With them comes that push and pull between finally pumping the brakes before you hit end of the month without any shopping done, or blazing forward and hitting the nog so hard on the weekends that it's Monday before you know it.

The peer pressure is real: Have you got gifts for your loved ones? Friends? Family? A boss to impress? We get it, we're shakin' too.

We've got a suggestion, though: Our print shop that's selling prints by local artists.

Shopping there is shopping local. Support locals, keep cash in the community, connect with artists in your city, and put some amazing artwork on your walls, or the walls of someone you love. Every purchase also helps to support our editorial content moving forward.

Take a look 👇

Activities, parties, points of interest, art exhibitions, you name it: These are the weekend events you don't want to miss.

An annual galaxy of local artisans

Just some gift-giving ideas to keep you off Amazon: Since its inception, Puces POP has grown to include multiple fairs throughout a given year, each time bringing together 100 or more vendors and 10,000 visitors—that includes this weekend's first chapter of its huge holiday edition. (The Main)

Thursday

The Salon des métiers d'art du Québec is on at the Palais des congrès de Montréal with more than 215 professional craftspeople from all over Quebec.
Are you pro-noise? Go support Turbo Haus's Le Cafe Big Trouble that's unleashed a new 5 à 7 series every Thursday and Friday.
They Go Low, We Go Laugh is saying goodbye to the Diving Bell Social Club with a variety show where folx of colour and marginalized identities will perform everything from stand-up to storytelling and more.

Friday

Here's your friendly reminder to go see a show at Cabaret Mado, hosted by Mado herself, a master of the local drag scene for over 35 years.
From the Spice Girls to Mariah Carey and Dee-Lite, Cabaret Berlin is "playing Barbie Girl for a night at the Roxbury" during their Christmas edition of a 90's Dance Party.

Saturday

Every year, all the shops in Knowlton open their doors until midnight for a night of drinking and eating and shopping.
Enjoy some holiday nog as you are entertained by the incredible lineup of the FringeMas Cabaret & Variety Show (and bring non-perishables to donate!).
Browse radical literature with the Radical Reads Holiday Pop-Up over at Casa del Popolo.
First seen on November 7th 2014, Interstellar is considered to be one of the best IMAX movies of all time—so it'll screen at an IMAX theatre downtown!

Sunday

New bookstore alert: Verdun's got a new spot for anglo lit called Pulp Books (stay tuned for an interview from yours truly!)
Chill this weekend with the city's annual light installations, Luminothérapie, as this year's edition emulates northern life with luminous and interactive works.
The Village de Noël de Montréal is continues to deliver holiday vibes with its takeover of Atwater Market.

Savsav—a play on words from “ceux qui savent savent” (or IYKYK)—is the new all-day social club in Saint-Henri since Nov 23. | Photograph: Audrey-Eve Beauchamp

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK IN AND AROUND MONTREAL

Scope the latest restaurant openings, recommendations on where to eat, plus new menus, old classics, and everything in between.

Set below the 7m-high ceilings of 780 Brewster, Savsav—a play on words from “ceux qui savent savent” (or IYKYK)—is the new all-day social club in Saint-Henri.
Catching up on our homework here: Ciccio’s, a new Italian sandwicherie focused on paninis and antipasto opened last month in Old Montreal.
Chill, and we mean really chill, this season: Danny St Pierre's Pan American Pizza has unleashed a CDB meal we're surprised we don't see more often.
The folks behind the Indo-Malay restaurant Satu Lagi and Krapow are opening up a new curry house in the Plateau called Kari.
Le petit salon de vins vivants is an opportunity to taste a range of wines at Verdun Beach with France, Italy and Spain in the spotlight on Dec 10.
Montreal institute @ongcacan has reopened after a 3-year hiatus. Established in Vietnam in 1969 and relocated to Montreal in 1981, it's one of the city's pioneering Vietnamese restaurants related to Coba Sushi.
Your friendly reminder this week: You should check out Keela in the Village, if not just for its $1 oysters every Tuesday.

Drink this, not that

For as much as Montreal is a restaurant town, it’s also a wine town, and that's due to the many world-class sommeliers working to ensure our city remains a destination for the wine-obsessed. Time to meet the people making our city a stronghold for bon vivants and a place where good taste flourishes. (The Main)

Here, you'll find a weekly round-up of the latest local news, from entertainment to current affairs and more.

"An antithesis of our profoundly isolating, late-stage/pre-apocalyptic consumer culture"

You may have seen the kit’ed out bike punks on cargo bikes with boxes piled above their heads, weaving through traffic and unfazed by jams through snow and ice. They don’t wait at red lights or follow one-way streets. Montreal’s home to every niche subculture you could think of—one of which is bike messengers, and it’s a major centre of the international scene. (The Main)

The dead neighbourhood we won't forget

Expo 67 brought about sites like Habitat 67, Parc Jean-Drapeau, and metro tunnels, but it also leaves its mark in absence, too: Political decisions from its place in team revealed something about a city's shortcomings, including the death sentence for the working-class community of Goose Village. (The Rover)

More passion, more energy, more footwork

Montreal has a pivotal position in high-end fashion, underscoring its indispensable role as a hub for premium materials and design. Here's an exploration of its influence on luxury fashion, emphasizing its significance in shaping trends and contributing to the global fashion landscape. (Le Devoir)

This one goes out to the bridge and tunnel crowd

What are the financial considerations and lifestyle aspects of moving closer to Montreal? How does it impact personal finances, your quality of life, and the potential advantages of residing close to the city? Hey babe, take a look from the outside. (La Presse)

Photograph: Martin Chamberland, La Presse

Know your rights

Montreal has a new campaign to raise awareness about tenants' rights in the housing sector, aiming to inform and empower renters with legal entitlements. The initiative seeks to address housing issues, foster informed decision-making, and create a more equitable and supportive rental environment.(Le Devoir)

Bernie 2024

OK, no, we're not talking about US politics: 82-year-old Bernie Gurberg has headed back to work. After 18 years, he closed Dollar Cinema, but quickly discovered the job was still calling: Now you can find Gurberg greeting customers as they head to CineStarz Deluxe at the Cavendish Mall. (CTV News)

Deaf to needs, muted community action

Montreal's former Institute of the Deaf and Mute—a sizeable heritage institution you've probably seen before—has been abandoned since 2015. As the building is owned by the provincial government and the City of Montreal sets the rules that would allow its renovation, the decisions are complicated. (La Presse)

Illustration: André Rivest, La Presse & Dina Bumbaru

Struggle, struggle, toil and trouble

Exploring Canadian downtowns in the post-office era, seeking new purposes, Montreal's among many evolving urban landscapes facing challenges, and it's diving headfirst into adaptive strategies required for these spaces to thrive in a changing socioeconomic landscape. (CTV News)

Nothing really mattress

Maybe this is happening because housing's so bleak right now? Bedbugs, maybe? Either way, you probably can't hit refresh and move at the moment, so if you're stuck with that old mattress you probably should've gotten rid of a year ago, here's what to do with it. (CTV News)

Ladies of the 9th Floor

The lives of the waitresses and the customers they serve provide a glimpse into the history of the restaurant at Eaton's Department Store, a place that's set to be revived in 2024. (YouTube)