winter fun & adventures
Our Guide to the Holidays Take the brr out of winter - cure your family's cabin fever with events, activities and holiday fun!
VISITS WITH SANTA Make sure to book your visit ahead and check for any new safety rules before going to see Santa this year!
the lights. Once everyone is in their jammies, make warm winter drinks for the family and watch your very favorite holiday movie together.
BASS PRO SHOPS Website: basspro.com/shop/en/santas-wonderland DEERFOOT CITY Website: deerfootcity.com HERITAGE PARK’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS Website: heritagepark.ca/plan-your-visit/eventcalendar/once-upon-a-christmas SHEEP RIVER HEALTH TRUST Best Western Plus in Okotoks Website: bookwhen.com/healthtrustsanta2020 SOUTHCENTRE MALL Website: southcentremall.com VIRTUAL SANTA CANADA Website: virtualsanta-canada.ca
GIVE THE GIFT OF FAMILY TIME Enjoy a stroll through the Airdrie Festival of Lights (info@airdrielights.com; airdrielights.com) or any of your favorite light displays around town! Distance safely with your favorite hot chocolate recipe and take your family for a magical evening out. Make the best hot chocolate ever! Arm your kids with flavored syrups, sprinkles, whipped toppings, white milk, dark chocolate chips, and compete for the prize of the best family hot chocolate recipe! Make sure to name and write down recipes for your concoctions. Support local businesses by buying gift cards for experiences as stocking stuffers! A Calaway Park season pass (calaway@calawaypark.com; calawaypark. com); YMCA Calgary gift card (info@calgary.ymca.ca; ymcacalgary.org); Calgary Zoo day pass (calgaryzoo. com), and pre-purchased tickets for Loose Moose (mail@loosemoose.com; loosemoose.com) make great gifts for all ages!
The City of Calgary (311; calgary.ca/free) offers a range of free outdoor recreational events and opportunities to encourage active daily living and social connection. The City is encouraging physical activity and free play all year long. Visit the website to find a list of events in a community near you! Film a family update and share it with loved ones. Instead of sending holiday cards this year, why not ask your family members to share an update to extended family in their own words? If you need help getting the little ones talking, prompt them with some questions and record their answers. It’ll make a wonderful family keepsake and be so fun to watch a few years from now. Explore the great outdoors this winter! Why not try snowshoeing, tubing, cross-country skiing, or winter hiking? Check out Kananaskis Outfitters (403-591-7000; info@kananaskisoutfitters.com; kananaskisoutfitters.com) and Winsport (info@winsport. ca; winsport.ca) for everything you’ll need to get your family moving! Have a winter picnic. Bundle up and book a picnic site or have a fire or barbecue right in your backyard! Ward off the chills with a roaring fire and roast marshmallows, make banana boats, or make your own gourmet hot dogs. Looking for something special to get your kids off the sofa? Give the gift of a WILD | LIFE Outdoor Adventures (support@jointhewildlife.ca; jointhewildlife. ca) subscription box filled with activities, orienteering gear, tools, and craft materials to enjoy the outdoors this winter and all year round! When was the last time you went skating? Calgary has large groomed outdoor skating rinks all over the city! Used skates are always plentiful to purchase online and in thrift stores, or you can rent them from a number of businesses for a small fee. Don’t forget your helmet!
HOLIDAY FUN AROUND CALGARY YMCA CALGARY Email: headoffice@calgary.ymca.ca Website: ymcacalgary.org Host a hygge holiday movie night. Spread out blankets and pillows on the floor in front of the TV, light some LED candles, turn on your Christmas tree, and dim 14 •
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Ongoing; Lighten UP Calgary. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and it just wouldn’t be Christmas time without twinkling lights. Share your Holiday Cheer and show Lighten UP Calgary your lit-up homes, nativity, or North Pole scenes. Submit your details through the Web submission form: lightenupcalgary.ca
Ongoing; MARKT. by Spruce Meadows. That feeling of Christmas, delivered! Shop a wide online selection of the International Christmas Market! Take a free holiday family photo through the website, courtesy of TELUS! markt.sprucemeadows.com December 11 to 31; Theatre Calgary Presents, A Christmas Carol. Not even Scrooge can prevent a joyous holiday tradition from taking place! Gather the family around the tree, and your screen, and enjoy a holiday tradition known worldwide. To purchase digital access: theatrecalgary.com Weekends, December 12 & 13, 19 & 20, 21 to 23, 10am to 4pm; Once Upon a Christmas at Heritage Park Historical Village. Once Upon a Christmas returns to the Park for old-fashioned fun! Guests must reserve a time slot for select capacity-limited activities. These activities remain free with Once Upon a Christmas admission/valid annual pass, but a reservation is required for horse-drawn wagon rides, Santa visits, and live play in the Canmore Opera House (Dr. Billard’s Combustible Christmas). To purchase timed-entry tickets: heritagepark.ca December 22, 2 to 3pm; Drawing Class: What’s in Your Stocking? The Calgary Public Library is drawing a stocking just for you! Do you like teddy bears? Candy canes? And maybe a present - what will it be? Led by Young Rembrandts. For ages 6 to 8. To register for the online class: calgarylibrary.ca Until December 23, 9am to 5pm; Calgary Christmas Market. Warm yourself by a crackling fire, indulge your sweet tooth with a fresh BeaverTail, pick up your fresh Christmas tree, and find thoughtfully-crafted goods from your favorite vendors. Mark your calendars for a Magical Santa Experience*, visit with jolly old elf’s reindeer, and see the mean green humbug during Grinchmas! *Presale timed tickets required for a safe visit with Santa, including virtual photos: calgaryfarmersmarket.ca Until December 31, 6 to 9pm; 25th Annual Airdrie Festival of Lights. With free parking and admission by cash donation, the festival is a low-cost way to bring family and friends together! Enjoy train rides, hot chocolate, fire pits, ice skating (weather-permitting), and walk amongst the many whimsical displays. Dogs on leashes welcome. Certain COVID-19 restrictions. Visit the website for updates: airdrielights.com Until January 3, 5 to 9pm (excludes December 25 & 31); ZOOLIGHTS. The Calgary Zoo is brightening your experience with bigger, brighter, and more magical themes this year! New themed areas include Polar Wonderland, Journey to Wechiau, Enchanted Gardens, and more! Classic activities include a skating rink, rival axe throwing, lovers’ lane, and a (physically-distanced) visit with Santa in his cabin! 2 million twinkling lights bring ZOOLIGHTS to life. The Zoo is expanding their Sensory Sunday experience! Sundays, between 5 and 9pm (excluding November 29), the ZOOLIGHTS
