What November Feels Like in Toronto, Ontario?

The In-Between Month

Do you know that feeling when you’re in the middle of two things? That’s GTA (Greater Toronto Area) in November in a nutshell for you all. It’s really just quite strange of a month when you stop and think about it. The leaves of autumn colour that had made October so breathtaking are now mostly starting to fall, having landed on the ground. The flowers have said their goodbyes for the year. However, here’s the thing, the snow hasn’t arrived yet either. So you’re left with this sort of bare bone, in-between landscape that feels a bit melancholic if I’m being honest. The trees are mostly naked, the grass is that weird dull colour, and everything just looks kind of… waiting.

In addition, it’s not just the scenery that feels in-between. The timing of everything is awkward too. All those fun summer events and festivals? Long gone. Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with the family? Check. What about Halloween candy? Already ate that within the first few days after Halloween. And the winter holidays with all their cozy, snowy sentiments? Several weeks away yet. November is this odd middle ground where there isn’t really all that much to celebrate for the first part of the month. Certainly, we do have markets in November, but perhaps not quite yet as it seems too soon.

Remembrance Day and the Waiting Game

Well, other than Remembrance Day on November 11th, which is important, but obviously has a much more dark, reflective mood. You’ll see volunteers outside of supermarkets and inside of the malls soliciting donations to help with Veterans and their families in exchange for those red poppy pins, the ones that have the actual pin needle on the back. It’s a time to remember the who lost and fought, and the moment of quiet for a minute or so at 11 AM in certain places in Canada. But after that? The holiday season really picks up steam with holiday parades.

The Daylight Struggle is Real

And then there’s the daylight issue, which badly deserves its own paragraph because it affects everything. The daylight hours are getting ridiculously short these days day by day like when we go outside for work, the sun hasn’t even come up. Don’t even mention, by the time you’re done with your work, it’s already nighttime outside. Where has all the natural light gone? The sun goes down so early that it feels like evening will never pass. And don’t even mention daylight saving time being over the first week of November. Sure, we technically get an extra hour of sleep that weekend, which sounds just excellent on paper. But in life? It messes with so many people. It leaves some of us with that weird jet lag feeling, sleeping in an hour later than we should and just being completely off for days. Our bodies are confused, our sleep schedules ruined, and suddenly 5 o’clock feels like 9 o’clock.

Hibernation Mode: Activated

It’s all about the decreasing daylight hours, the extended evenings, the grey skies, which means that many of us are becoming full-on homebodies. Like, more than usual. We’re spending time at home in ways much more exceedingly excessive than we were even a month ago. Movie nights become the norm. Gaming sessions go into the wee hours. Binge-watching that new show or the classics? Absolutely. We’re basically preparing to hibernate like the bears and squirrels that we find racing around outdoors (well, the ones who are still awake). There’s this air of weight, this drowsy feeling that permeates into your bones. We’re all hungrier than we’re used to be, hungry for carbs and comfort food, and generally less energized in all ways than we were last summer when the sun set at 9 PM and we were invincible. Most of us are probably Vitamin D deficient at this point, which is why gazing at vacation photos of beaches in distant topics becomes a daily pastime. The urge to book a winter holiday in somewhere south or anywhere that actually gets sun, growing by the hour.

The Love-Hate Relationship

But here’s where it comes in handy, because November is really a love-hate relationship when you get down to it. It’s grey and depressing and makes you want to curl up and hibernate, sure. And then there’s this anticipation building. Black Friday is coming at the end of the month, and we’re all secretly (or not so secretly) eyeing those deals, hoping that the thing we’ve been wanting goes on sale. And right after Remembrance Day, something shifts. Suddenly, people start feeling more festive. Holiday songs are playing in stores-maybe a little too early for some people’s taste, but it happens. Holiday markets pop up with their twinkling lights and hot chocolate stands. The energy changes from this dreary waiting period to excited anticipation.

And then there’s the snow factor. We’re all watching the weather forecast, wondering when that first snowfall will hit. For some of us, there’s genuine excitement about it like snowboarding season is coming! Outdoor skating rinks will open! For some, of course, there’s that horrible feeling of having to readjust to driving through the snow. That first snowfall of the year always comes with its annoyance, the yearly reminder on how to deal with snow-covered roads and the ridiculous dance of scrubbing snow off your car in the mornings. It’s that mixed feeling of looking forward to winter sport but dreading the reality of actually surviving a Canadian winter.

Making Peace with November

Therefore, yes, Ontario November is a complicated affair. It’s that in-between month that tests your patience, gets you sleepier than you want to acknowledge, and leaves you trapped in this weird in-between-place-where-fall-and-winter-coexist. But it’s also the pre-holiday hustle before the bustle, time to slow down, starting to snuggle up at home, and get psyched up for all to come. It’s not a glamorous month, and it’s definitely not the most exciting, but it is ours. And honestly? Once you allow yourself to be in the hibernation transition energies and get into the whole coziness, it’s not so bad. Just keep the coffee strong, the blankets warm, and maybe start looking at those February vacation specials.

So, how are you surviving November in Ontario? Are you in full hibernation mode yet, or are you one of those people actually excited about the first snowfall? Let me know in the comments how you’re coping with the 5 PM sunsets and carb cravings. And if you enjoyed this dose of seasonal reality, subscribe for more honest takes on life in the GTA with no sugar-coating, just real talk about what it’s actually like living here.