Two things that I, and most of the internet-using population around here, love dearly are cats and Vancouver — a reason why we recently hosted an Internet Cat Video Festival and funded a Cat Cafe. As such, during this busy holiday season I thought I would spread some lighthearted cheer by introducing some incredibly adorable local cats of Instagram who have plenty of Christmas spirit:
Vancouver Christmas Cats of Instagram
Found using this #CatsOfVancouver tag, elliot_sheldon is one well-behaved feline in this Christmas card-worthy pose:
Scout of TheScoutChronicles is a very social cat, sending out Christmas cards to many friends on Instagram who also posed with their cards:
A cat in a sweater – a Christmas sweater – courtesy of Jiro_Boo:
While it’s not Christmassy per se — and I have no idea how they did it — but BestFriendsPetCareVancouver got this little one to not only wear a hooded sweater but also stay in it long enough to snap this photo:
A pet food and supply store on East Hastings, LongLiveCatsandDogs recently featured Ritchie in a festive Santa hat:
The Vancouver Canucks get a mention for their BCSPCA and cat-themed Christmas cards this year including this photo of Kevin Bieksa and a kitten:
Gary of HisNameIsGary is the only cat I actually follow on Instagram. He had me hooked ever since he appeared in a Yoda costume and this Santa Claws getup is just as good:
Finally, while not all cats they feature are local, the popular CatsofInstagram account is actually run by Erin Filtness of Vancouver and it’s the go-to Instagram cat photo account for more than half a million people worldwide:
I don’t have a cat but you can follow me on Instagram anytime @Miss604.
Celebrate the 21st annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival on December 21st in three Vancouver communities. Presented by the Secret Lantern Society and Artistic Director Naomi Singer, this free family event (with some ticketed attractions) will illuminate the longest night of the year.
These are festive celebrations of the human spirit expressed through art and music, enjoy a night of spirited fun with lanterns, fires, singing, drumming, music and dancing.
Workshops
Join a last minute lantern workshop in any of the three celebration locations. Lanterns can be made in as short as 30 minutes. While supplies last.
Granville Island: A last Minute Lantern workshop will be held on Sunday December 21, 2014 at the False Creek Community Centre (1318 Cartwright St) from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Drop in and make a simple lantern ($10 each) to carry in the procession that leaves at 6:00pm.
Yaletown: Drop into the Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) and make a simple lantern ($10 each) to carry in the procession that gathers in David Lam Park at 6:30pm.
Chinatown: Drop into the Strathcona Community Centre (601 Keefer St) from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and make a simple lantern ($10 each) to carry in the procession that leaves at 6:00pm.
Processions
Granville Island: Meet at 6:00pm at Leg-In-Boot Square, Granville Island Triangle Square, or H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. The 3 processions converge on Granville Island and are greeted by the traditional torch-lit Song Of Welcome by The Vancouver Morris Men. The Carnival Band, Bloco Energia and the Rhythm Spirit Drummers then join forces to lead everyone over to Ron Basford Park where Radiant Heat weave their fiery magic atop the hill and a giant fire sculpture of the rising sun lights the darkest night.
Yaletown: Meet at 6:00pm at Cooper’s Park, Emery Barnes Park, or the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. These three lantern processions are led by the drums of Tege Fo Collective along the seawall as well as through historic Yaletown to converge in David Lam Park where they are welcomed by the traditional English music and dance of the Tiddley Cove Morris Dancers and a spectacular fire performance by The Vancouver Fire Collective.
Chinatown: Meet at 6:00pm at the Strathcona Community Centre and join a lively lantern procession led by the drums of African Crossing through the streets of Strathcona for a magical evening at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (578 Carrall St).
Indoor Performances
Granville Island: After the processions pop into the False Creek Community Centre (1318 Cartwright St) from 7:30pm to 9:30pm for hot chocolate and live music and dancing with Star Child Drum Group, Hot Club of Pluto, Rhythm Spirit Drummers and Odette Slater. Experience the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance and Welch Border Dances by The Vancouver Morris Men, who have been part of this festival for the entire 21 years. Learn about the celestial facts of winter solstice with Community Astronomer Bill Burnyeat in the amazing inflatable Canadian Planetarium, while being serenaded by the award-winning violin of Michael Burnyeat. Look for the roving Mistress of Ceremonies and Ritual Historian Shaughna Born (in the top hat) to tell you the sometimes bloody and epic stories ancient peoples told to explain the loss of the light.
Yaletown: After the Yaletown processions pop into the Roundhouse Community Centre (181 Roundhouse Mews) from 7:00pm to 10:00pm for a variety of indoor activities starting with the Opening Welcome at 7:00pm by Master of Solstice Ceremonies Ari Lazer. Performers include the Git Hayetsk Dancers, Kira Schaffer of Firebelly Performance Society, Kathleen Forrester, Orkestar Slivovica, Jacky Arrah Yenga and more.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Following the Chinatown procession, meet at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (578 Carrall St) from 6:00pm to 10:00pm to celebrate the Chinese winter solstice, dong zhi, which marks the rebirth of the yang qualities of light and energy. The Garden will be filled with lanterns created by artists Joey Mallett, Yoko Tomita, Jacquie Rolston, Naomi Singer and Secret Lantern Society volunteers. Tickets are $5 per person or $10 for a family (at the door) or online in advance, plus fee. Make your own simple lantern decorated with bird images with artists from the Secret Lantern Society in the Scholar’s Study for $3. Featured performers include the energetic jazz of the Brad Muirhead Quartet, the wild drums of African Crossing and the thrilling rhythms of Uzume Taiko.
Labyrinth of Light
Labyrinth of Light: From 6:00pm to 10:00pm at Performance Works on Granville Island and 6:00pm to 11:00pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown.
Photo credit:
Jack on Flickr
Created with over 700 pure beeswax candles, the winter solstice labyrinth invites you to warm yourself in a self-guided ceremony intended to help release old attachments and envision new possibilities as the darkest night of the year births a new season. Hosted by Helene Bolduc, with crystal bowl toning by Christine Paton.
Purchase Labyrinth of Light tickets online and select your exact visit times. Everyone who gives a donation or purchases a ticket to one of the labyrinths will receive a solstice button.
Follow the Secret Lantern Society on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Growing up in Surrey, one of my favourite Christmas memories was when our whole family would bundle up and pile into our van for a night of Christmas light hunting. First things first, we’d stop somewhere to pick up hot chocolate that would warm our mittened hands, and then we’d always head to New Westminster to check out the homes near Queen’s Park. “Oohs” and “Ahhs” from our lips fogged up the back windows as brilliant heritage homes dazzled with the most impressive light displays that just got better from year to year.
VanDusen – Photo credit:
Ann Hung on Flickr
Christmas Lights in Vancouver
If you’re on the hunt for twinkling light displays around the Lower Mainland, here are some of your best bets:
Attractions- Paid
Bright Nights in Stanley Park (by donation), Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden, Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Bear Creek Park Christmas Train.
Jack Poole Plaza – Photo credit:
Zorro1968 on Flickr
Attractions – Free
Burnaby Village Museum, Jack Poole Plaza Christmas Tree, Surrey City Hall Christmas Tree and Central City Plaza, Dundarave Festival of Lights, St Paul’s Hospital Lights of Hope, Spirit Square, Town Centre Park’s Lafarge Lake and the Inspiration Garden in Coquitlam.
Residential Christmas Light Maps
Local news organizations crowdsource the best residential light display information each year to put into interactive maps. Check out the Vancouver Sun and News 1130 for those helpful tools. The Now has a guide posted for Surrey and Delta as well.
Chimp a local Vancouver company that empowers people and organizations to manage and amplify their charitable impact.
Used by individuals, groups, companies, and charities, Chimp allows you to host an online account from which you manage donations to your favourite charities or give the gift of a cause neutral charitable contribution to friends, family, and colleagues.
How Chimp Works
When you deposit money into your Chimp account, you receive a tax receipt immediately. The funds can then be given away or simply saved to give another day. If you’re familiar with charitable lingo, your Chimp Account is like your own private foundation, or you can think of it as a savings account for charity.
You can give to any registered charity in Canada with Chimp, and you can choose whether you wish to remain anonymous. You can also support a group that’s raising funds for a good cause by contributing to their Giving Group.
Give the gift of giving. Send a friend a gift of charitable dollars through Chimp, and let them decide the recipient. Your friend does not need to have a pre-existing Chimp Account; they’ll receive a personalized invitation to claim your gift, and can give it through Chimp to whatever cause they care most about.
Chimp lists every registered charity in the country and they display public data (from the Canada Revenue Agency) for each organization on our Charity Pages. This helps users research their giving options, and learn more about organizations working in their area of interest. Charities will receive any gift a Chimp user makes to them through Chimp. They don’t have to sign up to receive this money.
Chimp’s customizable and automated matching technology makes it simple for companies to empower employees, customers, and community members to give to what they care about. Companies can match contributions to personal Chimp Accounts, or they can match any gift to a charity or Giving Group they want to support.
How I’ve Used Chimp
I had funds in my Chimp account which I recently used to contribute to my Covenant House Sleep Out campaign, which raised over $4,100 for their work with at-risk youth in Vancouver.
I simply logged in, clicked on “Give Money”, found Covenant House Vancouver on the list of charities, and within a few more clicks of the mouse the funds were off.
Until December 31, 2014 another local company, Hootsuite, is covering fees on gifts to charities. This means that more of the money you give through Chimp goes to the charity of your choice.
Chimp Charitable Giving Giveaway
I have $80 in my Chimp account right now that I will be giving away to a Miss604 reader, to empower them to support the cause of their choice. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment (1 entry) with the name of the cause you would support (optional)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
You can use your gift to support any registered Canadian charity via Chimp and $80 can go a long way with many organizations, providing meals and supplies for dozens of people, or you can pay it forward and help a friend who currently has a donation campaign going for a charitable fun run or event. There are many possibilities!
Follow Chimp on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their powerful giving tools. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, December 18, 2014. The winner will receive the $80 prize via a direct Chimp account in their name for which they can then use to support the cause of their choice.
Update The winner is Shirley!
The White Spot Christmas Day lunch for charity is back again this year as management and staff at two locations continue a decade-long tradition of donating their time, tips and proceeds to the Richmond Hospital Foundation and Variety – The Children’s Charity.
White Spot Christmas Day Lunch for Charity
The Kingsway Vancouver and Richmond Centre White Spot restaurants will serve legendary classics – such as award-winning Legendary burgers, Spot Classics, pastas, salads and ribs – in support of two local charities. Last year, the restaurants raised more than $16,000, and hope to set a new record this year.
Where: Richmond Centre (Unit 1902 – 6551 No. 3 Road)
When: Wednesday, December 25, 2014 from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Cause: Richmond Hospital Foundation
Where: Kingsway (1476 Kingsway at Knight Street)
When: Wednesday, December 25, 2014 from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Cause: Variety – The Children’s Charity
Since the Christmas Day Luncheon’s inception, more than $160,000 has been generated for a good cause. Follow White Spot on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date on their latest menu offerings and promotions.
