Special Features - HolidayFamily2012

Red Deer Family

HOLIDAY

CELEBRATIONS

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photo by digitalD Photography

Happy Holidays from the staff of the Red Deer Express.

I Would Like To Take This Opportunity to Wish Everyone a Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

May You Have the Gladness of Christmas, Which is Hope The Spirit of Christmas, Which is Peace The Heart of Christmas, Which is Love

Royal Lepage Patrician

Bett Portelance • 403.307.5581

2 Red Deer Express, RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christmas traditions now and then Christmas is just around the corner and it seems like families are preparing for the holidays in their own special way. My husband and I have put up our tree and decorated it with personal ornaments, adorned our front door with a homemade wreath and added Christmas touches around the house. The baking has begun and so has the consumption of said goods.

Celebrating Christmas as a married couple is al-

TANIS

REID ways different than how you celebrated as a kid. It tends to be a marriage of the way you both used to spend the holidays.

Growing up my family had many traditions that I always looked forward to.

Each year we would put up the tree and decorate it while sipping hot chocolate and eating a cookie or two. My parents would give each of my sisters and I an ornament, so when we decorated the tree we would each put up our personal adornments.

After the tree was full of decorations and memories the five of us would light

up the tree, turn out all the other lights, run outside to the front yard and admire our handiwork. Seeing our festive creation was what kicked off the holiday feeling for me.

After putting up the tree we would assemble my mom’s Precious Moments nativity set. We would read the Christmas story and as the characters entered the story we would take the ceramic version of them and set the scene.

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Beef 26. Beef Tenderloin with Black Bean Sauce 27. Special Beef Tenderloin 28. Beef with Broccoli 29. Beef with Green Peppers in Black Bean Sauce 30. Beef with Fresh Tomatoes 31. Beef with Snow Peas 32. Ginger Beef 33. Curry Beef 34. Beef with Satay Sauce 35. Szechuan Beef 36. Mushrooms with Beef Hot Pot 37. Beef Ginger Hot Pot

45. Deep Fried Shrimp 46. Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce 47. Shrimp with Cashew Nuts 48. Pan Fried Prawn 49. Palace Style Shrimp 50. Scallops in Black Bean Sauce 51. Salt & Pepper Squid 52. Shrimp with Snow Peas 53. Shrimp with Fresh Tomatoes 54. Curry Shrimp 55. Scallops with Snow Peas 56. Shrimp, Scallops & Squid with Mixed Vegetables 57. Seafood Tofu Hot Pot 58. Salt & Pepper Prawns 59. Szechuan Shrimp 60. Szechuan Scallops

Chow Mein (Noodles) 61. Chicken Chow Mein 62. Beef Chow Mein 63. B.B.Q Pork Chow Mein 64. Shrimp Chow Mein 65. Special Chow Mein 66. Vegetable Chow Mein 67. Seafood Chow Mein 68. Beef with Satay Sauce Chow Mein 69. Beef Chow Mein (Cantonese Style) 70. B.B.Q Pork Chow Mein (Cantonese Style) 71. Jumbo Prawn Chow Mein (Cantonese Style) 72. House Special Chow Mein (Cantonese Style)

cakes with whipped cream and strawberries.

Over the years it is these traditions that have stuck with me. Yes I love to give and receive gifts but that is not the focal point of my celebrations.

As an adult I now have my own Christmas practices, many of which stem from my upbringing. I have my own Precious Moments nativity set that I put up every December.

When I got married my mother gave me a box filled with all of the ornaments I had collected over the years. They now proudly hang on my Christmas tree.

My husband’s family didn’t exchange ornaments like mine did but every year I get him a new ornament and he will put one in my stocking for me. This is one way we celebrate together.

Now, every year, we try to spend equal time with both sides of the family, which usually means a lot of driving for us, but it is worth it to see all of our aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. With more people to see, the more joy the holidays bring. These are the things that are important to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. treid@reddeerexpress.com

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Specials 88. Mussel in Black Bean Sauce 89. Teriyaki Wings 90. Honey Garlic Boneless Pork 91. Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

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There would be Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, the three wise men and even the animals.

Last but certainly not least would be the baby Jesus in the manger. Each year the Jesus figurine would be wrapped up when we added him to the nativity set. He would stay this way until Christmas morning when we got to unwrap Him, the most important Christmas gift of all time.

Christmas morning was always a lot of fun. My sisters and I looked forward to exchanging gifts, seeing what Santa left for us and playing with our toys while still dressed in our pajamas. It’s funny though, now looking back, I can’t remember what gifts I gave or received each year but I will always remember what we had for breakfast that day, Papa’s pancakes.

My grandfather makes the best pancakes in the world. He doesn’t have a set recipe but they are always amazing. If he doesn’t have milk - ice cream will do.

He’s not afraid to think outside the box.

Once his thick and fluffy pancakes were on the table everyone reached out and got ready to fill his or her plate and then smother the

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Christmas tree by City Hall illuminates the space around it, bringing the feeling of the holidays to downtown Red Deer.

Tanis Reid/Red Deer Express

RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Red Deer Express 3

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New sleigh tour a fun family event

BY ERIN FAWCETT Red Deer Express A local horse ranch is now offering a new activity for families to enjoy this holiday season.

Heritage Ranch recently launched their Winter Night Lights Sleigh Tour, a 30-minute sleigh ride for guests who can enjoy thousands of Christmas lights along the way.

Officials at Heritage Ranch have decorated their horse trail with 20,000 Christmas lights. Guests can enjoy a sleigh or wagon ride while sipping hot chocolate and taking in the magical sights.

Jackie Faulkner, director of development and operations at Heritage Ranch said since beginning the tours just a few weeks ago, bookings have been steady.

“It’s been crazy. We currently have nine draft horses that we are using for the rides and we have eight sleighs or wagons that will hold anywhere between two and 15 passengers,” she said. “We really encourage people to make reservations because we do book up quite quickly.”

Tours begin at 4 p.m. daily and Faulkner said they will book tours up to 9 p.m. as long as there are consecutive bookings until that time.

The tour will run through until February when Faulkner said hearts will be added to the display for Valentine’s Day. “I think what people forget is that we are a working ranch and these horses need to work – they don’t want to be just standing

around. So this is a great way for the horses to work and to draw a little more attention to the ranch as well.”

Faulkner added Heritage Ranch hopes to continue the tours each year and the goal is to make it an annual tradition in Red Deer.

The cost is $29 for adults, $12 for children

and $2 for toddlers. There are group rates available as well. The cost includes the sleigh or wagon ride as well as hot chocolate, blankets and a fire.

A portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold go to Shalom Counselling in Red Deer. Shalom Counselling Centre is a registered charity devoted to helping people

find peace in life and relationships offering a range of services from counselling for emotional concerns to family life and wellness education for the community.

For more information call Heritage Ranch at 403-347-4977 or visit www.heritageranch.ca. efawcett@reddeerexpress.com

CHRISTMASTIME FUN - Snowy trails at Heritage Ranch have been lit with thousands of Christmas lights to guide the way for the Winter Night Lights Sleigh Tours.

Tanis Reid/Red Deer Express

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4 Red Deer Express, RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Santa meets and greets local children

BY ERIN FAWCETT Red Deer Express Santa Claus has arrived in the City and is spreading his festive spirit and bringing joy to those around him.

Santa has been keeping busy as he visits both the Parkland Mall and Bower Place Shopping Centre.

Children line up to chat with him and get their photo taken.

“It’s wonderful to see the magic Santa brings and we enjoy it quite a bit,” said Krista Dunstan, marketing director for Parkland Mall.

Mrs. Claus is also making appearances at the mall and Dunstan said families have had a great response to her as well. “She has that warm, fuzzy feeling about her and she has been great to have here involved in the events.”

At Bower Place, Santa has also been kept busy.

“We provided Santa with 5,000 candy canes when he arrived and we’ve already had to replenish his stock,” said John Rooke, general manager of Bower Place Shopping Centre. “There has been line-ups of kids waiting

to see him since he arrived.”

Rooke said the set that Santa gets to sit on this year is something special.

“It’s pretty magical for kids and the set is something that I remember from when I was a child. It adds to the whole experience of getting to visit with Santa.”

While he is well known as Santa in Red Deer, he has many names around the world including St. Nicolas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and Sinterklaas.

He is easy to spot with his bright red coat with while collar and cuffs, red trousers, black leather boots and snowy white beard.

He lives quietly most of the year with Mrs. Claus in his house at the North Pole.

Living nearby are his magical elves and a herd of flying reindeer.

But come Christmas he is very busy and many wonder how Santa can do so much on Christmas Eve, but he does get a lot of help from his elves who make the toys throughout the year and the reindeer who whisk him through the sky going from house to house.

ARRIVAL - Santa and Mrs. Claus wave to the people who came to greet them as they made their first appearance at Parkland Mall.

There’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be done too. Keeping those lists of children and whether they

Tanis Reid/Red Deer Express

are naughty or nice up to date, although there is a rumour that he may now use a computer.

It’s understood that Red Deer children, in fact, virtually all of Central Alberta kids are well behaved, so

he’ll be busy delivering all those goodies come Christmas Eve. efawcett@reddeerexpress.com

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RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Red Deer Express 5

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christmas family recipes HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE This recipe is easy for kids to make. It also makes a great gift idea. Have your kids decorate a couple of airtight jars or containers to put the chocolate mixture in.

Then have then print out the recipe; add 2 tbsp of mix to 1 cup of hot milk. Attach it to the jar and give it away.

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COLDWELL Hot chocolate mix 3 1/2 cups of white sugar 2 1/4 cups cocoa 1 tbsp salt Add the above to a large bowl and whisk to mix well. Store in an airtight container.

CLASSIC SUGAR COOKIES This recipe makes 18-20, four-inch cookies, be sure to allow time for the dough to cool in the refrigerator, one hour or more.

You can divide up the cookies and have each child decorate them.

4 cups sifted all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2 large eggs 2 cups white sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract parchment paper decorations, colored sugar, sparkles and small candies Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce to a lower speed.

Gradually mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk.

Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm – about one hour.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Let one disk of dough stand at room temperature until it’s soft enough to roll, about 5-10 minutes, keep the other disk in the refrigerator.

Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick. Remove top layer of paper. Cut out the cookies with your favourite four-inch Christmas shapes.

Transfer the shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to bake.

Bake, switching positions of sheets and rotating halfway through until the edges are golden for about 15-18 minutes. Let them cool on sheets on the top of wire racks. Let the kids be creative and decorate. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.

Holiday entertaining tips As the party planner for celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise, and Oprah Winfrey, when it comes to hosting friends and family during the holiday season Colin Cowie has become an expert in creating the ultimate experience. According to Cowie, it’s easy to host the perfect foolproof holiday dinner party by following a few, simple rules: • Don’t just decorate the tree. Start at the front door with the wreath and carry your theme from the tree to the fireplace and don’t forget to decorate the din-

ing table. Create a festive centerpiece using garland and embellish it with ornaments and fresh flowers.

• Set the mood. Put together a playlist for the festivities. Keep in mind that not every song needs to be a holiday tune.

• Be resourceful. You don’t have to make everything from scratch. Based on your time and culinary expertise, consider visiting a gourmet grocery store and purchase some preprepared foods to compliment your menu.

• Prep in advance. Prepare as much food in ad-

vance so you can spend time with your guests, rather than in the kitchen.

• Set the mood with a scent. Spice toasted nuts are always reminiscent of the holidays. Cowie suggests simply roast nuts in a pan with a bit of oil and then dusting with black pepper, cayenne or cumin for a special treat.

Following Cowie’s tips and always taking into consideration what your guests smell, touch, taste, feel and hear, will help to create the ultimate experience this holiday season.

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With Thanks from our entire staff at Christmas As we wrap up another year, we would like to acknowledge all of our readers, clients, associates and friends, who have made doing business such a pleasure for us.

Please accept our sincere gratitude and best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season.

The staff of the Red Deer Express would like to thank digitalD Photography, Parkland Mall and Santa for our front page photo.

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6 Red Deer Express, RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Red Deer Express 7

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Pamper Your Pets

This Holiday Season

Careful consideration when giving pets as gifts

Tips for making a happy holiday for your dog

BY TANIS REID Red Deer Express With Christmastime quickly approaching people are starting to consider appropriate gifts for their friends and families and often puppies and kittens are purchased as a Christmas surprise.

However, giving the gift of a furry friend may not always be a good idea. “(Having a pet) is a huge commitment. Giving it as a gift may be a fun and exciting surprise for someone, but it may not be the best in the long run for the animal,� said Tara Hellewell, executive director with the Red Deer & District SPCA. This is even more rel-

evant when it comes to a child taking on a new pet. “If it is a gift for a child, know that as parents you are going to be responsible for that animal 100 per cent of the time. You cannot rely on a child to take care of a pet,� said Hellewell.

The problem with surprising a loved one with a pet is there could be regret, or not everyone would be on board or fully understand the responsibility of pet ownership. The person on the receiving end may not be prepared for everything that comes with owning a pet. Everyone who will be involved in the pet ownership should also have a say and be involved in the process of choosing a pet so

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that there is no regret after bringing the animal home.

Also, involving everyone in the process helps everyone to have an understanding of the long-term commitment the family is making.

The point of adopting a pet is to give that animal a forever home. It is important for someone looking to adopt to look as far into the future as possible to make sure that he/she has the appropriate lifestyle to be a pet owner. Does he or she travel a lot, will he or she be moving to a new home that may not allow pets, or do they plan to have a family. Any prospective pet owner really needs to think long-term. “Owning an animal is a big responsibility. Ownership is not for a day or a month or a week or a year.

It is often very long term.�

Unfortunately, animals given as Christmas presents often enter the stray population in the new year and they end up going to facilities such as the SPCA. “People realize that a puppy or kitten pees and poops everywhere, they are destructive, they chew shoes,� said Hellewell. “Yes they are cute but it can take a long time to train an animal. It takes a lot of time and commitment.�

Christmastime however, is not always a bad time to adopt animals, as long as it is done in the proper way.

There are many things to consider before adopting a new member to the family; the cost of food and vet bills, the time commitment, the amount of exercise

the animal will need, how much time will the pet be left alone and so forth. The average cost for dogs annually is $1,500 and $850 for cats. That amount does not include one-time fees such as adoption, spay/neutering and microchipping.

Having considered the

many aspects of pet ownership as a family, an animal could add to the Christmas joy this year - the message is to be prepared. This will be better for everyone involved, both two and fourlegged members of the family.

For more information re-

garding things to consider before bringing a pet home for Christmas, call 403-3427722 or visit www.reddeerspca.com.

There they have links to help determine what type of pet is most suitable for different types of families. treid@reddeerexpress.com

Angela

DREVER It’s a growing trend to get Fido involved in some of our Christmas traditions, but what do we do when they start taking it into their own paws to get involved in our holiday activities?

The following tips will help eliminate some of the most common inappropri-

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ing, give them a stocking with their favourite treats or toys to distract them while the rest of the family opens their own gifts.

Make sure that you do not give them cooked bones or bones from the holiday turkey as they can splinter.

As an alternative you can give them a raw bone, beef or buffalo, or ďŹ ll a Kong ahead of time.

Try to keep your normal schedule for your dog the same. A dog with a routine is a happy dog.

Although dogs are extremely adaptable, they love stable consistent lives so if you can keep their feeding and walking times the same over the Christmas holidays they will feel more at ease.

Be careful with scolding your dog for inappropriate behaviour.

Popular belief is that your dogs have a ‘look of guilt’ when they know they’ve done something wrong; in reality that guilty look is the association with a past reaction to a certain environment (example: telling him he’s a bad dog when he’s left the evidence of crumbs all over the oor).

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to spot-train.

Reward immediately with petting or a treat when they perform what you are asking so they know when they are doing it right.

This will help ensure they repeat the appropriate greeting in the future.

You have less than a second to reward a dog’s behaviour before he has already moved onto his next thought. Be quick and direct.

Make it a priority to carve out a little time just for your dog at some point during the day.

If you can, take him for a 15-minute walk, or vigorous ball play for more athletic dogs, before opening presents and before dinner to release some energy.

Despite a multitude of distractions around, your dog is more likely to listen to you when their energy is spent.

If you want to make your dog feel more a part of the Christmas presents open-

SMILES WITH SANTA - Gizmo, 15, sits with Santa to pose for a Christmas photo at the Red Deer SPCA recently.

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•Dr. Greg Linnell •Dr. Sheila Rangen •Dr. Craig Kosheluk

ate behaviours that show up in our dogs around the holidays.

If you have a dog who is frightened of guests coming into the home, try to do some exposure to people coming in the house ahead of time so they are not caught off guard on the big day.

Make sure it is always a good experience for your dog so they can build up a reputation of positive results.

If they are unable to remain calm, try setting up a comfy cozy safe place in a separate room so they have their own retreat.

Having a dog that is over-exuberant in greeting guests can be troublesome as well.

Training a dog to stay in a spot or on a mat/bed while guests enter the house is a great way to eliminate excited jumping.

If need be, put your dog on a leash to control the situation if they are unable

Angela Drever is the owner of Dog Sense Behaviour Consulting in Red Deer.

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Meeting All Your Small Animal Needs

Holidays are a joyous time to get together with family and friends.

But what happens to our furry little family member when our houses are bombarded with company, great smelling food, enormous trees, and funny little ornaments scattered throughout the house?

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8 Red Deer Express, RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Origins of favourite Christmas traditions

BY MARK WEBER Red Deer Express There are all kinds of Christmas traditions that folks hold dear, but sometimes little is known about when or where they originated from.

“The celebration of Christmas is accompanied by numerous traditions and customs which have developed in many parts of the world over a long period of time,” writes Rudolph Brasch in his book Christmas Customs & Traditions. “No other festival has produced such a wealth and variety of customs, and each one has its own fascinating story.”

First of all, the word ‘Christmas’ is derived from ‘Christ’s Mass’ – the first religious celebrations which honoured Jesus Christ’s birth. Pinpointing a date for the celebration didn’t come until AD 350, when Pope Julius I designated Dec. 25 as Christmas Day. “He did so mainly to counteract the effect of the popular feast held in honour of Saturn – Saturnalia – which occurred at the time of the winter solstice.”

Christmas trees took a long time to become part of holiday celebrations in English-speaking countries. Royalty was responsible for helping to establish the tradition in Britain. “Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s German-born husband, had a Christmas tree erected in Windsor Castle in nostalgic remembrance of his homeland. The royal example was soon copied by the general public, and the custom then spread throughout the world.”

Although Christmas cards may not be as common as they once were, it’s still a popular tradition with many during the holiday season. According to Brasch, the Christmas card was invented by Sir Henry Cole in 1843.

“He was a well-known London art dealer who aspired to improve the general public’s taste.

“He came up with the idea of the first Christmas card,

a simple yet attractive token of friendship which, he felt, would further enhance this special day.”

Still, it took about 20 years for the idea to really catch on. But by the 1860s, stationery companies were producing thousands of cards and during the following three decades, printers in Britain supplied a whopping 163,000 varieties of Christmas cards.

Poinsettia plants’ connection to Christmas dates back to Joel R. Poinsett, who served as the United State’s first ambassador to Mexico from 1825 to 1829.

“During that time, he came to admire a beautiful indigenous plant with large scarlet leaves encircling small, greenish-yellow blossoms, which the Mexicans had adopted as their Christmas flower. He liked it so much that he sent specimens back home, where they soon flourished.”

As for the presentation of nativity scenes, this custom stretches back centuries to the time of St. Francis of Assisi. “After receiving permission from the Pope, he erected the first one during Christmas of 1224 in a cave outside of the Italian town of Greccio.” Live animals were included of course, and it was a “novel and eye-catching way to cel-

ebrate the memory of the child who was born in Bethlehem.

“When people gathered to view the spectacle, Francis stood in front of the manger and recited the Gospel related to the scene, then he delivered a sermon.”

Of course, music is an enormous part of the Christmas season from traditional carols to modern classics. White Christmas, one of the most well-known holiday hits, was written in 1942 by Irving Berlin. “He composed it for the film Holiday Inn, a musical which starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.”

On the traditional side, few carols have resonated quite like Silent Night, first sung on Christmas Eve in 1818 in the Austrian village of Oberndorf. Father Josef Mohr was preparing for his midnight mass, and found that the organ was out of order thanks to some pesky mice.

“Father Mohr felt that the service would lose much of its beauty and warmth if there was no music. Something had to take the place of the organ.”

He had penned a Christmas poem which he took to the local school master, Franz Gruber who also composed music on an informal basis and played the guitar.

“Mohr asked him whether he could quickly set this poem to music so that it would be ready that night. He should do so for two solo voices to be accompanied by guitars.”

It only took a few hours for Gruber to come up with the simple yet elegant tune, and the song was sung that night for the first time. Its popularity spread quickly across the country and eventually throughout Europe. A century passed and singer Bing Crosby, as he had done with White Christmas, lent his golden voice to the melody and a truly global classic was born.

“Almost 100 years later, Bing Crosby gave it world fame.” editor@reddeerexpress.com

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Merry Christmas

As we celebrate the Christmas Holiday Season with age old traditions that may include celebrating faith, showing love and appreciation for friends and family and remembering those who cannot be with us, may the Christmas Spirit fill you with comfort and joy! May your friends and family help you to celebrate the season with faith, hope and love.

As the MLA for Red Deer North, I have been pleased to work on behalf of the people of Red Deer. I am proud to be part of a Government that works towards providing and supporting a great economy so that we can enjoy good healthcare, excellent education and the right kinds of supports for families, children, seniors and the vulnerable. I would also like to express my thanks and appreciation to a community of volunteers who work towards the same goals of helping others. As we celebrate another Christmas Holiday Season, may the holiday traditions of your family, the memories of those you have loved, and the love of friends bring you the comfort and joy that a baby born over 2000 years ago wanted you to have.

As always, should you ever have any issues or concerns, please call my office (403) 342-2263, my door is always open.

Merry Christmas!

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RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Red Deer Express 9

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Old Christmas traditions shared with my new family As the Christmas season approaches this year I find myself looking at it in an entirely different way than ever before.

Kirsten

PALARDY This year I have my own family to share Christmas with – a brand new baby girl and a supportive and loving boyfriend to continue introducing to my family traditions.

I am more excited than I ever have been for a Christmas morning, and am not only excited to see what our families buy for the baby but also the things that will be hand made and cherished forever in our home.

In past years I have baked cookies with my grandmother by myself, this year I will do it with an infant in the room begging for attention. And Christmas Day itself ? Well that

will be an entirely different experience.

The holidays are a time of year during which I look forward to seeing family and friends and catching up with those who I don’t see very frequently. That won’t change, new family or not. The holidays will always remain a time to share with family.

I look forward to being able to pass our baby to friends and family so they can experience the joy I find in her everyday. Creating memories with our loved ones could not be more special now that we have a little one in our lives.

My boyfriend and I get to buy her presents and take pictures of her during her first Christmas. While she can’t open the presents, it’s the idea and sentiment behind some of the gifts we have planned that means a lot – her first ornament, for example.

One tradition from my mom that will pass down to my daughter is the annual ornament. Every year my mom would buy my sister and I an ornament for the tree. That way, when we

were prepared to move out we would have ornaments for our own trees that had some meaning.

There are so many things to look forward to as a new family, but there are a few pitfalls to having an infant at this time of year – for one, Christmas shopping.

Shopping was hard enough with just my boyfriend and I but now we have to haul a diaper bag and our baby through the dreaded malls and try to keep her happy. That becomes an adventure at the best of times, let alone in December.

My boyfriend and I have had to plan this year’s festivities based on the fact our baby is still little and won’t know Santa should come to our house. Thankfully this means we can continue with old traditions at least for one more year like spending Christmas morning with his family and Christmas Eve with mine.

It is hard to believe that the month of December has come so quickly, as we found out we were going to have a baby in December

of last year. In many ways it makes the month that much more special to us.

This year will be the first of many Christmases with our daughter and as she continues to grow, the traditions will too. I’m sure

things will change and one day we will have a toddler jumping on us Christmas morning to get out of bed.

Christmas 2012 will be a special one for us as our first as a family, our baby’s first ever, and the first time

that either of us have gotten gifts as ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.

Nothing could be more amazing than sharing this time of year with my happy little family, and I cherish every moment and look forward to everyday we share.

WRAP IT UP - Anna Thomsen, a volunteer with Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter, wraps a gift at a booth in Bower Place Shopping Centre to raise money for CAWES. Tanis Reid/Red Deer Express

Merry Christmas ""I am pleased to represent Red Deer South as your MLA and the Province of Alberta as Minister ŽĨ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ĂŶĚ /ŶƚĞƌŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚĂů ZĞůĂƟŽŶƐ͘ / ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŚĂƌĚ ƚŽ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ your interests in 2012, and will ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ĚŽ ƐŽ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϯ͘ Please feel free to contact or ƐƚŽƉ ďLJ ŵLJ ŽĸĐĞ ŝĨ LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ƐƵŐŐĞƐƟŽŶƐ Žƌ ǁŽƵůĚ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ƐŚĂƌĞ LJŽƵƌ ǀŝƐŝŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ ůďĞƌƚĂ͘ ZĞĚ ĞĞƌ ŝƐ ĂŶ ĞdžĐŝƟŶŐ͕ ǀŝďƌĂŶƚ community that both Jackie and I are proud to be a part of with LJŽƵ͘ KƵƌ ĨĂŵŝůLJ ǁŝƐŚĞƐ LJŽƵ ĂŶĚ yours a Merry Christmas and all ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϯ͊Η

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10 Red Deer Express, RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Making Christmas brighter for local seniors

BY MARK WEBER Red Deer Express For many people, the Christmas season includes family get-togethers and lots of opportunities to reconnect with old friends as well.

But for many, including some local seniors, it’s a relatively ‘solitary’ time of year.

That’s something Family Services of Central Alberta and the Alberta Generations Project is working to change through the Gifts for Grandparents program – now in its fifth year.

Dawna Morey, project coordinator of the Alberta Generations Project, said that via a number of Family Services support initiatives, it became clear that many seniors live in isolation.

“This is really about honouring our grandparents in the community and our seniors who are isolated and maybe are in need.”

A number of local organizations, including the Piper Creek Foundation, Family Services of Central Alberta and the Golden Cir-

- news services

cle help identify seniors in the community who would benefit from the program.

“We then collect donations or gifts of money. If organizations want to collect and bring cash to the

agency, we can go out and buy specific things.”

Last year, 275 bags packed with all kinds of items were delivered to local seniors at Christmastime. The goal this year is

to fill 350 bags, said Morey.

Gift bags will be delivered the Dec. 17-20. The deadline for contributions is Dec. 14.

Organizers are asking organizations, businesses, or classes to help by do-

olida y H press E

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Watch for it in the December 19 th edition of the Express

nating gifts that would be appropriate for seniors.

These can include slippers, women’s socks, pajamas; toiletry items for men and women; prepackaged cookies, crackers, jams, diabetic candy; gift cards for coffee shops, library passes or grocery stores; coffee, tea or hot chocolate; mittens, gloves and scarves and other small gift items such as night lights or lanyards.

Again, gifts of cash are welcome as well.

“We are also involving our youth in the program

by taking brown bags and having them decorated by students, Brownies, Girl Guides and in after-school programs. We also have students who are making Christmas cards to go into the bags.”

Morey said charitable tax receipts can be provided as well.

A new feature this year is that donations can be made to help with the ongoing costs of a senior’s home support – light housekeeping, meal preparation and grocery shopping.

“We often think of seniors as having everything that they need. But some just don’t – I think of a gentleman who is suffering with heart disease and needs basic things like socks and towels. Just to get a bag with some of these things, and to know that somebody cares. We all really want to feel wanted and cared for, so this really does remind them, in a small way, that there is somebody out there who is thinking of them.

“So hopefully 350 seniors will have Santa’s elves come and visit them this month.”

There is also a need for more volunteer help in terms of filling and delivering the bags.

For more information on how to help out, or to arrange for drop-off of donations, call 403-343-6400 or 403-348-6547. editor@reddeerexpress.com

Surviving holiday shopping The holidays are a whole lot of fun – there are parties, snacks and plenty of chances to unwind. There’s absolutely no downside except, of course, going to the mall.

At this time of year, the mall is hot, crowded, and unpleasant but, shopping experts at RedFlagDeals.com have put together a list of tips that will help you handle it like a pro.

Go against the flow. Going to the mall after a day at work or on a Saturday or Sunday means crowds, crowds, and more crowds. Try hitting the mall before work for more convenient parking, less people – and the first crack at newly re-stocked shelves.

Good things come to those who wait. For friends or relations that you won’t see until after the holidays, consider holding off on shopping for their gifts. Yes, if you head out on Boxing Day the mall will be just as hot, crowded, and unpleasant, but the deals might be better.

Layer up. In our completely (un)scientific opinion, the mall runs about 45C all winter. So if you’re headed to the mall, dress lightly, in easy-to-remove layers. And bring something to stuff that heavy winter coat in.

Shop online. It’s awfully convenient and comfortable to shop online, so do as much of that as you can. And even if you’re shopping in-store, make sure you research prices and items online first. www.newscanada.com

RED DEER FAMILY HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, Red Deer Express 11

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Show the kids how to care this season Parents can plant seeds of compassion during the holidays by letting their children care for others. This time of year there are many ways to nurture empathy.

There are three simple steps to empowering children with the sense that they can help others and make a difference in the world: • let them choose how they will help.

• explain to them how they are assisting others, and that their actions have a powerful effect.

• praise them for the wonderful difference they are making Have kids take part in holiday planning. A parent hosting a party can ask a child how to make it more enjoyable for the guests, and help the child make the idea come to life. Creative ideas can include crafts, personalized place settings or games that they think guests will enjoy. This encourages kids to think about other people, and builds their confidence as they take on a fun responsibility.

Generosity is a value that can be nurtured and it will give children a deeper under-

standing of how they can make a difference in the world. A unique way to introduce them to charity is World Vision Gifts online at www.worldvision.ca/ gifts. On the site, select from a broad choice of practical donations that will create a longterm, sustainable difference for a child or community. This family-friendly option is a great way to expose children to issues that kids of a similar age face around the world.

This is also the time of year when charities are looking for spare change – stores and malls will have a variety of buckets for donations. Children get a tremendous sense of accomplishment knowing that nickels and dimes from their own piggy banks are helping other people.

Let them choose the charity, and watch their satisfaction when their own coins are dumped in.

Many families make it a point to get involved in the community around the holidays. For example, families can visit a local homeless shelter, stop by a retirement home, donate food to a local food bank, or serve up a hot meal at a soup kitchen.

TRIM THE TREE - Alfreda Wright, a volunteer with Ten Thousand Villages located in downtown Red Deer, decorates Tanis Reid/Red Deer Express a Christmas tree with ornaments made from around the world.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

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