Holiday Guide 2025 by Bowen Island Undercurrent

holiday makers holiday

Holiday Event Calendar Bowen Island gifts, art, food,and festive cheer

HOLIDAY MAKERS

As it is every holiday season, the Holiday Maker’s Guide for 2025 has been great fun to put together. It comes to you not just from your Bowen Island Undercurrent, but also from those islanders who work at and own your Bowen businesses. Along with the plethora of wonderful Christmas and Holiday items and services those businesses have to offer, this year we include 3 recipes for Christmas treats from locals, each recipe passed down from family traditions.

What we aim to do with this guide is pass on the warmth and love of community. To help make this holiday season special for you and your family and help us all come together and celebrate as a community. There are a host of islanders out there organizing events like Light Up Bowen, Children’s Shopping Day at the Nook, the Christmas Craft Fairs, and much, much more, and you can learn about them all here. We are happy this year and every year to inform you, our neighbours and friends, about the fabulous items, services and celebrations that lay in store for you right here on island over the next few weeks.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a safe, prosperous and a Happy New Year!

In memory of Skippy our sweet loveable troublemaker, forever in hearts.

Front Cover : Lisa Brougham photo taken at Sealeigh Beach on Bowen Island

Holiday Events

NOVEMBER 28

L adies Madrigal Singers Christmas C oncert, 7pm Cates Chapel, cash or debit/$25.00 kids 8 and under free

NOVEMBER 29

S aturday Morning Retro Holiday Cartoons & Cereal 10:30 am – 12:30 pm bowenislandmunicipality.ca/recreation

NOVEMBER 29

L ight Up Bowen – Lantern Making Workshop 2 :00 pm – 4:00 pm bowenislandmunicipality.ca/recreation

NOVEMBER 29

A rtisan Square 2 annual outdoor Holiday M arket. 10 to 5 pm. Visit the shops and s hop the curated local gift market. Food, live music, popcorn bar, and cozy firepits. nd

NOVEMBER 30

B owen Island Legion Christmas C raft Fair. Local crafts, festive treats and festivities! 11-3 pm

NOVEMBER 30

Rivendell Lodge Open House

2 - 5 pm Stay for a treat and a hot drink W e will gather around the tree at 4pm for a short reflection. All are welcome!

DECEMBER 6

LIGHT UP BOWEN 5 pm

S anta Parade on the boardwalk, Carol s inging and live Nativity, Letters to Santa a nd cookie decorating, Festival of Trees a nd Snug Cove Light Up, and a party with Santa at the Hearth!

DECEMBER 6

LIGHT UP gets underway at 5 pm with c arol singing and a live nativity scene p erformed by Cates Hill Chapel m embers. Above the Union Steamship Marina boardwalk on the small lawn.

DECEMBER 1 TO DECEMBER 6

F ood Bank Drive at Bowen Building C entre. Bring a donation for the B owen food bank and receive 5% of f y our Building Centre purchase.

DECEMBER 5 TO DECEMBER 24

T he 6th annual December Art Marke t a t the Hearth gallery. Handcrafted c reations and gift items from local artists. hearth.ca

DECEMBER 5

A Night at the Movies: White Christmas. 6 :30 pm – 9:00 pm Get into the holiday s pirit with this beloved musical classic! bowenislandmunicipality.ca/recreation

Endswell Farm Christmas Market. 1 - 4 pm. Local artisans, handmade rafts, delicious bites, farm stand, ho t apple cider and farm tours!

Annual Christmas Craft Fair at the Little Red Church featuring local artisans and festive treats. Bowen Island United

Come to the Friends of the Bowen Island L ibrary Society’s Holiday Book Sale in the B owen Library Annex! Drop by and shop t his selection of quality used fiction, c hildren’s books, and more! All funds r aised support the Bowen Island Library. 10 - 2 pm

DECEMBER 7

B ICS PAC Christmas Craft Fair

1 0 - 3 pm at Bowen Island Community

S chool and the Youth Craft Fair upstairs i n the multi- purpose room 10-3 pm. An Island Tradition since 1984!

DECEMBER 7

Carmina Bowena, Bowen Island’s Renaissance choir will perform pop- ups at this year’s Christmas Craft Fair at BICS.

DECEMBER 7

T he 27th annual dramatic reading of C harles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ Kick o ff Christmas with Scrooge, Tiny Tim and t he Cratchit family, assorted ghosts, Tina N ielsen, Martin Clarke, Kat Stephens, G raham Ritchie and Marc Gawthrop 7 :30pm at Collins Hall. tickets $30 at C ates Pharmacy cash or cheque a fundraiser for Snug Cove House Society

DECEMBER 13

‘ Martinis with Santa’ at Doc Morgans. An a nnual festive event. Live music and the jolly old elf himself! 7 - 10 pm. Adult event.

DECEMBER 13

‘Come All Ye’ to the Bowen Island C ommunity Choir’s seasonal concerts at C ates Hill Chapel at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm . A dults $25 Seniors & Youth $15 (10 years & u nder free) Tickets Cates Pharmacy & at the door.

DEC 14

DECEMBER 14

Holiday Events

Shoebox Drive – Packing Party

1 2:30 pm – 2:00 pm

b owenislandmunicipality.ca/recreation

DECEMBER 18 19 20 and 21

Kingbaby Theatre proudly presents its o riginal holiday theatre classic, MAD M ABEL'S CHRISTMAS. A humorous and p oignant story about a little girl who l earns lessons in compassion and g ratitude after encountering an eccentric o lder woman. Written, created and p erformed by the David Cameron and J ackie Minns. Also starring Annie Arbuckle, K at Stephens and Andrew Cameron. Bring t he whole family to a show that will fill y our heart. Tickets at Eventbrite or w ww.thehearthartsonbowen.ca

DECEMBER 22

Martin Clarke’s annual reading of a ‘A C hild Christmas in Wales’ in the Little Red C hurch on Sunday Dec. 22 at 7 pm. Free with a donation to the Food Bank.

‘ Honour a Life’ 4 pm at Collins Hall. An i nterfaith gathering of songs, sacred r eadings and poetry to honour those we’ve l oved and lost, and to acknowledge the r ole grief may play at this time of year. B rought to you by the Bowen Threshold Singers. bowen@thresholdchoir.org

DECEMBER 14

Children’s Shopping Day at the Knick K nack Nook 12 to 2pm A day for c hildren to shop for special gifts on t heir own. Ages 3 - 12 More info at knicknackknook.org

DECEMBER 24

Polar Express PJ Party! bowenislandmunicipality.ca/recreation

DECEMBER 30

Cozy Family Fort Day! All Ages. 1 - 2:30 B owen Island Library - Annex. Bring your b lankets, sheets, pillow and/or stuffy for a c ozy family read-in. We’ll share stories, b uild fabulous forts and sip warm cocoa t ogether. Register at bowenlibrary.ca

Parents must attend with children.

CHURCH SERVICES

1122

Holiday Bakers

Tim Rhodes

BERTHA’S CARROT PUDDING

Bertha Rhodes (Gram), my great-grandmother, married Orlando Rhodes in 1895 in Chatham, Ontario. We lived on the farm with Bertha in the home she and Orlando built. (According to my parents, I was her favourite and could do no wrong.) Bertha made this pudding every year until her death in 1952, when her daughter-in-law, my grandmother, Hazel (TeeTee), took on the tradition. Hazel’s daughter-in-law and my mother, Bernice (Nana), took over from Hazel and made this pudding every Christmas into her late 80s. I was very likely the first male Rhodes to make it.

The pudding is steamed, not baked, so you will need a steamer to accommodate a bundt or angel food cake pan - or jerry-rig something. I recommend making the pudding well ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator - and sprinkling it with a few drops of rum between now and Christmas. Reheat it by steaming is again until warm through-out (about half-an-hour). I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave.

THE PUDDING

Ingredients:

1 cup finely ground raw peeled carrot

1 cup finely ground raw peeled potato

¾ cup finely ground seeded raisins.

Raisins are easier to grind if ground between potatoes and carrots.

1 tsp baking soda

1½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup finely ground suet.

You may substitute shortening or butter, but it is not recommended.

Directions:

1. Dissolve baking soda in ½ cup of ground potato and set aside. The mixture will turn black but it’s okay!

2. Mix carrots, potatoes, and raisins together. Sprinkle with a little flour.

3. Cream sugar and suet together, add beaten egg, and add to carrot/potato/raisin mixture.

4. Sift flour and spices together and add to carrot/ potato/raisin mixture.

5. Add soda and potato to carrot/potato/raisin mixture.

6. Mix ingredients together lightly and place in a bundt or angel food cake pan.

7. Steam for 3 hours.

Serve hot or cool and store in refrigerator.

THE SAUCE

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar (dark)

1 cup hot water

1 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with a little hot water)

1 tsp vanilla dark rum

Directions:

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet.

2. Add brown sugar and stir constantly over low heat until caramelized. Sugar burns very quickly.

3. Slowly add hot water stirring constantly.

4. Slowly stir is corn starch and cook until clear. Add more water to thin but if you want to thicken, a little cornstarch goes a long way.

5. Add vanilla and rum to taste. Serve sauce hot over pudding.

PRESENTATION HINTS

The pudding is difficult to handle when hot. A spring release angel food cake pan works great – the pudding never has to leave its base – but it does leave an unsightly metal cone in the middle of your presentation. Cover the cone with a paper cone with some curly ribbon spilling out of the top or add sparklers (being careful not to burn the tablecloth). It takes a while to reheat – about half-an-hour – but the aroma is part of the presentation.

Serves 16 or enjoy it all through the holidays and again on New Year’s

SantaSparkler

Recipe by ThomMcCann DocMorgan’sInn

Pour1/2ozofChambordintoa glasscoupe

Add1 oz Pomegranatejuice

Slowly topwit h4 ozof chilled CharmeDeL'Ile

Garnishwit ha sugaredRosemar ySprig andfreshCranberries

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UnsweetenedPomegranateJuice:A CrucialChoice

Mystrong recommendationistoalwaysuse 100%unsweetened pomegranatejuice.

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Holiday Bakers

Basia Lieske

MAKOWIEC ZAWIJSNY

Every Christmas, my aunt made the most wonderful poppy seed roll — makowiec, as she called it. The smell of the sweet, nutty filling baking in the oven meant the holidays had truly begun. I still make it every year, and one slice with a cup of tea takes me right back to her cozy kitchen and all the laughter that filled it.

Yeast Dough

4 cups all-purpose flour

a pinch of salt stick (100 g) butter

½ cup sugar

2 egg yolks

½ cup milk

1.4 oz fresh yeast or just over 4 tsp active dry yeast

Place one stick of butter, 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Warm it up (on a low heat) until butter melts. Set the saucepan aside to cool down, roughly to 104°. Separate egg whites from yolks, leave egg whites aside. Move two yolks into a large bowl, add yeast (fresh or dry). Combine together with a fork. Sift four cups of flour into the bowl, add a pinch of salt and add warm sweet milk mixture. Knead together for about 5 minutes. Form a smooth dough ball, place it in a large bowl and cover with a cloth. Leave in a warm place for 2 hours to rise.

Cake Assembly

NOTE: This Roll is very long, roughly 20 inches and may not fit in your oven. If it doesn't, cut the dough in half and make two smaller rolls. Preheat the oven to 360°F. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle, roughly 0.4-0.6 inch thick. Spread the filling on top, leaving a small border around the edges. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the pastry up as gently and tightly as possible. Once the roll is assembled, place it on parchment paper. Then, fold the paper over the top of the roll, forming a tunnel with around 0.4 inch of loose space. Place the wrapped roll onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Once the time is up, switch off the oven and leave its door open for 15 minutes. You can then take the cake out, remove the parchment paper and set aside to cool down completely.

For decoration

1 cup powdered / icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp dry poppy seeds

1 tbsp candied orange peel, ideally homemade

Fill a small cup with powdered sugar and add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Blend it together with a fork. Pour the frosting over the Poppy Seed Roll Sprinkle a tablespoon of dry poppy seeds and chopped candied orange peel. Leave aside for the frosting to set.

Poppy Seed Filling

14 oz poppy seeds, blue or other

3.5 oz raisins

2 tbsp almond spirit (Amaretto) or gold rum

4 tbsp orange peel, fresh

2.5 cup whole milk

3 eggs

1.8 oz chopped walnuts

1.8 oz chopped almonds

11 tbsp powdered / icing sugar

2 sticks (200 g) butter

4 tbsp honey, mild

3.5 oz dried fruit mix (cranberry, apricot, prunes, dates)

Clean the poppy seeds. Soak poppy seeds in water first. Collect any dirt that floats to the top with a slotted spoon. Rinse the poppy seeds and drain them on a sieve lined with gauze.

Prep ingredients. Rinse raisins under running water. Place them in a small bowl and pour 2-3 tablespoons of almond spirit or golden rum over them. Cover the bowl with a small plate and set aside. Chop fresh orange peel finely. Pour 2.5 cups of milk into a cooking pot and bring it to boil. Drop all the poppy seeds in. Make sure they are fully submerged in the milk. Reduce the heat to ‘low’ and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Drain the poppy seeds on a sieve lined with gauze. Grind the poppy seeds. It’s best to grind them using a meat grinder, using a disc with the smallest holes. Using a disc with the smallest holes, grind the poppy seeds 2 to 3 times.

Separate yolks from egg whites. Whisk yolks together with 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar, set aside.

Place chopped walnuts and almonds in a deep frying pan. Add a pinch of salt and roast them for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat. Add in 2 sticks of butter. Add 4 tablespoons of honey and 4 tablespoons of chopped orange peel. Let the orange peel fry for a bit, a few minutes is enough. Add in ground poppy seeds, chopped dried fruit and alcohol-soaked raisins. Mix everything together with a spatula, gradually adding egg yolks mixed with powdered sugar. Take the pot off the heat.

Whip the remaining egg whites until stiff, adding 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar near the end of whipping. Gently add them into the poppy mass.

Polish Poppy Seed Roll

Making your days Making your days merry & bright merry & bright all season long ! all season long ! your days & season long !

we have gift cards! Have a “Happy” Holiday! Comfort & Joy!

Holiday Bakers

Sindy Zelezen

FRUIT CAKE

Fruit Cake -adapted from BBC Food. I usually make the cake just after Thanksgiving so I have lots of time to “feed”

Ingredients

100g crystallized pineapple

100g glacé cherries

50g crystallized ginger

175g candied peel

200g raisins (preferably sultanas)

4 tbsp brandy

200g softened butter

200g golden caster sugar (regular sugar works too)

4 eggs, beaten

zest and juice of 1 orange

200g flour

1 tsp cinnamon

100g almond flour

175g mixed shelled nuts (brazils, hazelnuts, almonds)

8’ round springform pan or cake pan Parchment paper Cheesecloth

Method

** at least 2 - 3 days ahead: Chop pineapple, ginger, and peel (if not already chopped), and quarter cherries. Mix together in a large bowl and add the brandy. Mix well, cover and set aside for a few days.

Butter the base and sides of the springform pan. Cut a double thickness of parchment paper that is 2” higher than the pan, and long enough to wrap around the pan with a slight overlap. Make a 1” crease along the folded edge. Cut 2 rounds of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan. Fit the long strip of parchment around the inside of the pan, with the folded 1” edge at the base. Put the 2 parchment rounds in the base so they cover the 1” edge.

Preheat the oven to 300F

Chop the nuts and set aside

Sift together the flour and cinnamon and set aside

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes)

Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled - totally fine.

Beat in the orange juice and zest, then the soaked fruit (including any liquid)

Stir in the nuts, Stir in flour and cinnamon, and almond flour

Fold slowly until everything is combined Spoon mixture into cake pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula

Bake for 1hr, then reduce oven temperature to 275 and bake for 2 - 2 1/2 more hrs, until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, and it has stopped “singing” (the hissing sound made during baking) Cool in pan, and when cold invert the cake onto a wire rack, then onto few layers of cheese cloth, keeping the parchment rounds between the cake and the cloth. Poke holes into the cake with a skewer, and spoon 2 tablespoons of brandy over the holes so it soaks into the cake. ⁃ Keep “feeding” the cake once a week with more brandy (2 tbsps each week) until you are ready to marzipan and ice it.

To marzipan the cake, first brush the top and sides of the cake with warmed apricot jam

If using store bought marzipan, spread work surface with icing sugar and knead marzipan until pliable. Roll out marzipan until 3” larger than the cake, then carefully drape over your rolling pin and spread out onto the cake, smoothing over the sides. Smooth out any cracks, and trim the base. IF not icing, dust with icing sugar and enjoy If icing, lightly cover the cake with parchment paper and let it rest for 24 hrs, then decorate with royal icing.

Recipe & photos: Candice Kabantsov, Copper Spirit Distillery

HINT OF MINT - WHITE CHOCOLATE MARTINI

Soak 2 - 3 full size candy canes in 1 bottle of Verity Rye Spirit until dissolved. (We use Yum Earth Organic).

Combine in blender until smooth to make white chocolate milk:

60g white chocolate (Cocoa West is best)

160g slightly warmed cashew, almond or dairy milk/cream a dash of salt

Add to shaker:

White chocolate milk

3oz Candy Cane Verity Rye

4 ice cubes

Shake until tin is chilled and strain into a martin i glass.

Garnish with a little crushed candy cane that will settle nicely in the bottom. Makes 2 martinis.

Drink immediately with your friend... or wait to share with Santa.

SUNDAY DECEMBER7

10:00AM -3:00PM BowenIsland CommunitySchool 1041Mt GardnerRoad

10:00AM -3:00PM @BICS MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM

Treats omeone yo ulove— or yo urself —tot he giftofcalman d glowin gs kin.

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Giftcardsavailable -the perfectlocalgiftformoms, partners,oranyone who coulduse alittleself-care thisholidayseason.

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