The holiday season can be so busy, you may get caught up in the bustle and bustle. It is important to take time for yourself so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Enjoy the small things.
Put together a holiday playlist with some of your favourite tunes. Music is a great way to help you relax. A quote by Plato really captures the power of music, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and life to everything.” Take time to enjoy some music over the holidays.
Maybe a family colouring night is in the books this year. Colouring is a great way to de-stress and bring out your creativity. There are colouring books in numerous styles, making it easier to find one that suits each member of the family. As well, there are many sites which offer free printable pages such as: http://www.crayola.ca/free-coloring-pages/ ; http://www.supercoloring.com/ ; and http://www.canadianfamily.ca/colouring-pages/ . Dig out some pencil crayons, crayons or markers and have some fun colouring!
It might be a good time to start reading a new book. Reading a well-written book can help by taking you away from the busyness of life. According to Readers Digest, the following are the best new books for December 2016:
- 99: Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky
- Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
- Canada by Mike Myers
- The Whistler by John Grisham
- Appetites by Anthony Bourdain
- A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition by George R. R. Martin
- Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
- Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
- Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling.
You can find a brief description of each novel here. If one of these sparks your interest, why not visit the Wood Buffalo Regional Library and check one out? For those exceptionally cold nights, reading is a great way to pass the time!
Find some time to relax. Enjoy the festive lights. Reward yourself with time just for you.
You've heard it before: "Shop local!". But have you ever wondered why? Let's highlight the reasons why shopping locally is beneficial to our community.
- It encourages entrepreneurship
- It generates various jobs
- It builds sustainable and vibrant neighbourhoods
- It keeps dollars in the local economy
- It supports locally made products
- And last, but not least, it creates personal relationships with the business and the customer.
As we continue to rebuild our community, we encourage you to consider making your holiday purchases from local vendors and get to know your fellow neighbours.
As an extra incentive to shopping local, the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce is hosting their second annual Shop Local Holiday Passport Program for a chance to win 1 of 3 McMurray Money Prize packages.
From now until December 10, you can collect a passport stamp for every $10 spent at a participating business. All it takes is 10 stamps to fill a passport, with a max of four entries per person. Once your passport is complete, drop it off at a participating store, or at the Business Innovation Centre (#105, 9912 Franklin Avenue) to be entered into the draw to win one of the following McMurray Money Prize packages:
1st Place - $1000
2nd Place - $500
3rd Place - $250
The prize money can then be spent at the participating local businesses. Start collecting your stamps today! Visit www.fortmcmurraychamber.ca to see the complete list of participating vendors.
Happy shopping!
Sticking around for the holidays?
Volunteers are needed to wrap presents at Shoppers Drug Mart on Franklin Ave from December 14-23 with donations to the Fort McMurray SPCA.
If you are interested in showing off your gift wrapping skills, and are wanting to raise some much needed funds, please sign up! Thank you!
To volunteer, you must be at least 13 years of age; minors will need to be accompanied by an adult, or have legal guardian sign volunteer waiver. (Please contact the email below for the waiver)
If you have any questions, please direct them to events@fortmcmurrayspca.ca
Volunteers are needed at the SPCA on Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Years Day. Regardless of whether you are more of a cat person or a dog person, the SPCA needs you! You can volunteer for various time slots to brush, walk, and socialize with the animals. Please visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A44A4AA2CA64-christmas1 to sign up.
