Category: Christmas

Volunteering with Santas Anonymous

Mack, always up for informal meet-ups with local Twitter-users, was all for an informal Tweetup at the Santas Anonymous warehouse tonight, and I was more than happy to pitch in myself.

We headed to the warehouse on the west end of the city, and after filling in a quick one-page application form, were led to the bagging room. My family and I have delivered presents for Santas Anonymous before, so the mounds of presents encased in garbage bags were a familiar sight to me, but this was my first time participating at an earlier stage.

 

Bagging room

 

Tags, divided into areas of the city

We were shown the bagging process – how to identify the number and ages of the children in the household, and how to properly secure the address tag to the bag – before being set loose. With holiday music playing in the background, it wasn’t a difficult or laborious task at all. The four of us in total who had shown up managed to get through quite a few tags, but as I remarked to Mack at the end of the night – we really could have just kept going. Between the “wrapping bees” outside, and knowing that the charity is still collecting toys, it is amazing to me that they will ever be ready for delivery day. The logistical challenges of collecting, sorting, wrapping and delivering thousands of toys just boggle my mind – but bravo to the organizers for pulling it off every year.

 

Mack and Diane hard at work

I think my family and I will be delivering presents again this year – after seeing a bit of what goes on behind the scenes, I’m even more excited to do so. If you want to join in on spreading Christmas cheer, check out the details on the Santas Anonymous website.

December in Edmonton is for the Holidays

  • Choirs are definitely a part of the season – the Legislature hosts singing troops both at noon hours and in the evenings from December 1-23, even serving hot chocolate to listeners! Choir schedule here.
  • The City Hall also hosts elementary school choirs at noon hour, in a series called Holiday Magic, but with a shorter run, from December 1-5.
  • If you missed the holiday light-up in Churchill Square last month, don’t despair – you can check out the light-up at the Legislature grounds on December 4, which host their own display of Bright Nights figures.
  • Every Thursday evening in December, join an expert in science, ethics, philosophy or religion on a tour through the Imagining Science exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
  • Toted as “Western Canada’s Best Craft Sale”, the annual Butterdome Craft Sale takes place December 4-7.
  • Looking to buy a poinsetta for a festive addition to your home? The Muttart Conservatory is open December 6-7 & 13-14 for pots and some hands-on workshops. Print this newsletter for 20% off.
  • The Market at Callingwood is hosting hay rides with Santa Claus on December 6, 13 & 20.
  • Just in time for the cold weather, the annual Jingle On!, Downtown Edmonton’s Indoor Santa Claus Parade will happen on December 7.
  • University of Alberta Alumni are invited to a Holiday Shindig at Latitude 53 on December 11. RSVP details here.
  • Savoy’s (10401 Whyte Avenue) Sip and Splurge, an alternative craft shopping event, is taking place on December 11 from 5-10pm. Bring a donation for the Food Bank for admission.
  • The official light-up for Candy Cane Lane is set for December 12, but the displays will be lit throughout the month. Remember your donation to the Food Bank if you’re planning a visit!
  • Join the ETS for a Christmas Lights Tour from December 15-21. It seems some times have already sold out.
  • The Winspear Centre’s annual fundraiser for the Christmas Bureau is taking place on December 19. Bring a donation and join 16 choirs for a Christmas Carol Sing-along.
  • Hopefully the weather is conducive to outdoor fireworks viewing on December 31, but regardless of the temperature, you can bet Churchill Square will be hopping with those anxious for it to be 2009! Check the Edmonton Downtown website closer to the date for details.

Festival of Trees 2007

After attending the Festival of Trees in 2006, and finding it nice but not worth returning to, I was surprised that I found myself looking forward to it this year. May and I made a date to tour the decorated halls, and headed there after supper on Friday.

May smiles by the hall entrance

Beautiful welcome display

Like last year, there were a lot of kids, trees, and lights. While the trees are undoubtedly pretty, after a while, they all start to look the same. It’s an unfortunate result of proximity and quantity – alone in a home, the individual trees would be unquestionably stunning and festive, but together, all but the really unusual or unique stand out. There seemed to be several “streams” of trees – those that used flowers, those that used fruit, and those that embraced stuffed animals as accents. My favorite on the floor was the “Good Words for Africa” tree, that hung ornaments of words made using Scrabble tiles, in addition to photos of families and children.

Mirrored table setting

Arctic display

Hockey tree (note the plastic Stanley Cup on top!)

Snowman tree

Polar bear tree

Orange tree

Flower tree

“Good Words for Africa” tree

The festival’s Gingerbread Village actually took us thirty minutes to get through – half of that spent waiting in line to view the handmade creations. The “houses” were much more creative this year, I found, with a number of memorable submissions. Many cartoon and fictional characters (including Shrek, Calvin & Hobbes and Charlotte’s Web) were represented, but my vote went to the detailed “Santa’s Western Wonderland”, featuring Mrs. Clause as a vocal performer with Santa taking a bath upstairs.

“Calvin and Hobbes: Snowman House of Horror” – too cute.

Charlotte’s Web farm

Closeup of “Some Pig”

“Santa’s Western Wonderland” front

Back (amazing, isn’t it?)

With jazz wafting in the background (provided by the Grant MacEwan Arts Outreach band), it was a lovely way to spend a pre-holiday evening. Perhaps this will become a yearly tradition after all (the rest of my pictures are available to view on Flickr).