New West Film Fest 2015!

November 5th 6th and 7th 2015! 

New West Shoreline Clean up September 23rd

Come out to this annual event and help with the shoreline clean up and invasive plant pull!
For more info check out the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean up website here! 

On the Seventh Day of Christmas_Visit holiday displays

We live in a great city for Christmas events and displays, and are only a sky-train ride to Vancouver for even more free family events! Here in New Westminster there are many holiday celebrations taking place. Staring with lighting of a large Christmas tree in Hyack Square at the end of  The Parade of lights  AKA the Santa Clause Parade, held in early December. 

New Westminster has a large Merry Christmas sign on City hall!

 Irving House, built in 1865, is a beautiful place to visit to experience a recreation of a traditional  19th century Christmas. A little further west you can visit The Burnaby Village Heritage Christmas.  

Spending time in this village is like stepping back in time. There is even an antique carousel and the best salt water taffy for sale in the gift shop.

Venturing downtown Vancouver there are so many great things to see! The lights in Stanley Park are a terrific for the whole family. The annual light display is put on by local firefighters and is a fundraiser for the burn unit. Admission is by donation. There is something really magical about thousands of lights in the forest! 

The Bay downtown has a seasonal floor that is a Christmas wonderland and a fantastic way to pass some time if the weather outside is frightful.  Be sure to check out the large office building's lobby's, around Georgia and Burrard and Thurlow are all pretty spectacular, Hotels are also incredible . The Four Seasons has a Festival of Trees, which is a collection of sponsored decorated trees, there are themed trees and some are pretty fun!  The Hyatt Hotel has an annual gingerbread display with world record setting large gingerbread houses and men!

 Downtown you can take the Old Woodward windows display tour at  Canada Place. These old fashioned windows are nostalgic and beautiful!

 There is a dramatic art instillation at the Vancouver Convention Center so be sure to look for that downtown too. The Douglas Coupland Orca is my favorite, as well as The Drop, although not holiday related, it is a visually stunning piece of art, and worthwhile seeing if you are walking near by in Vancouver. 

When you are downtown there are many unexpected things you can see just walking around enjoying the atmosphere. There are plenty of family friendly events that are free or reasonably priced. Many of these things run past Christmas and into the new year so enjoy some Christmas cheer and be a tourist in your your own city.

On the first day of Christmas we put up our tree...

My 13 year old son, Justin, suggested I write about the 12 GREEN days of Christmas and as it is the 13th of December we figured this is the first day! So I will share our green holiday tips.

Tonight we will decorate our tree. This year we have a real tree. After going back and forth about what is the most environmentally friendly type, we decided on a cut tree.

This link from the National Christmas Tree Association makes some good points about real tress vs artificial.

There is no lead, PVC, plastic or other chemicals in a real tree. They are biodegradable and support farmers. We bought our tree down the road from us at the local hospital fundraiser.

We brought it home on our wagon and will pull it up to the fire hall in January when they do the free tree chipping. Our house smells great, it is like we have a 7 foot air freshener in the living room.

Green Canning Workshop _ November 8th!

You and your family are invited

What : "Green" Canning workshop

When : Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Time: 6:15 - 8:15 PM

Where: St. Barnabas Church Hall Located at 1010 5th Ave.

Cost: $5.00 Per Family - payable at the workshop

Come and learn how to preserve your own food. Learn up-to-date canning methods and sample some delicious jams, jellies and chutneys. An expert from Bernardin Canning Co. will be demonstrating the boiling water bath technique of canning and will speak about using a pressure canner.

No experience necessary!

You must pre-register register sending an email to

ipenit@fsgv.ca or leave a message at 604-836-1968

Please leave

1) Your name

2) Telephone number and Email address if you have one

3) How many people in your family are attending and if you require childcare - For how many children and ages

Space is limited Register Early!