite, kicks off at 3 p.m. from Nathan Phillips Square on October 25. The Toronto Zombie Walk, which saw 6,000 undead stagger and lurch their way along city streets last year, includes a parade, a zombie photo booth and a stall that lets you slather on blood to better your look. Best of all, the event is free and open to everyone.

Halloween with a healthy twist is offered up thanks to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, which hosts Monster Dash Toronto, a night run in which participants get to don costumes and raise funds for a good cause. The event, which is for all ages, takes place on October 26.

Speaking of films, how about the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which runs at the Scotiabank Theatre from October 16 to 24. Celluloid thrill-seekers can get their adrenaline rush thanks to this line-up of international horror, sci-fi, fantasy and shorts.

Here’s wishing you a fiendishly ghoulish Halloween.

The fact that Alessandro Tarallo recognized a little slice of his native Naples on the west side of Bathurst between Dupont and Follis speaks to that quintessential neighbourhood feeling that residents in and around the area hold so dear.

A block south of Freeman Real Estate, Napoli Centrale Pizzeria at 964 Bathurst is one of the new kids on the block. A full-service, licensed pizzeria since last December, Alessandro decided to open his own 75-seat pie place largely because he couldn’t find Neopolitan pizza like they make back home.

That’s not to say he didn’t try. Neopolitans or Napolitans, as Italians say it, are big pizza gourmands so Alessandro and his wife began their search in earnest a few years back when Alessandro first visited Toronto chasing love after meeting his then girlfriend, a Toronto resident, while vacationing in Cuba. While he found some very good dining spots, the pizza was not as authentic as he would have liked.

“Some pizzerias use the word Neopolitan and sometimes they’ve never even been there,” says the 35-year-old. “It’s like advertising authentic sushi made by an Italian.”

While he thought Toronto was short on authentic Naples-style pizza, he credits Romolo Salvati, the owner of two Via Mercanti pizzerias in the city, as a sort of mentor. Of his location Alessandro says: “I prefer more to be in a neighbourhood than on big busy main street. When I found this old property it reminded me of my city. Naples is very old and this area on Bathurst made me feel comfortable.”

The Neopolitan pizza tradition is an ancient one in Napoli, which holds unique characteristics.

For example, when people from Naples order pizza in a restaurant they never order it to share.

It’s typically one pie per person.

The dough is also quite different, light and fluffy, and made from the highest quality, additive-free flour. Alessandro likes to use flour from the Caputo flour mill in Naples. Founded in 1924 and now run by the family’s third generation, Caputo is committed to the long-held
milling traditions of Naples and is the leading brand of the special type “00′′ fine flour used for pizza making. It’s known as The Flour of Naples.

Alessandro’s family owns supermarkets in Naples so his love of food is a natural evolution. He and his wife are the proud parents of a brand new baby boy, Andrea. Now that he’s a father, it makes him more open to the appetites of the children who visit his restaurant.

“I love it when I see kids eating our pizza,” he says. “A lot of parents bring their kids here and I think once they try our pizza, they won’t go back to eating the other stuff. We make quality, we use fresh products and ingredients. It’s handmade with love.”

For more information or to read the menu visitwww.napolicentralepizzeria.com.

With the spectre of Halloween hanging over our heads, we thought, what better time than now

to discuss the prospect of buying a home that was the scene of a grisly murder, horrific suicide

or the site of some other unsavoury incident or activity.

The first question you need to ask yourself is do you care if the previous owner was found

hanging from the rafters or that the house was a drug den for meth heads. If not, go on your

merry way. But if learning that a tragic murder occurred within its walls bothers you perhaps

you’re best to ask a few questions first.

Realtors are obligated to disclose information about homes that are stigmatized – the term

used for a property that buyers avoid for reasons that have nothing to do with its physical

condition. But if an agent doesn’t know the house’s history, then there is nothing that holds the

realtor culpable.

Unfortunately, in Ontario a seller is not legally obligated to disclose any information about

murders, suicides, or any other gruesome fact that might have happened in the home. There

have already been many calls for clearer legislation, but this area of the housing market

remains rather grey. Drawing a clear line between important and unimportant information can

be difficult. For example, if neighbours believe a house accommodated an illegal marijuana

grow op, though never proven in court, does that make the house stigmatized?

It’s thought that stigmatized properties or houses widely believed to be haunted thanks to a

murder or suicide typically drops in value. A Realtor.com survey from October 2012 showed a

surprising 29 per cent of consumers would consider buying a haunted home on one condition

– that the home was substantially discounted at 20 per cent or more off an otherwise similar

home.

According to Toronto real estate lawyer Mark Weisleder, in the city’s red-hot real estate

market, an Ossington Ave. house took 16 months and several listing agents before selling in

2013 for $73,000 below the asking price of $973,000. The reason? The single-family house was

the scene of a murder in 2011.

Interest in stigmatized properties has prompted the start up of several websites such as

www.DiedinHouse.com, a U.S.-based site founded in 2013 that claims to instantly search over

118 million death records. There is a fee involved and currently the site is not set up to search

properties outside of the U.S.

The scary side of real estate is well documented by Silicon Valley realtor Mary Pope-Handy in

her Haunted Real Estate blog, which offers scads of info on eerie properties, spirits and the

supernatural, properties that would be deemed stigmatized.

Housecreep.com is a crime discovery website developed by Toronto brothers Robert and

Albert Armieri. Visitors can submit an address and see whether a crime was committed on the

property. The site currently has over 24,000 addresses entered and about the same number of

events listed.

Weisleder says it’s not a bad idea for sellers to sign a clause saying that they are not aware of

issues relating to murder, suicide and grow ops. You can also scour the internet for info about

a property’s past. But your best line of defense involves shoe leather. Speak to neighbours in

the area of the house. They’re likely to tell you if those walls witnessed more than their share of

criminal or objectionable activity.

The FreemanTeam®, Kate Hobson and Alex Beauregard sponsored awesome Pony Ride events. Kate Hobson’s event was held at Shaw Street PS and Alex Beauregard’s event was held at Palmerston PS.

Even if contemporary art isn’t your thing, you’re sure to have fun joining in with the regulars who attend this annual all-night celebration of art.

Expect about a million of them.

In its ninth year, this very popular, free art exhibit known as Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with the city’s art community. But artists naturally come from far and wide with about 400 mounting art installations and projects throughout the city. Starting on October 4, from sundown Saturday to sunset Sunday morning, the city comes to life during a 12-hour window in which throngs come to view more than 120 art exhibits scattered throughout Toronto.

Montreal’s Chelanie Beaudin-Quintin offers up a rather unusual inspiration in Screaming Booth, a private booth that lets you scream your fool head off in anger, frustration, happiness – whatever emotion strikes you. Festival goers are encouraged to let it rip inside the bright yellow booth, which will be located at Dundas and Spadina.  The artist came up with the idea for the screaming booth because she noticed a lack of spaces within urban settings in which people are free to express emotions.

Independent Toronto curator Magda Gonzalez-Mora has created Before Day Break, which includes 12 projects located in and around historic Fort York.  The exhibition examines the intricacy of everyday life and the perception of reality. Through these works, the artists reflect on different conditions that impact our ability to understand the world.

The Night Circus, which takes place at Roundhouse Park and Bremner Road, features 10 projects curated by Denise Markonish, curator at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass. Inspired by Erin Morgenstern’s book of the same title, the exhibition offers the spectacle of magic with an aura of darkness bubbling underneath. Artists astonish and entertain during this night circus that vanishes with the break of dawn

Heather Pesanti, senior curator at the Contemporary Austin in Austin, offers an exclusive performance-based exhibition for the first time ever at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche called Performance Anxiety. Curated in the spirit of symphony, events will take place throughout the night at Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square. Pesanti’s exhibition reflects the sensation and emotion an individual feels when facing the public.

For more detail on each artist and each exhibit go to www1.toronto.ca and search Nuit Blanche.

Freeman Real Estate is happy to once again host one of its most popular community events, an Historic Walk of Seaton Village led by local historian and retired school teacher Marilyn Spearin.

The walk begins at 1 p.m. on September 28. Participants are asked to meet outside of Freeman Real Estate at 988 Bathurst St. just before that time. It runs about 1 ½ to two hours and explores the area between Bloor Street West to Dupont and Christie Street to Bathurst.

The tour will focus on the neighbourhood’s settlement period, which took place between the 1860s and 1920, and Marilyn will point out important buildings and homes and give the history of street names and other visual clues that tell the tale of the area’s past.

New to this year’s tour will be historical accounts of the names of various lanes. The naming of Seaton Village lanes is a fairly recent occurrence that was set in motion thanks to the Seaton Village Residents’ Association, which also worked at selecting those people and institutions worthy of merit.

Participants can expect to learn about Deborah Brown for whom a lane to the east of Markham Street has been named. Also known as Mammy Brown, Deborah was likely the first black resident of Seaton Village as a runaway slave from Maryland. In the 1860s the population of blacks in the neighbourhood was relatively large with about 50 people, many of whom had been born in the U.S. and escaped slavery by seeking refuge in Canada.

Another lane, the Mission House Lane is named after the Anglican Sisters of St. John the Divine. They ran a mission that provided basic food, clothing and medical aid for the indigent from 1890 to 1912.

On a personal note, we, Dan and Elden Freeman, are proud of the lane named in honour of our grandfather, Max Hartstone, who with our grandmother Sarah Hartstone, opened Steven’s Milk in 1958 on the corner of Bathurst and Olive. Max and his oldest son Marvin ran the store until Max’s death in 1982. The store was closed in 1998 when Marvin suffered a major heart attack. Today, the store is owned and operated by Helen and Steve Moon as Steven’s Groceries. But our family enjoyed a good run there for 40 years.

Marilyn is a member of the Community History Project, a non-profit citizens’ group of people interested in local history. The group runs the Tollkeeper’s Cottage, a museum at Davenport and Bathurst. Marilyn also edited a 40-plus-page booklet detailing the area’s history that is sold at the museum for $15.

In case of rain, the walk will take place at the same time on the following Sunday, October 5.