The holiday season is officially upon us, as evidenced by the plethora of Christmas and holiday-themed articles in this week's issue of The Cochrane Eagle.
The month of December can be – and usually is – an incredibly stressful time, as people scramble to buy gifts for loved ones, fulfill social holiday obligations and try to make Christmas a memorable and magical occasion for themselves and their families. It's enough unnecessary pressure to make a lot of people prefer to shut off and wait until January before they visit a mall or otherwise take part in society.
Nonetheless, the holidays do bring many enjoyable aspects, one of which is the opportunity to partake in the many local community events that pop up at this time of year. As we enter December, The Eagle newsroom would encourage our readers to check out one or more of the many Christmas-themed community activities on the horizon to get into the holiday spirit this month.
There are markets, such as the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre's inaugural European village-themed market, and winter productions, such as Bow Valley Baptist Church's rendition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Take A Bow Theatre Society's One Bad Apple: Snow White and the Evil Red Delicious, or Bow Valley Chorus' version of Handle's Messiah).
For Cochranites seeking to make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate this holiday season, there's also the annual emergency services caravan coming up in support of the local food bank.
If you missed last weekend's Light Up Cochrane event, take solace in the fact the CP Holiday Train is returning to town on Dec. 13 (see last week's paper for details) and will include a live concert for attendees to enjoy.
When you're doing your Christmas gift shopping this month, our newsroom would remind Cochranites to please consider shopping locally this holiday season. Record inflation means it's been another tough year economically for virtually everyone, but the truth is a large corporation does not need your dollars as much as the small mom-and-pop shops that make Cochrane a great place to live.
