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Christmas
Okanagan to enjoy warm and white Christmas
OKANAGAN - It will be a pretty typical week when it comes to weather in the Okanagan, with temperatures expected to stay near seasonal normals for much of the Christmas week. Environment Canada is calling for highs ranging from 0 Celsius to -3 Celsius most days this week, though Kelowna is expected to hit a...
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...
‘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...
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....
Taking the cash out of Christmas: Vernon event brings back the joy of bartering
VERNON - There are two rules at an unconventional Christmas fair in Vernon this holiday season, the first of which is: No cash allowed. That’s because participants will be trading for the goods and services on hand. Hosted by Jaye Coward and her partner Mireille Gourlay of Farm Bound the Holiday Barter Fest is perhaps...
Buying local, without leaving home, a popular choice for Okanagan holiday shoppers
OKANAGAN - It’s already well known that online shopping has taken over a large piece of the Christmas retail pie, but that doesn’t mean people are giving up on buying local to fill the stockings this Christmas. You don’t have to go out to a farmer’s market or holiday craft fair to buy local, you...
How to avoid salmonella poisoning during the Thanksgiving feast
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It's that time of year when families gather to share a turkey feast so here's some tips to make sure festivities remain salmonella-free. To avoid symptoms of food poisoning such as stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever there are four basic steps to follow. 1. When preparing any food, wash your hands...
How a community saved Christmas for young family robbed of presents
KELOWNA – The Beston family Christmas tree is surrounded by presents again, thanks to an outpouring of support from the community. Jason and Jenny Beston, the parents of a family that was robbed of cherished personal items and presents just days before Christmas, say they have been overwhelmed with gifts from the community over the...
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...
Cut out the X: Tips for making your holiday meals a healthier occasion
TORONTO – It's a given: There will be a lot of overeating over the holidays.
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...
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...
Christmas dinner comes with a gift bag at Gospel Mission this year
KELOWNA – Christmas is the second busiest time of the year for the Kelowna Gospel Mission and this year more than 50 volunteers were on hand Saturday for their annual Christmas dinner. As was the case in years past, the Mission served around 600 dinners to hundreds of hungry residents between noon and 6 p.m....
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...
Changes to curbside waste collection on Christmas and New Year’s
KELOWNA – Kelowna residents with curbside waste pickup normally scheduled for Thursday and Friday will have to wait an extra day to get rid of their Christmas and New Year’s trash. With no collection on Christmas and New Year’s day, for those weeks Thursday pickup will happen on Friday, and Friday pickups will be made...
You’ve got mail: Holiday cards deliver unique, personalized touch in digital era
TORONTO – Carolyn Bechard remembers her mother spending evenings at the kitchen table writing out cards paired with family portraits as a part of their Christmas tradition — one she has also embraced as her own.
Club wants more money for 2014 Christmas light display
KELOWNA – If the Capri Rotary Club wants to do another Kerry Park light display this Christmas, they will likely have to do it with the same amount of money as last year. Capri Rotary has requested a $5,000 increase to their budget this year, but city staff are expected to recommend against the increase....