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Christmas 2014
Celebrate the holidays Okanagan Valley-style with Winter Wine Events
OKANAGAN – Okanagan Valley wineries are getting in the holiday spirit with open houses, events,…
How to arrive safely to your next holiday destination
Thousands of people will be jumping into their vehicles and hitting the B.C. highways visit…
VIDEO: The real way to wrap a present
YOU WERE DOING IT WRONG ALL ALONG Anyone who has ever seen origami knows the…
Keep gifts safe from thieves during the holidays
KEEP VALUABLES, PACKAGING OUT OF SIGHT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – City staff and volunteers are ramping up…
Locally-made spirits to get you through the holiday
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - There’s no faster way to get into the spirit of Christmas than with Christmas spirits, and the Thompson-Okanagan has two award-winning local craft distilleries to help with last minute gifts or to keep guests from noticing that overcooked turkey. Urban Distilleries in Kelowna’s north end focuses on vodka, gin and whiskey, and they...
Local handmade holiday gift ideas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you’re hoping to go a less commercial route this holiday season, look no further than the Thompson-Okanagan, a region that boasts numerous handcrafted gifts. From ceramics to sweet treats, there’s surely a gift to be found for every boy and girl — one that keeps you out of box-store lineups to boot....
Regional District offering free Christmas tree chipping
KELOWNA – Disposing of your real Christmas tree certainly isn’t the best part of the holidays, but the Regional District of the Central Okanagan has several locations in Kelowna and West Kelowna offering free tree chipping this year. From Dec. 26 until Jan. 31, drop off spots will be available at the Glenmore Landfill as...
MAP: Christmas lights in Kelowna
KELOWNA - From Candy Cane Lane in Springvalley to Rotary's Kerry Park display, residents of Kelowna have stepped up their efforts this year to make it one of the best ever for lovers of light. Although we were unable to get all the light displays in the city on this map, it does represent all...
STAFF PICKS: Christmas movies
There are many Christmas movies that have been created over the years. We have grown up with old cartoons like Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch and A Charlie Brown Christmas and the classics like Miracle on 34th Street and comedies such as Home Alone. But there are some newer holiday movies that have quickly become...
CHRISTMAS PAST: Memories from our newsroom
Remember the joy in carefully crafting presents in class for your parents? The excitement to see a gift under the tree with your name on it? How about getting dressed up in awful, and often matching outfits to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Christmas? At Christmas we often take the time to reminisce...
‘Tis the season to donate time and money
KELOWNA – It’s not only retailers counting on the holiday season to push the bottom line into the black. People open up their wallets and schedules for charities in greater numbers at Christmas time. It’s no different in Kelowna. You probably saw the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign volunteers outside local retail shops. The money they...
STAFF PICKS: Our Christmas traditions
It seems everyone has Christmas traditions. They can be passed down generation after generation or maybe it is something you started doing in recent years but has quickly become a tradition for you and your family.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
It's finally here. After weeks of decorating, shopping and Christmas music— it's Christmas Day.
Cheapest last-minute Christmas vacations on a beach
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – The spirit of Christmas is supposed to be with you wherever you go, so who says you can’t celebrate the holidays with a mojito on a beach somewhere? If you’re ill-prepared for the holidays and impulsive when it comes to travel, the top two all-inclusive locations that won’t break the bank in December...
STAFF PICKS: Our favourite foods
Like any family, our newsroom has varying tastes when it comes to what we like to eat. From cookies and sweets to potatoes and drinks, we like it all. Ginger cookies, cinnamon buns, almond roca, shortbread, Nanaimo bars and apple pie top our list of baked goodies we like to chow down on during the...
IN TWEETS: We’re all waiting for a white Christmas
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Kamloops residents woke up to a skiff of snow on Christmas Eve, but for the last two weeks, people across the Okanagan have been enjoying warmer than normal temperatures. It's been both a blessing and a curse. Not worrying about warming up your car and slipping on the ice is nice, but without...
STAFF PICKS: Our favourite Christmas songs
The sounds of the season; ringing bells, mall Santa’s ho-ho-hoing and Christmas carols blasting over store speakers. It will either put you in the mood for the holidays, or it will make you wish it was all over already. Either way, we all have a favourite Christmas song or two. From traditional to fun and...
STAFF PICKS: Games to bond over
During the holidays, when the family gets together, full out war can ensue around the dinner table. Or you can pull out a board game to keep busy. Some games are better for families with younger children, others are more suitable for an older crowd. Some make you think and others are perfect for drinking...
How Kelowna police saved Christmas for a Salmon Arm family
KELOWNA – A Salmon Arm couple was overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness demonstrated by officers with the Kelowna RCMP detachment. The couple were in Kelowna to spend Christmas with family when their car was broken into Thursday night. Const. Kris Clark says unfortunately the couple had left all their Christmas gifts in their vehicle...
PHOTOS: Santa skis and snowboards for free
BIG WHITE – If you were one of the first 30 people to show up at the Big White Ski Resort Sunday dressed as Santa Claus, you got to ski for free. The annual promotion added a very festive feel to the slopes at the resort and the freshly falling snow didn’t hurt. The resort...
YLW readies for busiest time of the year
KELOWNA – With a combination of holiday vacation travel and unsafe driving weather, Kelowna International Airport is poised for the busiest time of the year. Airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes says from now until Jan. 5 they expect more than 100,000 passengers. “To put that in perspective,” she says. “October was a record-breaking passenger month with...
Feast on Thompson-Okanagan fare at the Christmas dinner table
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Our region is a food producing mecca, and with Christmas on the way, what better time to take a look at what we can buy locally to put on the table? We took a look at the region and came up with five opportunities to make that big Christmas meal tasty, healthy, and...
Will we have a white Christmas?
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The halls are decked, the trees are trimmed and the presents are wrapped, or at least bought, or at least thought of, but it doesn’t really feel like Christmas until there’s snow on the ground. But will Mother Nature cooperate? Right now, it’s not looking so good. With Environment Canada forecasting above normal...
Free hugs for all on Boxing Day
KELOWNA – If the stress of the holidays are getting you down here's something that might lift your spirits — a group of kind-hearted people will be downtown on Boxing Day giving out free hugs. The tradition started five years ago when friends of Wayne Cobb decided to honour his memory. Cobb died in 2010 when he hit...