Christmas in Vancouver By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter hristmas is right around the corner. Students will be off school and will either be working, relaxing at home, or a little bit of both. To bring out your inner festive self and to get in the Christmas mood, Vancouver has many great events celebrating the holiday season. Located right in downtown Vancouver on the Plaza at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Christmas Market reopened on Sunday November 28. The market will be open for 28 days and will close on Friday, December 24. This market is not your ordinary North American Christmas market, but it resembles an authentic German _ Christmas Market. German Christmas markets are a 700 year old tradition. In the past they have brought communities together to celebrate fun, laughter, excellent food and drink, and of course the spirit of giving. This will be the 11" annual Christmas market in Vancouver. The market is a perfect place to shop for Christmas merchandise and food, and it also has multiple cultural activities and events. The setting is described as romantic with rows of little huts that are illuminated with Christmas lights, and the centre piece of the event is a festively decorated stage which will create a joyful Christmas atmosphere that everyone can enjoy. People are expecting the market to be the “focal point of the holiday season in the city.” The market is set up in a way which will bring everyone together, and is recommended to everyone from small children to young people to seniors. There are a variety of different booths ranging from crafts to goodies. Some of the German- influenced foods include: German Bratwurst, suckling pig and Swiss Raclette, Christmas cookies, Lebkuchen, roasted chestnuts and spiced Christmas cake. German- influenced beverages include: hot apple cider, hot spiced red wine, and of course a wide selection of German beers. The crafts and other merchandise include: authentic German wood carvings, knitted clothes and accessories, tin toys, 4 stained glass, nutcrackers and much more. The special children’s area called “Kids Market” will give kids an opportunity to make their own Christmas gifts. There are also quieter areas for large business groups who want to try something fun and different for lunch, several companies have hosted Christmas parties here as well. The daytime and the evening will have a series of performances, acts, and workshops. There will be performances such as traditional European choirs, dance performances, gospel choirs and carol singers. The main stage will be hosting a variety of workshops such as chocolate making presentations, drumming and music workshops, and even bee keeping demonstrations. There will also be school choirs and bands performing. Another exciting and popular Christmas event is Bright Nights in Stanley Park. This has been one of Vancouver’s favourite festive events for 13 years now. The event is open from November 26 to January 2. People can take a train ride through the West coast forest that is lit up with millions of lights, creating a great atmosphere for families and couples. There are also animated displays and holiday music, which can be watched while one sips hot chocolate, and eats fresh popcorn and enjoys roasted chestnuts. As for more entertainment, there will be community and professional choirs at Stanley Park on special nights. (Usually weekends) Stanley Park may be a ways away for many, but the great thing about this event is that admission into the Plaza is free, although tickets are required for those wishing to ride the train or visit the Children’s farmyard. It is recommended that you buy your tickets for the train online, as they do sell out relatively fast. Although it is important to remember that at least half of the tickets for each day will be set aside and will only be available at Stanley Park from 12:00 noon forward. To avoid crowds, it is best to come from Monday to Thursday. Several more holiday events can be found at http://vancouver.ca. Merry Christmas Douglas! Environmental issues during holiday season By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter hristmas can be quite strenuous on the environment. The making of fake trees, the cutting of real trees, the excessive amount of gifts and the paper that comes with it, and the extra energy required for Christmas lights can all lead to excessive environmental damage. According to BC farmers, the amount of people that buy real trees have grown in recent years. However, many people are asking the question: is it better to buy real or fake trees? Fake trees can last for ten years or more, however many of the chemicals that are used to make them are toxic to the environment. For example, the main chemical used is polyvinyl chloride which is one of the most environmentally offensive forms of non renewable plastic. Also, several more carcinogens such as ethylene dichloride are generated in the production of these factories, causing nearby neighbourhoods to be polluted. Most of these factory sites are in China. As for real trees, you get to go out with your family to choose a tree and there are no dangerous health effects in having it in your home. However, BC farmers say they require repeated applications of pesticides because they are farmed as an agricultural product. Also, if they are not discarded or recycled properly they can be a big waste issue. Despite the drawbacks of both real and fake trees, environmentalists believe it is a better idea to go with a real tree. It’s also a good idea to have its roots intact so you can plant it after the holidays. Or, many communities now have tree recycling facilities. Be sure to check out your community website for details. Old, burnt out Christmas lights also pile up in the landfills after holiday seasons. Environmentalists agree that recycling is a great solution to keep these barely biodegradable light strands out of our land fills. The best way to recycle your Christmas lights is to send strands of lights to Christmas lights recycling programs. Many North American companies do this, as long as you are willing to send the lights via mail. A great website is www.holidayleds.com. Also, you could donate old Christmas lights to the Salvation Army to brighten other’s windows. This holiday season, make sure to recycle!