Two terrific traditions locally in my neck of the woods this week are the Festival of Trees and Cookie Decorating with Mrs Claus.

Terrific Traditions: Foothills Festival of Trees

The Foothills Festival of Trees is an annual event that gathers mid-November in the Parks West Mall. Members of the community decorate artificial trees and make gingerbread houses that are put up for silent auction. All proceeds benefit the Resident Care Foundation, a group that is dedicated to improving life for seniors within the community. You can also give donations for the Santa’s Anonymous and Food Bank too. It turns our normal shopping center into a pretty little forest and makes for a nice morning stroll through the mall. Many of the trees are themed and include gift cards or other yummy items! It was really hard for me to narrow down our favourites out of the many we saw…. but I managed it.

 

Pinecone Tree

I think this is the ultimate upcycled tree using the many pine cones that litter the ground. Why not make the tree for your donation instead of having to find one? The decorations on it were quite simple but I was drawn to the texture of it and it’s crafty little spirit.

Quilter’s Tree

One of my other favourite trees was this one made by the Rocky Mountain Quilter’s Group. All of the ornaments were sewn and made from fabric scraps and tied with a burlap string onto the tree. It was very shabby-chic.

J’s Favourite: The Woofie Tree

Mr J was drawn to the dog tree which is not a surprise to anyone who knows him as he is obsessed with animals. The tree was filled with stuffed “woofies” (as Mr J calls them) of all shapes, sizes and breeds, animal treats, leashes and collars.

 

D’s favourite tree: Construction Dude

Made by a local employment company, this hilarious tree is a very safe one complete with goggles, safety vest and his lunch in his hand. His resume in his vest pocket was a great read.

Other Trees of Mention

From top left to bottom right: Candy Crush, Hinton Children’s Learning Centre Tree with handmade ornaments by the kids, a yummy tree with cooking utensils (made me think of Cooking with Jax) and a fishing tree with awesome nets, fish, and lighthouses.
 

Terrific Traditions: Cookie Decorating with Mrs. Claus

Mrs. Claus was also on hand with the Parent Link Center to aid in the decoration of cookies. She came over to say hi to Mr J and his eyes went as big as saucers. He enjoyed spreading icing all over his cookie then realized the icing was delicious. He finished it off with sprinkles. I love the holly sprinkles – what a great choice! Afterwards, we had a little chat with Mrs. Claus and sat on her lap for a photo opportunity and a candy cane.

Make Your Own Tradition

• Have your own cookie decorating party (check out these fab printables!)
• Participate in a cookie swap with friends & family (see the Martha way here)
• Decorate a tree in nature (guerrilla-style, super sneaky)
• Participate in local events for the holidays in your community. Google it or find out ones near you in your local paper.

Do you have traditions similar to the ones we participated in this week? We’d love to here what yours are too! Comment below.