Most of "A Christmas Story" was shot in Toronto, Scarborough, ans St. Catherines. The interiors of Ralphie's house were filmed in what used to be called Magder Studios (where "SCTV" was made). The Christmas tree lot was on Queen St. W., where Tribal is now. Ralphie's school was a real school in St. Catherines (now a women's shelter). The bridge where Ralphie said THE word is on Cherry Street just south of what used to be a T&T supermarket (and was a Knob Hill Farms before that). And Bow Ling's was filmed in what's now a French bistro called Batifole.
I was born in 1983 and I do remember a lot of these commercials growing up in Canada but mostly like 87 88 and up in all through the 90s such a way better time to be alive, nowadays everything just sucks hahahaha
As a kid growing up during the 70's I have some wonderful childhood memories of 🎄Christmas🎄. So many memories. One being somewhat "commercial", but for a kid, these 📚books📚 were just epic. I'm referring to the JC Penny's Christmas Catalog and the Sears Wish Book. Those two catalogs were pure joy for me. I remember paging through the Penny's Christmas Catalog and if I was lucky enough to also get the Sears Wish Book, whoa boy I was ecstatic. Not just the toy sections either, but cover to cover. I used to love shopping for my Grandparents, my Mom, and my Dad. Even as a 7-8 year old I used to love going to Boston Store, JC Penny's, or one of the many stores in Southridge Mall, our local or closest mall. I remember begging my Dad to put up the 🎄🎄Christmas🎄Tree🎄🎄 as soon as possible. Even before Thanksgiving....lol. I LOVED setting it up, seeing the lights on for the first time. Lighting up the entire room. However we usually or normally didn't set our 🎄tree🎄up until December 8th or so. Sometimes I was able to bug Dad enough that he'd do it just to shut me up....lol. Down the road from our 🏠house🏠 there was a business, Allied Pools. They obviously sold swimming pools during the spring and summer months. However after 🎃👻Halloween👻🎃 they would change their sign and their store completely. It became Allied Shoppers Treetown. I remember going inside for the first time. My 👀👀eyes👀👀 bugged out. They had 🎄Christmas🎄Trees🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 lined up everywhere. The interior lights were set lower than normal which illuminated the trees. It was so beautiful. As a little kid I wanted to sleep there. So many trees, so many lights!! But what was the absolutely most important and incredible part of this wonderful holiday season was family. My family had some issues. Alcoholism and infidelity were a sad part of our family in my early childhood years. Thankfully my Grandparents had moved from their home 350 miles north to be by us. They sold their home and rented an apartment nearby. I was still a baby but soon after that we moved to an home, well it was a Mobile Home, but it was at the time state of the art. It was really big. One of the larger ones avaliable. 16x80 or something like that. It had a sunk in living room, 3 bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and a large bathroom with a washer and a dryer. My Grandparents bought one and they moved in across the street. They were ALWAYS there for me. It didn't matter what time it was, day or night. 3pm or 4am, my Grandpa would always come and get me. He was my protector, my best friend. However on Christmas irregardless of our family issues or problems, we were able to have a wonderful Christmas. One Christmas in particular, I remember this so vividly, we went over to my Grandparents house late on Christmas Eve. We always had a really great variety of food, snacks, etc. A monstrous relish tray, with 🥕carrot🥕sticks🥕, 🥬celery🥬sticks, 🥒🥒cucumber🥒slices🥒🥒 that my Dad loved to marinate in vinegar & pepper, 🫒black🫒olives🫒, 🫒green🫒olives🫒, and a variety of pickles. Sweet Baby dills, Bread & Butter Sliced, Kosher Dills, etc. And to cap it off, sliced summer sausage, sliced cheeses, & that canned processed cheese, or Squeezie Cheese as we called it when I was a kid. We used to always have this before Thanksgiving Dinner but too many times we'd eat too much before dinner so we cut back a bit....lol. That 🌙night🌙however would turn out to be extra memorable. And also the reason why we did it then and not the next morning. My parents had a great cover story as to why this was happening then and not the next morning. My Grandparents gave me my gift which I tore into. As a kid time is irrelevant. 🎅Santa🎅 had come "early" and blah blah. I bought it. I played with my new toys and I eventually dozed off since it was later than I was normally awake. My Dad and Grandpa had disappeared from the house while I was busy playing. Actually it may have been when I dozed off? Anyways, my Dad woke me up, and he actually scared the heck out of me, yelling, "🎅SANTA🎅WAS HERE!! 🎅SANTA🎅 WAS HERE!!" My Mom and Grandma got me ready to go. It was just across the street but I had had some really nasty health issues. As we entered our yard, in the snow I saw what appeared to be hoof prints or indentations in the snow, as well as what appeared to be two lines or Sleigh marks. How they were able to do this? Plus with the canned ❄❄snow❄❄(the canned "snow" you could spray on things), they "wrote" in snow Santa was here!! (Our doorway)🚪《=== Enter here. Inside the house sure enough Santa had indeed came. I was allowed to open a present so I grabbed one of the bigger boxes...lol. As I tore into it, I felt something on the back of my leg. As I turned around I saw a absolutely beautiful little 🐶puppy🐶. I realized later that was why we did my Grandparents house first. They couldn't hide the puppy any longer. That was one example of a very special Christmas. Yes the 🎁gift🎁 was extremely special, but looking back, it was the entire effort of it. The fact that my Dad and Grandpa went out between 9-11pm while it was snowing, and in the snow, the dark, and the cold they set up this elaborate Christmas Experience for me. I was maybe 5 or 6. Granted this didn't always happen, but the fact it did once was one of the biggest reasons why Christmas was extra special for me. All of my family have passed away. We had our issues, but in the end family IS family. My parents both became terminally ill and both needed care which I gladly did. I had promised my Mom that I'd NEVER put her in a Nursing Home, and I never did. In those years before they died, we became best friends. Both died in my arms. I miss them as much now as I did then. 🙏RIP🕊Mom🙏Dad🕊Grandpa🙏Grandma🕊🙏 I love you all!!
CBC eh? We'd get CBC in a Detroit suburb across the river from Windsor, Ontario. These are one-offs from the US commercials I remember, so thanks for the variety! :)
16:12..that was one terrifying santa... dragged there straight from the nearest downtown bar on a promise of a bottle of wild turkey if he didn't drop the kid..also i love it when tv shows are dsecribed as a 'global' tv special blah like everyone on the planet is tuning in 🤣
Yeah, (at the beginning) commercials that make white people look like piss-tank losers. While Christmas became largely commercialized in Ontario in the 80s, it was still a time observed as significant and meaningful by the majority of this province' residents. It was a time when CBC, CTV and Global appeared to be on the same page in the best interest of Canadians. Consumers Distributing and the Sears Wishbook were the bible of gifts at Christmas. CFTO-TV was a true purveyor of all things Christmas back-in-the-day, and Peterborough Square actually had a professionally produced commercial.
yep indeed but then my dad was a Grinch , every year he would tell us that he didn't make much money that year & looks like were gonna have to skip Christmas
It was Christmas for me with the following ads - Toys R Us - Short boy having to stand on Yellow Pages to kiss taller girl under mistletoe - Coca Cola Truck with the "Holidays are Coming" chant
i love these old ads grew up with them ...also makes me very sad..because i miss the way things were in those days.....
Spartan X,agreed,I miss those days so much,I find the world today a very depressing place indeed.
I miss the days when the Christmas season actually felt magical. Now all it means is longer hours at work and less sleep.
so true and the stress of xmas shopping for everyone.
Charlie Brown said it best and most accurately: "Christmas has become too commercialized.."
Welcome to being an adult
Imagine telling the kids who were watching these commercials live just how weird the world would get in 40 years
So true there weren't as many tattoo places or tattoos back then .
@@josephforest7605true, my city didn't have one, I had to travel to the city next door.. now theres many there since the city expanded so much
I am one of those kids and I think about how I wouldve loved the idea of all our new technology and toys as a kid, not realizing the repercussions
Screw 40 years ago: go back just 15~20 years or so and things went off the rails really quickly.
This bring me back the best 80s 90s of my life 🥲🥰🥰🥰
I wish I could go back
Most of "A Christmas Story" was shot in Toronto, Scarborough, ans St. Catherines. The interiors of Ralphie's house were filmed in what used to be called Magder Studios (where "SCTV" was made). The Christmas tree lot was on Queen St. W., where Tribal is now. Ralphie's school was a real school in St. Catherines (now a women's shelter). The bridge where Ralphie said THE word is on Cherry Street just south of what used to be a T&T supermarket (and was a Knob Hill Farms before that). And Bow Ling's was filmed in what's now a French bistro called Batifole.
Thanks for the 411. Merry Christmas from San Diego Cali🎅☃️🌲🥶🎶❣️
I need this so badly today.
I was born in 1983 and I do remember a lot of these commercials growing up in Canada but mostly like 87 88 and up in all through the 90s such a way better time to be alive, nowadays everything just sucks hahahaha
I wish I could relive the 80s as a child again. Best decade in American history to be a child.
Tom C I absolutely agree!!!
I bet it was! I’m a 90s baby but I can only dream
@@donttalktomeyoureannoying8736 The 80's was so good that the 90's was also great. This rapidly went downhill after that though.
the best time of my life
70s was the best then 80s
I remember the "Christmas in the City" ad. The "My City" ad is really beautiful. Those kids can sing!
I Love Classic Christmas Commercials!❤️📺🎶🎄👍🏻
This may just be the best Christmas gift I'll get this year! You've outdone yourself here dude!
Thanks for this. These put me much more into the spirit of the season, than what's on TV these days..
Merry Christmas, Ed! 🎄
As a kid growing up during the 70's I have some wonderful childhood memories of 🎄Christmas🎄. So many memories. One being somewhat "commercial", but for a kid, these 📚books📚 were just epic. I'm referring to the JC Penny's Christmas Catalog and the Sears Wish Book. Those two catalogs were pure joy for me. I remember paging through the Penny's Christmas Catalog and if I was lucky enough to also get the Sears Wish Book, whoa boy I was ecstatic. Not just the toy sections either, but cover to cover. I used to love shopping for my Grandparents, my Mom, and my Dad. Even as a 7-8 year old I used to love going to Boston Store, JC Penny's, or one of the many stores in Southridge Mall, our local or closest mall. I remember begging my Dad to put up the 🎄🎄Christmas🎄Tree🎄🎄 as soon as possible. Even before Thanksgiving....lol. I LOVED setting it up, seeing the lights on for the first time. Lighting up the entire room. However we usually or normally didn't set our 🎄tree🎄up until December 8th or so. Sometimes I was able to bug Dad enough that he'd do it just to shut me up....lol. Down the road from our 🏠house🏠 there was a business, Allied Pools. They obviously sold swimming pools during the spring and summer months. However after 🎃👻Halloween👻🎃 they would change their sign and their store completely. It became Allied Shoppers Treetown. I remember going inside for the first time. My 👀👀eyes👀👀 bugged out. They had 🎄Christmas🎄Trees🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 lined up everywhere. The interior lights were set lower than normal which illuminated the trees. It was so beautiful. As a little kid I wanted to sleep there. So many trees, so many lights!! But what was the absolutely most important and incredible part of this wonderful holiday season was family. My family had some issues. Alcoholism and infidelity were a sad part of our family in my early childhood years. Thankfully my Grandparents had moved from their home 350 miles north to be by us. They sold their home and rented an apartment nearby. I was still a baby but soon after that we moved to an home, well it was a Mobile Home, but it was at the time state of the art. It was really big. One of the larger ones avaliable. 16x80 or something like that. It had a sunk in living room, 3 bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and a large bathroom with a washer and a dryer. My Grandparents bought one and they moved in across the street. They were ALWAYS there for me. It didn't matter what time it was, day or night. 3pm or 4am, my Grandpa would always come and get me. He was my protector, my best friend. However on Christmas irregardless of our family issues or problems, we were able to have a wonderful Christmas. One Christmas in particular, I remember this so vividly, we went over to my Grandparents house late on Christmas Eve. We always had a really great variety of food, snacks, etc. A monstrous relish tray, with 🥕carrot🥕sticks🥕, 🥬celery🥬sticks, 🥒🥒cucumber🥒slices🥒🥒 that my Dad loved to marinate in vinegar & pepper, 🫒black🫒olives🫒, 🫒green🫒olives🫒, and a variety of pickles. Sweet Baby dills, Bread & Butter Sliced, Kosher Dills, etc. And to cap it off, sliced summer sausage, sliced cheeses, & that canned processed cheese, or Squeezie Cheese as we called it when I was a kid. We used to always have this before Thanksgiving Dinner but too many times we'd eat too much before dinner so we cut back a bit....lol. That 🌙night🌙however would turn out to be extra memorable. And also the reason why we did it then and not the next morning. My parents had a great cover story as to why this was happening then and not the next morning. My Grandparents gave me my gift which I tore into. As a kid time is irrelevant. 🎅Santa🎅 had come "early" and blah blah. I bought it. I played with my new toys and I eventually dozed off since it was later than I was normally awake. My Dad and Grandpa had disappeared from the house while I was busy playing. Actually it may have been when I dozed off? Anyways, my Dad woke me up, and he actually scared the heck out of me, yelling, "🎅SANTA🎅WAS HERE!! 🎅SANTA🎅 WAS HERE!!" My Mom and Grandma got me ready to go. It was just across the street but I had had some really nasty health issues. As we entered our yard, in the snow I saw what appeared to be hoof prints or indentations in the snow, as well as what appeared to be two lines or Sleigh marks. How they were able to do this? Plus with the canned ❄❄snow❄❄(the canned "snow" you could spray on things), they "wrote" in snow Santa was here!! (Our doorway)🚪《=== Enter here. Inside the house sure enough Santa had indeed came. I was allowed to open a present so I grabbed one of the bigger boxes...lol. As I tore into it, I felt something on the back of my leg. As I turned around I saw a absolutely beautiful little 🐶puppy🐶. I realized later that was why we did my Grandparents house first. They couldn't hide the puppy any longer. That was one example of a very special Christmas. Yes the 🎁gift🎁 was extremely special, but looking back, it was the entire effort of it. The fact that my Dad and Grandpa went out between 9-11pm while it was snowing, and in the snow, the dark, and the cold they set up this elaborate Christmas Experience for me. I was maybe 5 or 6. Granted this didn't always happen, but the fact it did once was one of the biggest reasons why Christmas was extra special for me. All of my family have passed away. We had our issues, but in the end family IS family. My parents both became terminally ill and both needed care which I gladly did. I had promised my Mom that I'd NEVER put her in a Nursing Home, and I never did. In those years before they died, we became best friends. Both died in my arms. I miss them as much now as I did then. 🙏RIP🕊Mom🙏Dad🕊Grandpa🙏Grandma🕊🙏 I love you all!!
Great memories, thanks for posting👍
Cullen Gardens Festival of Lights......that was a core memory unlocked. 🥰🥰🥰
CBC eh? We'd get CBC in a Detroit suburb across the river from Windsor, Ontario. These are one-offs from the US commercials I remember, so thanks for the variety! :)
This is awesome, Thanks for bringing all this back. The feels are realz.
Retrontario's Totally Awesome 80s Christmas Commercials
0:00 Canada Dry
0:31 A Christmas Story TV Spot
1:03 A Smokey Mountain Christmas Promo
1:19 Real People Christmas Promo
1:25 AAA Christmas Commercial
1:34 Don't Drink and Drive PSA
2:35 Baskin Robbins Cake
2:50 Bayfield Mall
3:20 Becker's
From the 80's until now, the message is the same: NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE
Almost time for Christmas 2023
Also, totally got that Micheal Jackson Thriller doll from my Uncle Bill for my 8th birthday.
MJ Creepy
Sad to know that the majority of the people here are no longer with us. =/
Blizzard Island. Now That beings back memories.
I’m offended. I haven’t heard the word Christmas on television or in the media for many years.
How dare you.
😂😂😂😂😂
And thanks. That was a whole hour of pure joy. A really pleasant walk down memory lane. ❤️
Wow. This has a lot. Wasn't expecting a Bayfield Mall commercial. Wish the volume was equal throughout though.
Excellent!
Time to bring this back to live stream retro 👍😂
The 12:30 time stamp, I have picture(s) of my siblings and sticking our heads over that exact same photo op. We went there just once.
Happy times
A Charlie Brown Christmas, end credits (c) 1965 : )
I hope the Martin Short Christmas series for Black’s Photography is here!
Gosh I wish I could find this for Saskatchewan.
Kid: I WANT RED RIDER BB gun
Mom: You'll shoot your eye out
Santa : How about a nice Football?
16:12..that was one terrifying santa... dragged there straight from the nearest downtown bar on a promise of a bottle of wild turkey if he didn't drop the kid..also i love it when tv shows are dsecribed as a 'global' tv special blah like everyone on the planet is tuning in 🤣
33:38 Now for something completely different indeed. Guess that was a late-night recording
Lol. 2nd commercial is for A Christmas story in its theater release. I wonder if they evet thought it would be showen every year
okay, we’re gonna get drunk.
At 49:32. I was not aware Bea Arthur ever did a Christmas commercial. Awesome. Haha! 😆
And another one at 50:40! 😆
She also did the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Stay OK, don't drink and drive 🤔 ok 👌🏼
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ANY TIME - NOT JUST CHRISTMAS - PERSONALLY I DON'T DRINK ANY TYPE OF ALCHOL PERIOD
Speaking here as an American, I had no idea that so many Canadian retailers were mentally ill. :D
Perhaps look in the mirror ;)
5:39 Blizzard Island!!!
Them: Sir, are you ok?
Me: LMFAO!
@2:12 How did he die? Did someone murder him to stop him from drinking and driving?
Yeah, (at the beginning) commercials that make white people look like piss-tank losers. While Christmas became largely commercialized in Ontario in the 80s, it was still a time observed as significant and meaningful by the majority of this province' residents. It was a time when CBC, CTV and Global appeared to be on the same page in the best interest of Canadians. Consumers Distributing and the Sears Wishbook were the bible of gifts at Christmas. CFTO-TV was a true purveyor of all things Christmas back-in-the-day, and Peterborough Square actually had a professionally produced commercial.
$50 for that garbage ET game in 1982? $130 now. Omg.
Simpler times. Thankyou and Merry Christmas
Hard to believe its been 40 years.
Back when Christmas felt like CHRISTMAS!😟😢☃️❄
So true
Some of the adds even said Merry Christmas.
loved looking at the Sears xmas catalog as a kid of the 80's.
yep indeed but then my dad was a Grinch , every year he would tell us that he didn't make much money that year & looks like were gonna have to skip Christmas
Can I please go back to my childhood 😩
You can listento the music and watch the Movies or Videogames from the 80s but today there are also great things
I love you for posting this. Thank you so much
DAMN!!! LIFE WAS INNOCENT AND GREAT. IF ONLY I HAD A TIME MACHINE.
Wholesome commercials thank God
These commercials make me miss my grandparents.
REAL PEOPLES ? It's not Christmas everyday - Okay well maybe in our hearts
When pot was considered a hard drug
We had all better stock up on film , to capture great holiday moments . So many people gone and some stores also .
I was born in 1982
83!
are you ok?
Do any commercials say “Christmas “ anymore
That Baskin Robbins had you in the bathroom 5 min after your last bite..
I remember that Aussie in the Energizer ad was in a show called The Highway Men, it was about vigilante truckers, I think.
It was Christmas for me with the following ads
- Toys R Us
- Short boy having to stand on Yellow Pages to kiss taller girl under mistletoe
- Coca Cola Truck with the "Holidays are Coming" chant
Canada Dry?
Awesome A+++++
I wanna go back to my 80’s childhood so bad 😩