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Christmas 2015
Former Vernon mall Santa will keep going because it ‘feeds the spirit’
VERNON - David Robertson inquired about becoming a mall Santa on a whim. That was about 20 years ago, he says in his lilting Scottish accent. Born in Edinburgh, Robertson moved to Canada in 1958, and to Vernon in the 1970s to teach high school drama. “Just out of sheer, puckish humour I thought I’d...
Spirit of Kelowna volunteers drives the the holiday season
KELOWNA - The giving nature of the holiday season has inspired many people to volunteer their time and money to help those less fortunate, but many organizations rely on volunteers year round and hope those they can recruit at Christmas will keep helping out the rest of the year. The Kelowna Gospel Mission describes volunteers...
It’s not Christmas in the Central Okanagan until…
KELOWNA - It's just not Christmas in Kelowna until you've spotted these classic holiday scenes. The Landmark Tree of Hope: It's a spectacle every year in one of the most visible and visited stretches of Kelowna %%image1%% Christmas Express train in Summerland: The old steam locomotive turns into the Okanagan's version of Polar Express. %%image3%% Santa...
Sample local authors for last minute gifts
KELOWNA - Books make a great last minute gift and the latest from a local author is the perfect touch. Here’s the latest from some local talent. All True Not A Lie In It This novel by Okanagan College professor Alix Hawley made the Giller long list and won amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2015. All-day...
Kelowna leisure takes a breather with holiday schedule
KELOWNA - The winter break is a great time to swim, workout or visit the library as a family, but before you head out the door make sure you know what the holiday hours are. Parkinson Recrecation Centre runs altered hours from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21 to 23, closing early at 4...
Now that’s service: Vernon mayor offers rides to holiday party-goers
VERNON - It’s not every day your designated driver is also your mayor. But that was the case in Vernon Saturday night after Mayor Akbal Mund posted an offer on his Facebook page inviting anyone who needed a safe, sober ride home to give him a call. %%Image2%% The generous offer has earned the mayor...
Kelowna Waterfront light display not getting support it needs
KELOWNA - The organizer of the first ever large scale Christmas light display in Kelowna says the numbers are so low he doesn’t see how they will ever be able to do it again. Brad Pattison started Lights of Christmas Paws as a way to give families something special to do over the holidays as...
Free hugs in downtown Kelowna on Boxing Day
KELOWNA - If the stress of the holidays is 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 six years ago when friends of Wayne Cobb decided to honour his memory. Cobb died in 2010 when he hit...
Why pets don’t make the best presents
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While it might seem like the perfect present on Christmas morning, the B.C. SPCA would rather you didn’t give pets as gifts. People put a lot of value in their gifts but the society generally discourages the giving of animals, Valerie Wilson of the Kamloops SPCA says. “Do your research. Know that that...
Handmade in the Thompson-Okanagan
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....
How to keep track of Santa as he travels the world
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - NORAD is ready again to track Santa as he makes his way around the world and into the Thompson-Okanagan to bring gifts to all the girls and boys. Of course, Santa can't just hop on his sleigh and ride these days. There is air traffic control to consider with Christmas flights zipping this...
HOMETOWN TOURIST: The Kettle Valley Steam Railway Christmas Express
SUMMERLAND - For most of us, Summerland is little more than a few orchards along Highway 97, unremarkable except for the beauty it shares with the rest of the Okanagan. If that’s all you know of it, you are missing out on something special. Push your way through the residential areas into Prairie Valley and...
Local gifts and food to get you through the holidays
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - With fresh foods and resources available on our doorstep, giving local is easy in our region. Many natural resources help create the gifts we put under our Christmas trees — from wood products and minerals, to cider and wine. And of course if you have a natural tree or a wood fire you...
Rutland couple doing their part to help Salvation Army reach goal
KELOWNA – A couple who just moved to Kelowna is using their talent for Christmas decorating to help a local charity that is well short of its goal for the season. Ken and Julia Berry live at 875 Theodora Rd. in Rutland. Although new to the Okanagan they are already planning to make a big...
School and seamstress spin holiday magic for Salmon Arm student
SALMON ARM - Things were looking grim when Olivia Perry-Coultas and her teachers started looking for something she could wear to the Salmon Arm Secondary winter formal dance — few things fit and time was running out. But the generosity of her community and strangers helped her feel like a princess for the special day....
Christmas wish list: Auroras, full moons and meteor showers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The next two weeks could be everything you wished for if sky watching is at the top of your Christmas list. The northern lights seem to have been making a lot more appearances this year, and another storm is expected to hit Earth this week, as early as this evening. Unfortunately Environment Canada...
Thieves strike Kelowna’s Candy Cane Lane
KELOWNA - Christmas spirit has taken a hit after thieves stole several laser light show displays from homes in Kelowna's Springvalley neighbourhood decorated to spreak holiday cheer and collect food for local charities. Every year, home owners create Candy Cane Lane by decorating their homes and yards with blinding Christmas decorations. Last year they collected about...
Why workers at some City Halls must take holidays in December
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Civic governments in Kamloops, Vernon and Penticton keep their main offices open over the holidays but they do it a little differently in the Central Okanagan. City Halls in both West Kelowna and Kelowna will be closed for the week between Christmas and New Years along with the offices of the Central Okanagan...
Good marketing is good, says UBCO professor
KELOWNA – A UBC Okanagan marketing professor says Starbucks' successful and controversial red cup campaign was good marketing. Assistant Professor Eric Li said in a news release that attention to a product is actually good for sales. He also claims the anti-Starbucks Facebook video, uploaded by an American evangelist four days after the release of...
‘Put it on your roof’: Vernon woman shares tale of stolen Christmas decor
VERNON - A grinch stole a Vernon woman’s Christmas spirit. Deb Robertson says close to $600 worth of LED Christmas decorations were stolen from her yard in the East Hill area of Vernon. “It’s bad to steal from anyone any time of year, but Christmas is just the lowest of the low,” Robertson says. Taken...
Alberta’s oil patch woes hit home at Central Okanagan food banks
KELOWNA - Plunging oil prices and substantial layoffs in Alberta’s oil patch are making their mark here in the Central Okanagan through a surge in food bank use. Public relations director Ami Catriona says the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank, which has branches in Kelowna and West Kelowna, noticed an unusual uptick in requests around...
Candy Cane Lane shines again in Kelowna
KELOWNA – The most Christmassy neighbourhood in Kelowna is back again this year, delighting young and old with block after block of brightly lit homes. And it's all for a good cause. Candy Cane Lane has become an annual tradition in Kelowna. Nestled in the Springvalley neighbourhood, it is several blocks of blinding, decorated houses...
Sensitive Santa brings Christmas closer to children with autism
KELOWNA - A visit to see Santa in the mall, along with the obligatory photo, is a rite of passage in Canada for most kids. But if your child isn’t fascinated by the flashing lights, ringing bells and ornate costumes or together it creates a kind of sensory overload that leads to anxiety and even...
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....