It may be tempting to finish up your Christmas shopping by heading to Amazon and ordering what's left on your list. But spending your money locally brings more benefits than whatever comes in that box.
Shopping close to home "is an investment in making sure that we are a place that has lots of local restaurants, lots of unusual experiences, lots of little stores ... where the money that you (spend) mostly stays here," Taproot co-founder Karen Unland said on the Dec. 12 edition of Taproot Exchange, a members-only livestream where she and community coordinator Debbi Serafinchon offered local gift ideas.
When you spend your money at stores like those listed on the City of Edmonton's Shop Local site, or buy tickets to events and experiences listed in the Taproot Edmonton Calendar, "it's a gift to your person, it's a gift to yourself, it's a gift to Edmonton," Unland said.
Another idea that's a win-win-win is a gift membership in Taproot. The object of your generosity will get all of the benefits of membership — such as access to Taproot Exchange — plus all of the reliable intelligence that Taproot gathers. And that money stays here, too.
The Taproot team is taking a break from daily publishing starting on Dec. 22. But before we go, we want to leave you with a list of fun things to do over the holidays. Let us be your guide to a memorable season. We'll return to our regular schedule on Jan. 5.
A file photo from New Year's Eve 2011 at Churchill Square. (Mack Male/Flickr)
Lights
- Until Dec. 20: Celebrate the Season at the Legislative Grounds
- Until Dec. 30: Lights in the Park at Greenland Garden Centre
- Until Dec. 31: Leduc Country Lights in Calmar
- Until Dec. 31: Christmas Glow at the Edmonton Expo Centre
- Until Jan. 2: Candy Cane Lane in Crestwood
- Until Jan. 4: Maisie's Magical Christmas House at 97 Street and 144 Avenue NW
- Until Jan. 4: Zoominescence: A Festival of Light at the Edmonton Valley Zoo
- Until Jan. 6: Magic of Lights at Rad Torque Raceway
- Until Jan. 7: Enchanted Forest at various locations in Fort Saskatchewan
Entertainment
- Dec. 20: The Annotated Christmas Songbook starting at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church
- Until Dec. 21: Bear Grease Shack Up for the Winter - Holiday Special at Citadel Theatre
- Until Dec. 21: The Blank Who Stole Christmas at Rapid Fire Exchange
- Until Dec. 21: Girl Brain, Actually at Roxy Theatre
- Dec. 22: Bright Lights: A Holiday Cabaret starting at 7:30pm at Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre
- Until Dec. 23: Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical at Capitol Theatre
- Until Dec. 24: A Christmas Carol at Citadel Theatre
- Until Dec. 28: Die Harsh: A Christmas Musical at The Orange Hub
- Until Dec. 28: Enchanted Antlers at Varscona Theatre
Food
- Dec. 19: Festive Lunch Buffet starting at 11am at Chateau Lacombe Hotel
- Dec. 20: ELF Rave: Edmonton's Most Unhinged Christmas Party starting at 9pm at GRETA Bar YEG
- Dec. 20-21: Old Strathcona Farmers' Market
- Dec. 20: 124th Food Walk Tour starting at 1pm at Helen Nolan Park
- Dec. 21: How The Grinch Stole Breakfast starting at 11am at Dolly's Cocktail Bar
- Dec. 21: Ice Cream 101 starting at 12pm at Made by Marcus
- Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Brunch Buffet starting at 9:30am at Sawmill Prime Rib & Steakhouse
- Dec. 24: Delavoye Presents: A Christmas to Remember starting at 8pm at Delavoye Chocolate Maker
- Dec. 27: 124th Food Walk Tour starting at 1pm
- Dec. 29: Kids in the Kitchen: Make-Your-Own Cookie Dough starting at 11am at L'OCA Quality Market (Sherwood Park)
- Until Jan. 5: Christmas Cake For Good
New Year's celebrations
- Midnight Brunch Balldrop starting at 5pm at Chartier
- NYE BASH 3.0 starting at 5:30pm at Rocky Mountain Ice House
- Felizaño 2026 Latin NYE Bash starting at 6pm at Evario Events Centre
- Strathcona County New Year's Festival starting at 6pm at Broadmoor Lake Park
- New Year's Eve Festival and Fireworks starting at 6pm at Churchill Square
- Family Fest starting at 6pm at Heritage Park Pavilion
- New Year's Eve Chef's Table starting at 6pm at L'OCA Quality Market (Sherwood Park)
- New Year's Eve Extravaganza with the Dueling Divas starting at 6pm at Cattail Crossing Golf & Winter Club
- Winter SolstICE Presents: New Year's Eve starting at 6pm at ICE District Plaza
- New Year's Eve in Devon starting at 7pm Royal Canadian Legion Branch 247
- New Year's Eve with Pro Coro Canada starting at 7:30pm at First Presbyterian Church
- New Year's Eve Fireworks starting at 8:30pm at St. Albert Place
- New Year's Eve Party starting at 9pm at Kosmos Lounge
- New Year's Eve: The 10th Annual Black & White Affair starting at 10pm at Pakistan Canada Association of Edmonton
Winter activities
- Cross-country skiing
- Downhill skiing, snowboarding, and tubing
- Outdoor skating on city ice rinks
- Tobogganing
- Winter activities in Strathcona County
- Winter adventures at Elk Island Park