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Christmas 2015
Vernon city councillor shares favourite Christmas traditions
VERNON - We reached out to Vernon’s politicians to share their Christmas traditions and what they remember most fondly about Christmas with their families. It’s a busy time of year for everyone, but one Vernon councillor took the time to reply to our questionnaire and give residents a bit of insight into her Christmas traditions....
Here are some family fun activities to enjoy in Kamloops over your holiday break
KAMLOOPS - If you’re basking in an extra long-holiday vacation or are looking to keep the kids entertained during winter break, there are activities to enjoy beyond snacking in front of the TV or last-minute Christmas shopping. From Christmas Eve to New Years’ Eve, the Sagebrush Theatre will host Beauty and the Beast, the Panto...
Kelowna councillor shares Christmas memories and traditions
KELOWNA - While Christmas traditions vary from family to family, everyone has their own that make the day so special. Kelowna city councillor Luke Stack agreed to share with infoNEWS.ca what he and his loved ones do on Dec. 25. Every year the Stack family, including wife Anne and children Laura, Joel and Heather, set...
Penticton city councillors share their festive season traditions
PENTICTON - We asked Penticton’s politicians to share their memories about their Christmas traditions, what they remembered most fondly about Christmas with their families and what traditions they follow from year to year. It’s a busy time for everyone but two Penticton councillors took the time to reply to our questionnaire to give residents a...
Some quirks of the calendar will bring you a lot more fun next year
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Before you book your vacation next year, you might find some surprises you haven’t seen on the calendar — like an extra four long weekends next year. Thanks to a few quirks of the calendar, all four date-based holidays fall on or near weekends this year. Canada Day, Remembrance Day and New Years...
MERRY CHRISTMAS
It's finally here. After weeks of decorating, baking and shopping — it's Christmas Day.
MAP: Christmas lights to see in Vernon
VERNON - It’s not Christmas without the dazzle of bright lights around the city, and we’ve found the displays you don’t want to miss this year. A Christmas lights driving tour is a fun, and best of all, a free way to get in the holiday spirit. When night falls, the City of Vernon transforms...
MAP: Take a driving tour of Penticton Christmas lights
PENTICTON - Taking in the Christmas light displays around town is a great way to spend an evening, and we've put together a map to help you do just that. We did our best to find some of the best areas of the city for Christmas lights and compiled them into this handy map. So...
MAP: Can’t miss Christmas light displays in Kelowna
KELOWNA - From Candy Cane Lane in Springvalley to Rotary's Kerry Park display, residents of Kelowna have once again stepped up their efforts this year to make it a memorable season. Although we were unable to get all the light displays in the city on this map, it does represent the 'can't miss' homes and...
MAP: Where to see the best Christmas lights in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Nothing quite says Christmas like thousands of little twinkling lights, and every year our neighbours race to beat the inevitable cold snap to get their displays up and ready for the first snowfall. All right, let’s be honest, some neighbours keep up their lights year-round. But they are not usually the ones who...
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...
Christmas in Kamloops: How to one-up your overachieving neighbours
KAMLOOPS - What do you do when your neighbours could challenge Clark Griswold in a Christmas lights contest and you don’t have the time or inclination to plan ahead for something that big? You do the only thing possible — embrace it and ‘ditto’ it. The Fords moved in next to Grant and Jacki Andersen...
Christmas laser lights causing problems for Okanagan airport
PENTICTON - A new form of Christmas lighting may have been at issue behind a police incident at Penticton Regional Airport earlier this month. RCMP were called to Penticton Regional Airport on Sunday evening, Dec. 13, after a pilot reported seeing a green laser light flash in the cockpit as he was about to land,...
MAP: Winter fun in Kelowna is just a snowball throw away
KELOWNA - With the kids home from school and clients busy with their families, parents everywhere are looking for fun activities they can do with their kids. Kelowna is known as one of the best summer travel destinations, but there is no shortage of exciting winter fun to be had as well. From tobogganing in...
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...
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...
How TRU international students are celebrating Christmas at a closed campus
KAMLOOPS - While most of us are packing our bags or prepping guest rooms for visitors this weekend, there are some who will be spending their white Christmas in a foreign country. Of the 1,750 international students at TRU, more than 100 will be spending their holiday season on campus, which will be closed for...
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...
Eight books by Vernon and area authors to put under the tree this year
VERNON - For die-hard book worms, there’s no greater Christmas gift than a good read. A book, especially one with a personal inscription, makes a thoughtful gift for the book lover in your life. If you’re on the hunt for local titles, we’ve got a few suggestions. For the fiction lover %%Image1%% Turtle Valley by...
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...
Extra special Christmas gift for Vernon’s Upper Room Mission
VERNON - Christmas came early to Vernon’s local soup kitchen. Thanks to two local businesses, the Upper Room Mission’s regular volunteers will get Christmas Eve off. Rob and Lisa Ellis, owners of Rellish Transport Services, along with Jim Tennant of Save-On-Foods, stepped up to the plate and are sponsoring the Mission’s annual Christmas Eve dinner,...
Holiday closures to make note of in Vernon
VERNON - There are a few closures and changes in regular hours to be aware of over the Christmas break in Vernon. City Hall will be closed at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24 and all day Dec. 25 and Dec. 28. It will return to regular open hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for City...
Winter break activities to keep you busy in Penticton
PENTICTON - Christmas 2015 looks like it will be white in Penticton this year, which will be a blessing to those looking for winter activities on the valley bottom. With Apex Mountain Resort a 40-minute drive from downtown Penticton, winter is never far away, no matter what kind of winter we’re experiencing, however. The resort...