This year I sent a guest contributor, Lara Marie Lampe, to check out Goh Ballet’s Nutcracker. The following is a review in her own words:

On December 13, 2016, I had the opportunity to see one of this year’s performances of the Goh Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”. As expected once again it transported the audience into a winter wonderland with mesmerizing dancing, music and costumes. The collaboration between local students and professionals is inspiring to watch.

My favorite part were the Russian dancers in the second part of the ballet. Their dancing was so energetic and enthusiastic.

What makes the Goh Ballet’s “Nutcracker” so special for me, is the fact that it brings the Vancouver dance community together as not only well established dancers and Goh ballet’s students dance in the performance but also dancers from other studios as well. Seeing dancers from your local community getting a chance to bring this celebration of dance to life is a real treat.

Overall this wonderful Vancouver Christmas tradition was over far to quick, but I hope that there will always be a next time!

Goh Ballet Presents The Nutcracker

• Where: The Centre (777 Homer St, Vancouver)
• When: Remaining performances December 16th, 19th and 20th at 7:30pm
  December 17th at 2:00pm and 7:30pm
  December 18th at 3:00pm and 7:30pm
• Tickets: Available online now

Follow Goh Ballet on Twitter and Facebook for information.

This weekend you can ride a Ferris Wheel at the top of the city, catch the CP Holiday Train, and go for a walk with Stanley Park Ecology Society as they observe the 10 year anniversary of the devastating 2006 windstorm in the park. All of these events – including some free Christmas activities – and more are listed below:

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.

Friday, December 16, 2016
musica intima: Joy to the World
CP Holiday Train, Agassiz, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows
Holiday Family Movie Night
Graham Clark Still Hates Christmas
Goh Ballet Nutcracker
Alchemy Theatre Presents: Alice in Wonderland
The Santaland Diaries
Music in the Morning: A Touch of Brass Quintet
Cirque du Soleil TORUK
Bear Creek Park Christmas Train
VanDusen Festival of Lights
Grouse Mountain Peak of Christmas
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park
Burnaby Village Museum Heritage Christmas
Christmas at Canada Place
Park & Tilford Hi-Light Festival
Vancouver Christmas Market @ Jack Poole Plaza
Enchant Vancouver Christmas Market
Robson Square Ice Rink Skating
FlyOver Canada Christmas Ride
Vancouver TheatreSports: Christmas Queen
Gateway Theatre: The Music Man
The Arts Club Presents: Mary Poppins
SFU: BAH! HUMBUG! 2016
Holy Mo! A Christmas Show!
Holiday Heights at Bloedel Conservatory Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

This is one time of year where we really start watching our spending (and our waistlines) with so much to do, so many gifts to give, and so much delicious food to eat. It’s tough to stay on budget, but there are a few ways to avoid breaking the bank while still having a lot of fun!

6 Ways to Save Over the Holidays

1) Make a Budget, Track Spending

I love my apps! As a business owner I use accounting apps and software and I’ve started to use a few for my personal spending as well. Here are a few to try:

Mint Money Manager (Apple)

PocketGuard Budget App (Apple) (Android)

You Need a Budget (Apple) (Android)

GoodBudget (Apple) (Android)

Mvelopes (Apple) (Android)

2) Give Gifts à la Secret Santa

Mix it up with family and friends and do a Secret Santa gift exchange. My family is large – and it spans two countries – so we always do Secret Santa. Around Thanksgiving, everyone’s name is put into a bowl and then selected in pairs. The list of who-is-buying for-who this year is then circulated by email. You end up purchasing only one gift instead of twenty, and the gift opening event is always fun as there are so many surprises.

3) Gift Your Skills

I don’t necessarily mean a coupon for “one free hug,” but you’re probably great at something and can offer that to someone as a gift! Can you build, fix, cook, write, take photos, or drive? If it were me, I could offer to build a website or do blog consulting as a gift for someone – in fact I have in the past.

4) Choose Cheaper Traditions

Brew a cup of locally roasted coffee at home instead of buying the latest candy-topped creation at a local shop. Go for a walk in Stanley Park with a loved one instead of making another trip to the mall. Read stories as a family, or have a crafting party where you can make lovely DIY gifts and ornaments.

5) Attend Free Holiday Events in Metro Vancouver

I have a list with over a dozen activities that won’t cost you a rounded-up-or-down penny! Cherish experiences, not stuff, this season.

6) Waste Not, Want Not

Overcooking or wasting your food are two of the worst money wasters during the holidays. The single biggest reason that people waste perfectly good food is that they buy food without a plan for how to use it. Make a plan when shopping for groceries or holiday parties.

Here are some tips:

• Serve just enough so that guests eat their fill and food isn’t wasted.
• Store your food in a way that can help it keep longer.
• Portion your leftovers and store them safely to plan your lunches. They’ll keep for a couple of days in the fridge or months in the freezer.
• Use up your holiday leftovers in innovative ways. Make a dedicated “leftovers night” and plan a recipe. iValueFood.com recommends that you think about “ingredients” rather than “leftovers”.

Metro Vancouver estimates that each household produces $700 worth of avoidable food waste per year (2014 food prices).

Over half of the food going into Metro Vancouver’s garbage, food scrap bins and down the drain could – at some point – have been eaten. That’s over 100,000 tonnes per year! For more holiday saving tips, and to find ways to reduce your waste this Christmas, check out Metro Vancouver’s “Tips to Celebrate with Less Food Waste.”

Following the success of last year’s North Shore Foodie Book, publisher Brad Hill is at it again! The East Van Foodie Book in out just time for the holidays, featuring 47 restaurants, over 100 locally-inspired recipes, and 1,000 photos of East Van’s unique dishes and dining spaces.

East Van Foodie Book

A very real celebration of East Van and its food and drink.

The restaurants, bars, cafes, breweries and foodie businesses that nourish East Van influence the whole city, province and country. The East Van Foodie tells their stories in words, photos and recipes.

East Van occupies the fringe zone between downtown and the suburbs. It’s a crossroads. It’s a lived-in, mixed-use, gentrifying, cultural nexus, and a canvas on which the next generation asserts itself. It is a neighbourhood and the geographical focal point of a greater discussion.

One of the great indicators of a rich and dynamic cultural and artistic community is the food it serves, so documenting its food is at the heart of documenting the community. The East Van Foodie is a snapshot of a place in time and of the food it eats.

East Van Foodies is available for purchase at the 47 participating East Van restaurants and at various local bookstores including Chapters Indigo, Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks, Cook Culture, and Welk’s General Store.

Photography, recipes, editing, design and publishing by Brad Hill, and participant stories by Chris Dagenais.

Enter to Win

I have a hard copy of this deliciously inspiring cookbook to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click and post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win the #EastVan @foodiebook http://bit.ly/2gJqcQI” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, December 19, 2016. Follow the Foodie Books on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.

Update The winner is Kathy!

I had only previously been to Osoyoos during this desert destination’s summer months, when jetskis made waves on the lake, ice cream shops had queues of swimsuit-clad customers, and winery tours were on a morning agenda between brunch and beach time. This year, I was in town during the first weekend in December. This means there was the Light Up parade with Santa arriving to town via Main Street, and I got to attend opening weekend at nearby Baldy Mountain Resort.

I wrote about my experience for SnowSeekers, where I discovered the small town charm of this local South Okanagan ski destination.

“..as the sun crested Anarchist Mountain behind Walnut Beach Resort, it painted the lake pink – a sign it was going to be a perfect ski day. I packed up my gear, got in the car for the 60-minute ride up to Baldy.

Winding up from the Osoyoos Desert – beautiful with a light dusting of snow – we drove the mountain highway, and climbed to 5,650 feet above sea level, giving Baldy the rights to highest base altitude of any Canadian ski resort.
Keep reading… »

I had flashbacks on the hill with my guide Kyle as everyone who passed us said “Hello!” or “Good morning!”. I remember when I was a little girl, my dad always said hello to people that we passed on a hiking trail. I would turn and ask him, “Do you know that person?” and he would say, “No, it’s just what you do.” While I barely get eye contact from a passerby on trails in the big city, this friendly and courteous gesture is abundant on the runs at Baldy.

Short lines, great food, lots of family fun (dogs can come too), and ending the day around an outdoor fire pit. It was so lovely to meet locals who were excited to have their mountain back, and optimistic for a fantastic grand re-opening season.

Plan your trip to Ski Baldy and Stay Osoyoos with some great hotel deals this winter. Read more about Baldy on SnowSeekers and follow SnowSeekers all winter on Facebook and Twitter for coverage about ski resorts and slopes in BC and Alberta — including the latest snowfall reports and conditions.