Best Christmas Lights in Calgary

Calgary loves to celebrate the holidays. A drive through any neighbourhood will quickly get you in the Christmas spirit. In Bowness, Christmas wreaths are lights adorn the streetlights and shops, giving the community even more of a festive, small-town feel. It is our favourite time of the year to drive through one of our favourite communities. 

Here is an inexpensive holiday activity idea: get a cup of hot chocolate from Tim Hortons and take a drive through the city. Set your radio to 95.9 CHRM for non-stop Christmas music and turn up the heat. Not sure where to start on this beautiful, Christmas adventure? Here are some places to check out:

1). Downtown Core: Many buildings in the downtown core are adorned with Christmas lights inside and out.…

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Shop Local this Christmas

Calgary has a thriving small business sector that we always like to encourage people to check out. It is important to support small local businesses and the Calgarian's that pour their hearts into them, especially this year as many Calgary businesses have faced loses due to COVID-19. As they say, when you shop from a big box store, a CEO doesn't blink twice. When you shop from a small business, the owner does a little happy dance. Support a fellow Calgarian this Christmas by buying your holiday gifts from one of these local shops:

• Outside The Shape: A curated shop with items from local YYC makers. You can find everything from candles to jewelry to workshops here!
• Plant: Your succulent dreams will come true in his gorgeous shop featuring all…

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6 Days Until 2018: Recycling Post-Christmas

Christmas may be over, but for most people the post-Christmas clean up is far from over (or even begun, for that matter). Thankfully in Calgary, systems are in place to make your Christmas clean up easier than ever! A big part of this is thanks to our three carts: the black waste one, the blue recycling one and the green compost one. 

Here is what Christmas waste goes where:

• Real Trees: Cut them up and put them in the green bin. The lid MUST be able to close. If you have extra branches, bundle them up with natural twine and set them beside the bin. If your tree is just too big, there will be tree drop-off points around the city coming soon (we will let you know when on our Facebook page). 
• Fake Trees: We always recommend you donate them…

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Day 25: Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

“Christmas – that magic blanket that wraps itself around us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.” - Augusta E. Rundel

We wish you and your loved ones all the best this Christmas season. Take time to rest, reflect and have fun with those you love! Thank you for your continued support, we are looking forward to another great year ahead!

Sincerely, 

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Day 24: Santa Tracker

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! 

Do you have little ones waiting for Santa to stop by tonight? We have good news for them: they can track Santa using the official NORAD Santa Tracker. 

They can see exactly where he is in the world, watch videos of him flying over other cities and get warnings when he is close by and it is time for bed; after all, Santa can't stop by until everyone is asleep!

Visit www.noradsanta.org to track Santa tonight! 

Have a great Christmas Eve, everyone! 

 (Image Via Canva)

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Day 17: The Cost of the 12 Days of Christmas

Everyone knows the song "The 12 Days of Christmas," but few pause to actually consider all the gifts the lyrics contain. After all, 6 of the 12 days are birds. That is a lot of birds for one person to buy, let alone receive. So what would the full 12 days of Christmas actually cost if you were to be the true love to send them? Let's break it down. 

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree

Partridge (1): $15.00

Pear Tree (1): $189.99

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me: two Turtle Doves

Turtle Doves (2): $125.00

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me: three French Hens

French Hens (3): $165.00

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Four…

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Day 18: Unique Holiday Recipes

Have you started planning your holiday dinner menu? If not, you should! Planning ahead will help keep the holidays stress-free. It will also give you time to try something new! Forget the same old thing; spice up your next holiday dinner with these three unique dishes:

1). Appetizer: Caramelized Onion Tarts with Apples || These tarts are perfect to snack on before dinner and are packed with autumn flavors to warm up your winter. Here is the scoop: "You’ll start by cooking sliced onions over the stovetop, then stirring in chopped-up apples and a bit of salt and pepper. That mixture then gets spread over puff pastry and crème fraiche, which all goes in the oven for roughly half an hour. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tart into small pieces and serve"…

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Day 17: Holiday Sweets in YYC

Here at Team Ken Richter we are very dedicated to health. However, we are also firm believers that around the holidays it is okay to treat yourself. Don't let that sugar cookie taunt you - indulge without remorse. Tis the season, after all.

Looking for local YYC bakeries to get your Christmas treats from? Here are 8 worth checking out:

1. Pie Junkie: Pies galore, need we say more?
2. Ollia Macrons & Tea: A taste of Paris this Christmas.
3. Crave Cupcakes: Cookies, Cupcakes, Cakes - the holy trinity.
4. Jelly Modern Doughnuts: Not your average Timbit. 
5. Éclair de Lune: Baked with extra love every single time. 
6. Sidewalk Citizen: Eggnog Rum Cheesecake? Check. 
7. Glamorgan Bakery: Balance the sweet with a savory cheese bun. 
8. Bake My Day:…

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Day 14: Christmas Tree Safety

We have all seen the popular holiday movie trope of a Christmas tree disaster. 

In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation the family tree goes up in flames after an elderly woman smoking sets it on fire. In Santa Clause 3, the Christmas tree star falls and shatters. These are movie tragedies, but realities for many people. One only needs to look as far as youtube to see compilation after compilation of Christmas tree mishaps. 

If you want to avoid a Christmas tree disaster this year, follow these simple Christmas tree safety rules:

1). WATER YOUR TREE: Nothing is a worse combination than a bone-dry Christmas tree and hot Christmas lights. Make sure you are constantly monitoring the water levels in the tree base, especially if you have thirsty…

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Day 11: Exploring Newfoundland & Labrador this Canada 150

Newfoundland & Labrador is Canada's most eastern province, with Labrador attached to the northwest corner of Quebec and Newfoundland hanging off into the Atlantic ocean as an island. The name for this province is Portuguese, but also has significance in the native language of Inuttitut. Newfoundland means "terra nova" in Portuguese, which translates to "new land." The name Labrador is derived from the surname of Fernandes Lavrador, a Portuguese explorer. It also translates to "the big land" in Inuttitut.

Newfoundland & Labrador has a long history of habitation, dating back 9,000 years. While many different indigenous groups occupied the land in relative harmony, by the time of European contact only the Beothuk remained. The Beothuk passionately…

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