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Christmas
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...
Corduroy, double knits and extreme weather: What Christmas was like 50 years ago
KAMLOOPS – Fifty years ago in Kamloops the gifts, clothes and news were different, but the holiday spirit was just as strong as today’s. In a look back at the Kamloops Daily Sentinel from December, 1964 the hot ticket items to gift for kids were dolls for girls and trucks or model kits for boys....
VIDEO: Vernon business surprises customer with heartfelt Christmas gift
VERNON - A local Vernon business is getting into the spirit of Christmas. Rice Box owner On Ouch surprised a loyal customer recently with an all expenses paid trip down to Vancouver to see a Canucks game. He hoped the gift would make the holidays extra special for the single mom and her kids. “This...
‘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...
Vernon RCMP get in the spirit of giving
VERNON - Between attending car accidents on winter roads, looking for missing people, and investigating criminal cases, Vernon police officers are finding time to give back to the community this holiday season. Vernon RCMP officer Cpl. Yannick Lescarbeau, along with several hockey coaches and managers, organized a charity hockey tournament in support of the Sick...
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....
Christmas grinch steals holiday display from senior couple
KAMLOOPS - Brenda Leblanc and her family will celebrate Christmas this year without their favourite holiday decoration because someone stole their inflatable snow globe from their front yard in Brock Estates last Sunday. “It was one of a kind,” Leblanc says. “We’ve never seen another one like it.” The six-foot tall inflatable display has Santa,...
Ways to give back to the Vernon community this holiday season
VERNON - If you’re looking for a way to give back to the community this holiday season, there are plenty of organizations in Vernon welcoming both donations and volunteers. Dave McBain, with the Salvation Army Food Bank, says people can lend a hand by donating cash or food to help feed those in need. Donations...
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...
How you can give back to the community at Christmas
KAMLOOPS - The holidays are meant to be a time for celebrating but for many people the holidays are even more of a struggle. There are dozens of charities in the city that aim to help those who are struggling right now and throughout the year but here we offer a look at ones that...
The new way to put up Christmas lights in Vernon? Hire someone
VERNON - At age 10, Nicholas Moffat was helping his mom with the magical and much anticipated Christmas display at Art Knapps, something they began planning three months ahead of time. Now, many years later with kids of his own, the businessman has found a way to keep doing what he loves. The only difference?...
How Vernon is making Christmas wishes come true
VERNON - A phone card, a bus ticket, warm footwear: It’s not your usual Christmas wish list, but for those on the receiving end, the gifts may mean a call home, a family visit or keeping warm on the unforgiving winter streets. It’s part of an initiative called Homeless Partners, which collects stories from the...
Garbage pickup changes over the holidays
KAMLOOPS - The holidays are here and that usually means enough boxes, wrapping paper and packaging to fill your recycling and garbage bins two or three times over. It is also the time of year when our garbage pickup schedules change and cause delays in curbside pickup. Pick up will run on a normal schedule...
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...
It’s not Christmas in Vernon until you’ve seen these 8 things
VERNON - It doesn’t truly feel like Christmas in Vernon until you’ve spotted these classic holiday scenes around town. 1. Downtown Vernon transformed into Whoville. Local merchants decorate storefronts fit for Cindy Lou Who and twinkle lights adorn the sidewalk. %%Image1%% 2. A busy Christmas craft fair or Winter Market. It’s not Christmas without a...
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.
Police invite you to stuff a police cruiser full of toys
KAMLOOPS - Members of the public are encouraged to donate toys and other items to help families in need as part of the RCMP and Christmas Amalgamated partnership in the "Stuff the Cruiser" campaign. RCMP members will be set up at Toys R Us and Walmart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, December...
SPCA offers pet advice for cold weather and Christmas
PENTICTON - As Penticton experiences its second cold snap of the season, the Penticton SPCA offers some words of advice for animal lovers. “Bring animals in from the cold,” is some simple advice Corinne Ross, Branch Manager for the Penticton SPCA, offers. “It depends on the dog, as to how much cold they can experience,...
IN PHOTOS: Holiday season officially begins
KAMLOOPS - Christmas lights have been making an appearance around the city since the beginning of the month — then Mother Nature coated the city in snow — and now, with the lighting of the Christmas tree at St. Andrews on the Square the holiday season is officially upon us. Dozens of people braved the...
Christmas season kicks off this week in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - Mother Nature has begun decorating for the holidays and this week the city will kick off holiday festivities with the Lights in the Night celebration and the Santa Claus Parade. On Thursday Downtown Kamloops will host the annual Lights in the Night festival, an annual kickoff to the Christmas season. The event will...