Published December 16, 2022 · Updated September 17, 2026
Sometimes, the best memories begin when the original plan doesn’t work out.
That’s exactly what happened one Christmas season in Toronto.
Raymund and I had planned to visit the Distillery District for its Christmas festivities, only to discover that we needed tickets—and they were already fully booked for the evening.
So we changed our plans.
Instead of going home disappointed, we wandered around downtown Toronto and eventually found ourselves at Berczy Park, where Christmas displays had transformed the little park into a festive stop of its own.
I posed for a photo with Barksy, the park’s giant dog sculpture dressed for the holidays.
It seemed like nothing more than a fun Christmas snapshot.
Until that little photo unexpectedly became part of another story.
Looking back, I love this memory because it reminds me that beautiful moments don’t always happen according to plan. Sometimes, they’re waiting in the place you end up when your plans fall apart.
From the Archives
I originally published this story in December 2022, when I discovered that a photo I’d taken the previous Christmas had appeared in Old Town Toronto’s holiday campaign.
I’ve kept the original story much as I wrote it then—including all my excitement and my little “celebrity” moment.
Because sometimes, looking back at who we were is part of the fun of remembering where we’ve been.
Here’s the story as I originally shared it.
Last year when Raymund and I went to Distillery District for their annual Christmas displays, we didn’t realize that we have to book for tickets. When we checked on their website, it was already fully booked that evening so we just decided to stroll around downtown instead. As we passed by Berczy Park, there were also Christmas displays so Raymund just took my photos there. Luckily, when I posted my photo with Barksy on Instagram and tagged @oldtowntoronto, I got the chance to win a $100 gift card! I was surprised and elated that my photo was chosen for Oldtown Toronto’s holiday giveaway!
Right away after proclaiming the winners of Oldtown Toronto’s holiday giveaway, the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA contacted me for my choice of Oldtown Toronto’s business. As my partner in crime, I let Raymund choose ‘coz I also didn’t know the best place to eat yet downtown. He chose Hothouse and I was not disappointed of his choice because the dinner that we had there was superb! We intended to celebrate Chinese New Year’s eve at the place as I always believe that the lunar new year is the real new year.
This year, it is another surprise to stumble upon my winning photo at the print ad of Oldtown Toronto’s holiday giveaway! Like, OMG! I’m a celebrity! Lol! I am just so happy ‘coz even in our small hometown in the Philippines, I never got my face on print ad though I’m popular there. Haha! But here in this mega city, I got the chance to be a star! Haha! Like it’s really a big deal, huh. Well, it is to me!!! Celebrity syndrome satisfied!
The day after discovering my photo on Oldtown Toronto’s holiday giveaway IG ad, I excitedly went to Berczy Park to take a look at the ad in person! So before my 12NN shift at the hotel, I dropped by to have a selfie with my photo and with Barksy. Watch my vlog below on how I beat time running to and fro downtown with so much joy of the kid in me!
When Plan B Becomes the Memory
Looking back, what I remember most about this story isn’t really winning the gift card or even seeing my face on a printed advertisement—although I was definitely very excited about both!
It’s how the whole thing happened.
We had gone downtown expecting one experience.
We didn’t get it.
So we wandered somewhere else.
And somehow, the place we hadn’t planned to visit gave us the story I still remember years later.
Maybe that’s one of the beautiful things about exploring.
Not every day needs the perfect itinerary. Not every memorable place needs to be famous. And not every disappointment has to ruin the day.
Sometimes, you simply change direction, keep walking, and notice what else is waiting around you.
That Christmas evening, it happened to be Barksy.
From Berczy Park to Exploring Ontario
Berczy Park was also part of one of my earliest solo adventures through Old Town Toronto, when I wandered from the park to the Gooderham Building, St. Lawrence Market, and eventually the Distillery District.
→ Read: Exploring Old Town Toronto on Foot
Years later, the Distillery Historic District would become one of the places I included in my collection of 20 Beautiful Places in Ontario That Could Capture Your Heart.
It’s funny how these little stories connect.
One afternoon becomes another. One place leads to the next. And before you realize it, you’ve collected years of memories from places that once felt completely new.
→ Explore: 20 Beautiful Places in Ontario That Could Capture Your Heart
Continue Your Journey
Discover Everyday Beauty
This little Christmas memory is a reminder that beauty often appears when we’re paying attention to the unexpected—the changed plans, small surprises, and ordinary moments that become stories later.
Reflect on Meaningful Stories
Some memories seem small when they’re happening. Only years later do we realize how much they tell us about who we were, where we’ve been, and how our lives have changed.
→ Reflect on Meaningful Stories
Begin Your Own Journey
You don’t have to travel far or follow the perfect itinerary to find something worth noticing.
My free guide, The Beauty Around You: Your 7-Day Journey to Slow Down, Notice More, and Find Meaning in Everyday Life, will help you begin noticing more of what’s already around you.
→ Begin Your Journey