Vintage Village of Lights at the Cumberland Heritage Museum

By Wendy Sure, you can find Santa in just about any mall these days, but one of my favourite places to find him is at the Cumberland Heritage Museum Vintage Village of Lights.  The Museum, which depicts rural life in a circa 1920s-30s village setting (think Upper Canada Village on a smaller scale), is located at 2940 Old Montreal Road; just 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa – and mere minutes from Orléans.

Since November 30, when the switch for the thousands of twinkling lights adorning the heritage buildings was flipped on, the Museum has been open to welcome the young and young-at-heart on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 3:00-8:00pm.   There are still two more weekends to enjoy the magic of the Village (December 13, 14, 15, 20 and 22 – note that the Museum does not seem to be open on Saturday, December 21).  The cost of admission is $7 per person or $18 for a family.  Having enjoyed our visit last year, our family will be heading out this weekend to experience the festivities once again!

Last year, upon arrival, the kids (then ages 2 and 6) were given pennies to purchase vouchers at the General Store for cookie decorating and two crafts, as well as a map to find the buildings on the village site where the activities would take place.  Before leaving the main reception building, they were given the opportunity to send a Santagram at the Village telegraph office, but opted out of this activity, having already written and sent letters to Santa via snail mail!

Dashing through the snow (from building to building - it was cold that night!), enjoying the warm glow of the lights, the kids decorated and devoured gingerbread cookies, made tree ornaments from buttons and pipe cleaners, and built and painted wooden planes with the help of friendly museum staff.   We toured the site in a horse-drawn wagon while singing Christmas songs, and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate by a bonfire.  And, of course, we had a visit with the man in red himself – no line-ups, and no photographer or fee – definitely bring your own camera!

The actual program of activities for this year’s Vintage Village of Lights may vary from those described above; let me know if you make it there and what you think! I will be sure to check back in with a report on our visit too.  Nevertheless, if the Museum follows last year’s winning formula for a magical night, a visit to the Cumberland Heritage Museum will definitely make many spirits bright!

For more information, including directions to the Museum, visit:  http://ottawamuseumnetwork.com/index.php?page=cumberland-heritage-village-museum ; or   https://www.facebook.com/cumberlandmuseum .

GivingTuesday

Have you heard about the new movement that encourages people everywhere to band together and support those charities and organizations that they feel are worthy? GivingTuesday, initiated in Canada by CanadaHelps, GIV3, and several other partners, marks the opening day of the giving season. After you've done all your holiday gift buying on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's time to pay it forward  on GivingTuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a day for each and every one of us to really make a difference. It's also a great way to get your kids involved in learning about helping those who are less fortunate.

Be a part of this new tradition of generosity and give back to a cause that matters to you.

Who will you support today?

Giving Back at the Holidays

Now that December is upon us, many people are starting to get into the holiday spirit. For some, that means thinking about what they are thankful for during the year and wanting to pay it forward in the season of giving. Over the past year, my girls have volunteered in a few ways. Both have visited the Ottawa Food back and learned that not everyone in Ottawa has enough to eat each and every day. They've visited residents in nursing homes to play games and sing with them and have shared their allowance with the typhoon victims in the Philippines.

Giving back doesn't need to be big. It just needs to be meaningful. For kids, learning that there are people who need a helping hand is a great lesson in empathy and kindness. There are so many ways to get your kids involved. Here are a few ideas for you and you kids:

• Donate to a charitable organization
• Invite an elderly neighbor or someone who lives alone to join your celebration 
• Deliver a meal to a family in need
• Write a thoughtful note to someone special
• Donate clothes you've outgrown
• Donate food to a local charity or food bank
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen
• Send a care package to a soldier
• Visit hospital patients
• Foster a dog or cat
• Adopt an endangered animal through a zoo
• Shovel snow for a neighbor
• Help pick up trash at a local park
• Join a church or school group that does community service projects

Giving back is a great thing to do all year round, but the holidays tend to bring out the charitable side in most people. Try some of these ideas with your family and make a difference this holiday season.

How does your family give back at the Holidays?

Letters to Santa

By Kamerine I know it's still November but I've been thinking about Christmas. I'm thinking of great gift ideas for friends and family, and making a wish list of my own.

The kids are thinking about Christmas too - as soon as they saw snow falling, they started asking about Christmas. Is it Christmas yet? It's going to be a long month.

A fun tradition is writing a letter to Santa, one that I may start this year with my kids. We've done Christmas lists, where we sit down and ask the kids what they would like for Christmas. We get a mix of things they do actually want, and things that they see when they look around.

But back to letters... I'm happy to tell you that Canada Post has a deal with Santa. Write up your letter to Santa and drop it in any red mailbox around the city, no stamp required. Santa's elves will get your letter to the North Pole.

Use the address below, include your return address, and keep the Christmas spirit alive! To get a response in time, make sure to mail your letter by December 17th.

SANTA CLAUS

NORTH POLE H0H 0H0

CANADA

The Santa letter-writing program is an employee-led volunteer program where current and past employees volunteer their time. It encourages children to read and write letters, and helps teach them about the postal system. For more information visit the Canada Post website or contact Media Relations at 613 734-8888 or email medias@canadapost.ca.

What's Your Take on Halloween Candy

Every year, my kids go out trick-or-treating and get bucket-loads of candy. I think that half the time, it's not even about dressing up and having fun. It's about how much loot they can score. And that means Halloween is a bit of a dilemma.

After going out and getting all this candy, how much should I really let them eat (and not feel like a horrible mom)? On one hand, it's their candy and they should be allowed some treats; but on the other hand, do I really want them eating a treat every single day until June? I'm pretty sure I don't.

When my girls were little, the Halloween Fairy (or "Switch Witch") used to visit about a week after Halloween and trade the leftover candy for a small gift. That worked pretty well but now that they're older - not so much.

How do you navigate the Halloween conundrum with your kids? Do you take away their candy after some time has passed? Dole it out piece by piece? Or do you eat it all yourself? (like I have to try very hard not to do!)

This mama needs some new ideas.