There’s something kind of lovely about this time of year. The holidays are past us, and a new year is upon us - it’s the perfect time to relax, spend some quality time with the family and make plans for the year to come.
Make the most of the season and keep your bank account intact with these budget-friendly family fun tips:
Take to the hills. The hills are alive… with the sounds of sledding! Calgary’s many hills and parks are perfect for winter fun, and it’s easy to spend nearly an entire day slipping, sliding and swooshing around on a sled. Not sure where to go? The City of Calgary’s website (www.calgary.ca) has a great list of tobogganing and sledding hills all around the city, but word on the street is that St. Andrew’s (2504, 13 Avenue NW) can’t be beat. And remember: helmets on heads!
Calgary Winter Festival. Head down to Fort Calgary on February 16 for the Calgary Winter Festival! This free event is filled with fun activities like face painting, crafts, games and, of course, yummy food! For more information, visit www.fortcalgary.com. For more wintry fun and a complete listing of festivals, visit the online calendar of events on this website.
Enjoy a staycation. Like clockwork, that itch for a vacation perks up around this time of year. After the holidays, however, an impromptu trip to somewhere exotic is often not in the budget. Satisfy that need for a vacation without breaking the bank by planning a weekend getaway in your own city! Here in Calgary, we have a ton of gorgeous hotels; whether you’re looking to take the whole family along (look for ones with great pools and water slides!) or make it a weekend vacation just for two, there’s something for everyone. Even if you end up splurging a bit on the hotel or a few goodies along the way, it’ll be a heck of a lot cheaper than a trip to a tropical locale, and you’ll have the opportunity to make the most of our beautiful city.
Spend Family Day with family. They call it ‘Family Day’ for a reason, so take advantage of the day off by spending it with the people closest to you. First off, throw something in the slow cooker for dinner so you don’t have to think about it later (pasta sauce, stew and chili are quick and easy!). Pack up some hot dogs, marshmallows and thermoses of hot chocolate, and head to one of Calgary and area’s many beautiful picnic sites (find ones with fire pits at www.calgary.ca). You can keep cozy around the campfire, the kids can play in the snow and at the end of the day, you can all warm up at home under some blankets and enjoy a hot dinner (that is ready to eat when you get home!) in front of a movie.
Skate on the Spruce Meadows pond. There’s more to Spruce Meadows than horses and a gorgeous Christmas Market! In fact, it’s a pretty fun place in the dead of winter (aka: right now). On the next sunny day you have free, pack up a thermos of hot cocoa, dress the family in layers and head to the Spruce Meadows pond for an afternoon of ice-skating. The pond is regularly cleaned of snow, and there are straw bales to rest on, making it the perfect not so out of town skating spot.
Canmore Winter Carnival. Load up the car and bundle up the kids, it’s time to check out the Canmore Winter Carnival! From February 13 to March 1, the picturesque mountain town will be full of fun events like ice carving, snow sculpting and curling on the pond. Two blocks along Main Street will also be packed with snow and groomed for cross-country skiing, pleasure skiing and dog sled races (including the much-loved Kid ‘n’ Mutt Races!). For more information, visit www.tourismcanmore.com.
Indoor snowmen. Of course, there will be more than a few days during the winter where it’s just too darn cold to head outside; but that’s no reason to stop the winter fun! Grab a bunch of white felt, buttons, twigs, glitter, construction paper, glue and whatever else you can scrounge up, and help your little ones make some snowmen! Help them out with cutting the circles for the body of the snowmen, and then challenge them to make the coolest/craziest/most creative snowman they can imagine! Extend the craft by first having your kids draw or paint a landscape on a big piece of paper and then they can glue their snowmen right to the picture. Perfect snowmen - no mittens required!
New Year’s ‘to-do’ list. As we celebrate the beginning of a new year, we all start to make goals and resolutions for the months to come. This year, why don’t you get the whole family involved and make a New Year’s to-do list? Be realistic (no ‘win the lottery’ type ideas, please). Include things that have been weighing on you (paint the house, fix the dishwasher, etc.), and be sure to incorporate plenty of fun stuff too (have a picnic in the mountains, go rafting, throw an ice-cream party). Place the list somewhere you can see it regularly, like on the fridge, so you can have a constant reminder of what it is you want to do, so you and the whole family can have a list of fun things to look forward to.
Valentine’s Day handprint pictures. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a super-pricey occasion, especially if you’re ready to get crafty with the little ones. Start out with some nice cardstock that’s big enough to fit your children’s handprints (two per piece of paper). Cover their palms with thick craft paint, and have your child press their painted palms down onto the cardstock. Sprinkle with glitter, confetti or any other small, decorative bits. When the paint is dry, make a frame around the paper by gluing small construction paper hearts around the edges. Voila! An easy, beautiful craft that’s perfect for the most loving day of the year.
Stephanie is a freelance writer specializing in travel and food writing. For more information, visit www.stephaniearsenault.ca.
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