By Kathleen Rake
This year sees the eighth annual West Coast Christmas Show and Marketplace at Tradex in Abbotsford, Nov. 20 – 22.
This is, hands down, my favourite Christmastime shopping adventure for a number of reasons. Here are just seven of them, in no particular order of importance:
- I always find unique gifts for special people in the Artisan Gallery.
- Holiday-cooking demos and creative décor and entertaining ideas at the Home for the Holidays stage get me all eager to go-go-go.
- There is nothing like watching kids have fun, especially at Christmas. There are lots of things for kids to do—like decorate cookies or make sand art—at Santa's Workshop + Elf Activity Area.
- It is lovely to wander through the Festival of Trees display (presented by Praise 106.5), where charitable organizations decorate Christmas trees and compete for prizes that help support their respective causes.
- FREE parking, courtesy of the show's management team, and complimentary shuttle service from The Vancouver Trolley Company. (Yes, I said FREE parking.)
- It's easy to pick up the tiny poinsettias I love ...
(I use a dozen of them, and votive-size e-candles, to decorate the pony wall in our dining room.) - Live musical performances at the Sounds of the Holidays stage make me want to sing along.
This year's show offers up a little bit of a wine-tasty twist, with a selection of B.C. wineries (including fruit and honey wineries) plus a spirits maker sampling their wares in the Sips of the Season area. And the good news is, you can purchase what you taste—right then and there.
In addition, I will pair one (or more) of the vendors' wines with each culinary creation at the Home for the Holidays stage. Get the schedule here.
Here is a list of the participants at Sips of the Season. Many of these wineries and wines are new to me, so this should be exciting!
Singletree Winery
Tightrope Winery
Rocky Creek Winery
Fort Berens Estate Winery
Forbidden Fruit Winery
Damali Lavender & Winery
Backyard Vineyards
Dragon Mist Distillery
Meadow Vista Honey Wines
Hidden Chapel Winery
Sagewood Winery
Find out more by visiting the West Coast Christmas Show's website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed.
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2015 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
