Christmas
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...
‘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...
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...
Good news brightens holidays for Vernon’s Upper Room Mission
VERNON - Christmas came early to the Upper Room Mission with an okay from Interior Health to re-open its kitchen facilities. The kitchen was shut down after flooding damaged the building and contaminated food Dec. 2. The soup kitchen has been serving meals out of the People Place and relying on generous community businesses and...
Your guide to a Christmas lights driving tour 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 free, way to get in the holiday spirit. When night falls, the City of Vernon transforms into...
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...
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 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...
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...
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....
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....
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...
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...
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...
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?...