Shine Bright: Christmas Lights Across Canada

We're very excited to welcome back our favourite holiday sponsors and the 34th edition of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program, presented by the Government of Canada in partnership with Manulife.

The official Illumination Ceremony will take place on Wednesday December 4th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at a NEW LOCATION - Confederation Park. The Kids in the Capital team will be there with the whole family, and we'd love for you to join us. The festivities will include performances by talented artists Kiesza, Damien Robitaille and Tomson Highway. You can also head over to Parliament to see the multimedia projection show (more on that below!)

We know it's a busy time of year, so if you can't make it, you can join in LIVE on Facebook. The evening's festivities will broadcast from the Capital Experience Facebook Page. 

What IS a magical winter lightscapes multimedia show?

I had no idea what to when I first attended four years ago - I was thinking something along the lines of the summer multimedia show that plays on Centre block each year. But this show is a bit more engaging for the entire family, from young to old! The fairy tale story follows the exciting journey of Grizzli, Fox and Snowman through imaginary landscapes on their quest for light. The show is inspired by Canada’s nature, climate and culture, and there is so much to take in! And for extra effect this year, the show will use the entire building.

When can I see the show?

The official Illumination Ceremony takes place December 4th. There will be free Beaver Tails pastries and hot chocolate. And some live musical performances!

A warning: do NOT promise your kids a Beaver Tail. I made this mistake one year, and when we arrived the lineup was about 500 people long (and then they ran out.) If you're hoping for a sweet treat, you'd be best to arrive as early as possible. Or follow our lead, and pack hot chocolate in a thermos and stop off for some Timbits on the way!

If you miss the opening night, the magical winterscapes multimedia show runs every evening until January 7th, 2020 (presented on loop from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., except for New Year’s Eve when it runs until midnight.)

Tips for Going

We drove downtown last year, because it's a long bus ride and we knew the kids would be tired. We had to park about 2km away from the Hill, as there were A LOT of people. Things should quiet down a bit after the Illumination Ceremony, and street parking is free in the evenings.

Make sure kids are bundled up really well - it's surprising how fast you get chilly standing around. You may want to consider a stroller if you have a long trek from the car, although it may be a tiny bit snowy (I'm not sure about this weather this year!!) Prepare your kids for the crowds, or consider attending another night if your child has sensitivities to a lot of people/noise/lights.

Anything else I should know?

In addition to the show, don't forget all the lights! Go for a walk in Confederation Park to see thousands of holiday lights on display. Another awesome NEW addition this year are interactive public pianos!! Amateur pianists, apprentices or professionals can come and play your favourite holiday classics on pianos installed in Confederation Park and along the way to Parliament to amplify the Christmas enchantment.

Did you see the Christmas Lights Across Canada last year? Will we see you there on Wednesday?

Inside the Dr. Seuss Experience

When we got word of the new Dr. Seuss Experience in Toronto, we knew we needed an inside look at this one of a kind exhibit. One of our readers got in touch and shared some amazing photos and tips with us, in case you’re feeling like a spontaneous trip this holiday season! Read on to hear all about her experience.

The exhibit is an imaginative and interactive immersion into the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss. The sensory spectacle takes each guest on an awe-inspiring journey through nine different Dr. Seuss books, allowing visitors a chance to magically step into the pages of each of the books.

But first off: the tickets. We bought the “super-stoo-pendous” tickets (which reserves your date and time) to make sure it was quieter when we went in (for my sensory-sensitive kid), and for us it was definitely worth the extra price. The timed entries for both the general admission and the super-stoo-pendous tickets means they limit crowd sizes, but we really felt like we almost had the place to ourselves. General ticket prices start at $29 for children and $35 for adults; children under 3 are free but do require a ticket to get in.

The first room we visited is the Lorax room, where you get a token to ask the Once-ler to tell his story. You can choose to listen and save the Truffula trees, and go for a swing among the trees!

All of the rooms are completely interactive, from building towers out of books, balls, teapots, phones with the Cat in the Hat, to a fully functional carousel in the If I Ran the Circus room (children under 4 must be accompanied by a parent walking beside them.)

Because it’s almost Christmas, there is a Grinch room where you can fish for presents to bring back to Whoville.

But our favourite room was the field of clovers from Horton Hears a Who- the clovers are about 4 feet tall, and your kids can listen in to all of them to find the Whos.

They have a beautiful gift shop (all Dr Seuss books and collectables) and some tables for drawing and crafting for before and after the exhibit.

They recommend setting aside 1-1.5 hours to experience it all. My youngest (3) started feeling tired after an hour, but my oldest (5) could have spent another hour there!

In all, this was definitely worth the drive to Toronto. The adults who grew up with Dr Seuss will have just as much fun as the kids!

5 FREE holiday activities you don't want to miss

Holiday merry-making is in full swing, and we wanted to let you know about several upcoming activities that you don’t want to miss!!

Letters to Santa

Head to the City of Ottawa Archives to create your letter to Santa. You will also get to make crafts, decorate cookies and hear traditional holiday stories.
When: Saturday November 30th, 9am - 3pm
Where: 100 Tallwood Drive

Breakfast with Santa

Go and experience the new food court at Place d’Orleans mall, hang with Santa (and MAYBE some characters from Frozen too!) - all in support of The Ottawa Network for Education School Breakfast Program. For a tiny bit extra, buy one pancake for $1 (practically free, right??)
When: Sunday December 1st, 10am
Where: Place d’Orleans Shopping Centre, Food Court

Illumination Ceremony

Head downtown for the annual illumination ceremony for Christmas Lights Across Canada. NOTE, that this year’s location is at Confederation Park and not on Parliament Hill. There will be performances from Kiesza, Damien Robitaille and Tomson Highway as well as free Beavertails (while supplies last) and the multimedia projection show on Parliament. Visit another night all throughout the holiday season and tour the lighting route.
When: Wednesday December 4th, 5:30 to 8:30pm
Where: Confederation Park

Tree Lighting

You can’t miss the tree lighting ceremony for the biggest and best tree in Ottawa, at the National Gallery of Canada. There will be special treats, art making and free access to current exhibits. And get this….a MINI TRAIN outside!!
When: Thursday December 5th, 5 to 8pm (tree lighting at 6:30 but they suggest you arrive early!)
Where: National Gallery of Canada

Mayor’s 19th Annual Christmas Celebration

Celebrate the holiday season outdoors with campfires, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and skating, or head into City Hall for kid-friendly performances.
When: Saturday December 7th
Where: Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Our job is not to make our kids happy

Is it just me, or do you have to repeat this mantra over and over to yourself, until it actually sinks in?

My job as a parent is not to make my kids happy

We are a society of happiness slaves. Search for “happiness” books on Chapters Indigo and you’ll come up with a whopping 8,848 titles. That’s a lot of books designed to have us think that happiness is a state we could achieve if we just work at it hard enough. Never mind that happiness is an emotion, and like all emotions, it has the habit of coming and going. Sometimes in November in Canada it goes away for a long time.

All that happiness seeking has spilled over into our parenting relationships, making us think that if our kids aren’t happy, we must be doing something wrong. We strive to get our kids into the very best schools, drive them to all their favourite activities, feel guilty when we don’t sit down and play every stupid (ahem, I mean fun) game they want to play, take them on super-duper fun-filled vacations, buy them the latest and greatest toys, and cook them all the foods that make them….well, happy.

But because happiness is a transient emotion and not a state of mind, as we are ALL probably aware (and don’t always want to admit), once we do that fun activity, play that game, go on that vacation or get into the best school, we discover that instead of being happy we’re actually just the same old (potentially melancholic) person we were BEFORE. So begins the constant grasping and striving, and then the ultimate realization that we’re no better off.

Let’s take an evolutionary perspective on parenting for a moment and pretend we are raising our children, oh, say 15,000 years ago. This was a slightly dangerous time to be birthing and rearing young whippersnappers, as this was when sabre toothed tigers roamed the earth. Our parenting goals back then equated to:

Don’t let the kid die

Fairly simple, right? Feed them when they’re hungry, protect them from the cold, and make sure not to leave them outside the cave at nighttime. Evolutionary-speaking, isn’t this still the goal we should be working towards?

I mean, sure, you could also argue that our job is to love our kids. Which most of us do really well, because again, we’re biologically programmed to love them. Why do you think our bodies have such a high level of oxytocin during and after childbirth? If we didn’t have our “love hormone” coursing through us, I’m certain we would instantly throw that screaming bundle of joy out of the cave.

What’s changed drastically since 15,000 years ago is our society - North American society in particular, or if you want to get really specific, let’s name our happiness co-creators Capitalism and Individualism. Capitalism has us believe that we need wealth in order to accumulate more and more goods, which equals HAPPINESS! Individualism suggests that if we just try hard enough (no need to ask for any help here!) we’ll be really, really happy. Capitalism and Individualism’s angry older brother Patriarchy keeps everybody in check to make sure only SOME people actually achieve this wealthy, lonely life.

“Great,” you’re thinking. “But what the heck does this have to do with kids?”

When we raise our children in a patriarchal, capitalist society, we inadvertently teach them that if they just strive hard enough and accumulate enough they will reach ultimate happiness. We teach them this by being the perfect happiness- slave role models (monkey see, monkey do.) As our children grow up, they realize fairly quickly (as we did) that happiness is not a state of mind, and experience an existential crisis of sorts that takes them well into their 30s.

Does this sound really depressing? Are you feeling happy yet?

There are no easy solutions. My advice is to start by setting fire to the patriarchy. Too much? OK fine, fine…let’s overthrow capitalism first. No? Well then let’s abandon our suburban homes, get back to the land and live in perfect communitarian harmony.

Realistically, none of these things are going to change in your lifetime, but I really hope we darn well try. It’s probably not feasible for you to eschew all forms of happiness striving, but it would do your kids a whole lot of good if you introduced the concept of meaning or purpose. When we instead strive for a meaningful or purposeful life, happiness will naturally visit us (although I promise you, it won’t stick around all the time.) We find meaning by connecting to other individuals, through close friendships, loving partnerships and community service.

As your children pour through the toy catalogue this holiday season, maybe spark a conversation about what we’re doing in our own lives that brings us meaning. And ask them one simple question:

When do you feel happiest?

Most of the time, the answer won’t be “when I open my closet door and all of the toys I pile in there when I’m ‘cleaning my room’ fall on my head.” The answer will usually point to the relationships in their lives - snuggling the family pet, visiting a neighbour down the street, taking a car trip to see Grandma and Grandpa, or my kids’ own answer: family movie night.

In reflecting on all of this in my own life as a parent, I’ve decided to rewrite my mantra:

My job as a parent is to help my kids feel alive

Not simply “keep” them alive (although that’s important) but FEEL alive - bursting to the brim with creativity, ideas, love, meaning and….maybe some happiness too.

The Holidays in Ottawa: 25 things to do under $25

The following list of activities and events are those that you can do in the weeks leading up to the holidays, and the weeks you have off together as a family. I've based most of my recommendations on families of four, but of course many of the activities will accommodate larger families without too much of an additional cost! Have anything to add? Leave a comment and tell me what it is!

1) Christmas at the National Gallery: check out the gorgeous tree lighting ceremony at the Gallery on December 5th from 5-8pm. Cost: FREE!*

*(For something slightly over $25, visit the Gallery on December 8th for Family Sundays: a PJ party with Santa, face painting workshop, making a gingerbread house and a winter tour of seasonal artworks. PLUS, The Grinch showing on the big screen! Cost: kids under 11 are free; adult admission is $16)

2) Vintage Village of Lights at the Cumberland Museum: Go back in time to experience an old-fashioned Christmas. Cost: $19.75 for a family pass (2 adults and all of your children!)

3) Christmas Lights Across Canada (CLAC) will be launched with an official illumination ceremony on Wednesday December 4th, from 5:30 to 8:30pm at Confederation Park. Watch some amazing Canadian artists, grab a Beavertail and then head over to Parliament for the multimedia projection show. Cost: FREE!

4) Magical Winter Lightscapes projection show, a walk through Confederation Park and hot chocolate: If you miss the illumination ceremony in #3, you can still head downtown and see the lights! There will also be a beautiful winter lightscapes projection show playing all month long on Parliament Hill. It plays on loop every night from 5pm - 11pm throughout the Christmas Lights period. Cost: under $20 for 4 hot chocolates

5) The Ottawa Farmer's Market Christmas Market. Some delectable delights can be found at this central market in Ottawa. If heading down to Lansdowne isn't your thing, there are Christmas markets ALL over town including North Gower, Cumberland, and even one at the Canadian Museum of History! Cost: FREE, unless you spend a lot of money on gifts and treats - can't help you with that one :)

6) Sledding: there are hills all over the region, and here's a handy map on the City of Ottawa's website. I've heard Walter Baker Park has some great sledding!

7) Snowshoe or hike in Gatineau Park: Gatineau has one of the largest trail networks in North America with 60km of snowshoe trails! Cost: this will vary depending on whether you own snowshoes or not. Day passes to Gatineau Park cost $10 for adults, and are free for children under 12 (or $24 for a family) If you have young kids, a short winter hike might be a better option.

8) Free time at Ottawa's museums: did you know that most of our museum's have free times every week? 

National Gallery - Thursdays 5-8pm
Canadian Museum of Nature - Thursdays 5-8pm
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum - wed - sun, 4-5pm
Canada Aviation and Space Museum - every day, 4-5pm
Canadian Museum of History and War Museum - Thursdays 5-8pm
Canadian Science and Technology Museum - every day, 4-5pm

9) Volunteer at Toy Mountain: I've been volunteering with this great cause for three years now, and I would highly recommend you check it out as a family. Email kristine_farnel@ottawaboothcentre.org for more information. Cost: your time.

10) Skating on an outdoor rink: is there anything more romantic than skating outside in the winter? Your little puffs of breath in the air, the bright stars....and ya, okay, the freezing toes and whining children. Do it anyway - it's a great memory for them :) There is a lovely rink at Lansdowne and the Governor General's Residence Cost: Free, but you need skates. If you don't own skates, borrow a pair!

11) Build a snow fort! Cost: free! Check out Chris's tips for making your snow fort safe.

12) Taffy Lane: there's no website for this, but here is Taffy Lane on Google Maps. This is a street in Orleans that goes light-crazy every year, and people drive from all over to catch a glimpse. It's bright and fun, and the kids love it! (Expert tip: park your car at the Orleans United Church and walk the block…much more fun than sitting in a car!!) Cost: FREE!

13 a) CP Holiday Train: The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train will soon set out once again to entertain hundreds of thousands of people, celebrating 20 years of collecting food and raising funds for food banks across North America. On November 27th head to Merickville, Smiths Falls or Perth to see some local performers. Cost: free, but make a donation to the Food Bank!

13 b) As an “add-on” to this one, you can also check out the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario and see the North Pole Express from November 23-24. Cost: tickets are $7 each, and free for those ages 3 and under. Hurry and grab these soon, as they sell out!!

14) Santa Claus Parades: here is Kids in the Capital's  roundup of parades around town. Because we're in the East end, we love attending Parade of Lights here in Orleans. Cost: a donation to the firefighters association if you wish to make one.

15) Visit the Mint! Get a sneak peek into where hand-crafted coins get developed and made - a great activity for your budding engineer! Cost: $20 per family of four.

16) Almonte's Light up the Night: You might know how much we love Almonte here at Kids in the Capital. I lust about moving out there! This is a fantastic night, hosted by none other than Wayne Rostad! Cost: free!

17) Wagon rides at Byward market: this market comes alive with Christmas spirit over the holidays. You can get a complimentary wagon rides on the first three weekends in December on Saturday or Sunday from 12 - 4pm (pickup at William and York.) Also head over to George Street Plaza (right in front of the main Byward market building) to listen to local carolers from choirs all across Ottawa! Cost: Free!!

18) Cut down a Christmas tree: we try to do this every year - there's something so special about a real Christmas tree (although yes, yes I know some of you love your plastic!). It's the experience that counts, and there's nothing better than a cold walk through the woods and hot chocolate after carrying your tree back to the car. There are places all around Ottawa, but our favourite is Briggs Trees out in the East end. Cost: Depends! Do you want a Charlie Brown tree or something more majestic?

19) Mayor's Christmas Party: this annual bash is held at Ottawa City Hall and is a fun-filled afternoon with skating, free beavertails, live performances and more. Cost: free, and OC Transpo rides there are free too! Stay tuned for details on this year’s party, usually held on a Saturday in early December.

20) Olde Fashioned Christmas in Manotick: I've never been, but this event looks fantastic! Shop for crafts, see Santa, get a wagon ride or listen to carollers! Cost: free, unless you want to do some shopping and eating!

21) Photos with Santa: Santa Pierre at Place D'Orleans has been around for many years, and is a favourite for young children. I've never been successful at getting my kids to sit with Santa, but we still enjoy going to look at him from a safe distance ;) Stay tuned for when Santa Pierre will be back in late November! Cost: digital photos for $20

22) Go see a movie! I have so many wonderful memories seeing movies with my parents over the holidays. Imagine Cinemas ($22 per family of four, cheaper on Tuesdays) and Cine Starz ($20 per family) are great affordable options.

23) Magic of Lights: this is a drive-through light display at Wesley Clover Parks - and it promises to be bigger and better than ever! This is presented by MAJIC 100 in support of the Sens Foundation, and cost this year is $20 online or $25-$30 at the gate (depending whether you go weekdays or on a weekend)

24) Canadian Museum of History's tree lighting ceremony: Thursday November 28th at 6pm. Count down to the lighting of the tree, while enjoying Christmas carols, Beaver Bites and hot chocolate!

25) Letters to Santa: Join the City of Ottawa Archives to write your letter to Santa, and participate in crafts, decorating cookies and holiday stories! Fun for the whole family. Cost: FREE!

BONUS: Too tired to do any more activities? Stay home, watch Elf (or maybe the Grinch!) and pig out on homemade caramel popcorn. Stoke the fire and hug your loved ones.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!