Madness and calm during holiday shopping in Toronto

Holiday shopping in Toronto -- or at least the first phase of it -- comes to a close this afternoon. And, as such, the major malls and street shopping strips will be packed once again, though not perhaps as tightly as last weekend. I tend to make an effort to get out to an insanely busy shopping centre at least once during the lead up to Christmas, if only to take in the spectacle of it all.

Alas, this year it didn't happen. But, I suppose I can still have the experience in a proximate sense via the photos in the blogTO Flickr pool. What they offer is a dual portrait of both madness and moments of reprieve during the pre-Christmas rush. Lead photo by Allan Chow.

Photo by *Imperialis*.

Photo by Joe Rayment-.

Photo by sniderscion.

Photo by Dr. Watson, I presume??????

Photo by gab|e.

Photo by John Ferri.

Also by John Ferri.

And one more.

Photo by Greg Vassie.