Squamish Christmas
We love Christmas and have organized a lot of events over the years: Photos with Santa, Santa Fly Ins, Literary/Art Contests, Spirit of Giving Contests, Window Decorating Contests, Santa Parades, and Christmas Outdoor Markets. Our businesses have evolved, our children have grown up, and many friendships have formed and gotten stronger. Here are a few of the highlights of Squamish Christmas over the years:
A look back over the past few years:
Squamish Christmas 2020 and 2021 were very different. We had to change a lot of things because of COVID-19 pandemic. We pivoted and offered virtual chats and sing-alongs with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We weren't going to let it dampen our Christmas Spirit.
Squamish Christmas 2019 was another fun season. We had lots and lots of submissions for the two contests and the winners enjoyed epic views of the Tantalus Range on a beautiful blue sky day. We kept Santa and Mrs. Claus busy with visits to Squamish United Church for their Pancake Brunch and Photos, the Squamish Public Library for a quiet relaxed place for photos by the fireplace, Santa's Grotto at Britannia Mine Museum for two days, Squamish Canadian Tire for their customer appreciation and where we saw lots of pets, Squamish Valley Golf Club, and the Firefighters annual celebration. They also visited Helping Hands, Shannon Falls, The Manor, and many SSCS programs.
Squamish Christmas 2018 had amazing weather for the Santa Flights that took off and landed from the Squamish Airport. Blackcomb Helicopters were very generous and 12 winners from the Literary/Art Contest "What Christmas Means to Me" and 6 amazing youth from the Spirit of Giving Contest got helicopter rides this year. We offered many private and public locations for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus and kept them busy at locations such as Squamish United Church, Squamish Public Library, Canadian Tire, Hilltop House, Britannia Mine Museum, Squamish Valley Golf Club, The Manor, A-FRAME Brewing Company, Shannon Falls Retirement Residence, and the Brackendale Art Gallery.
Squamish Christmas 2017 had the introduction to a new contest, The Spirit of Giving Contest to recognize the youth of Squamish for their volunteer work in our community and four amazing youth got a helicopter ride. We also continued the Literary/Art Contest "What Christmas Means to me" with the grand prize being a helicopter ride with Santa! Santa and Mrs. Claus were busy attending many private events and we added more locations for children to visit them for photos here in Squamish: The Ledge after the Santa Parade thanks to the BIA, Squamish United Church for their Christmas Holiday Fair, Squamish Public Library for the Foyer Artisan Holiday Celebration, Canadian Tire for their customer appreciation, Britannia Mine Museum for their Holidays in Britannia, and Squamish Town Hub thanks to a partnership with the Toy Corral.
Squamish Christmas 2016 had the Santa Fly In from Squamish Airport to the Britannia Mine Museum for their Holidays at Britannia event. Huge shout out to Ben Hawkins of Blackcomb Helicopters for being so instrumental in this amazing grand prize. Thank you to all the students who submitted such thoughtful entries. We offered many opportunities for children to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus and had a couple of new venues for Santa Photos thanks to The Ledge Cafe and the Foyer Gallery/Squamish Public Library. Merry Christmas everyone!
Thank you everyone who joined us at our Squamish Christmas Celebration for 2015! We had a lot of fun, enjoyed wonderful music, ate delicious goodies, sipped on tasty mulled wine, and were thoroughly entertained by all who visited Santa! We loved that families got dressed up for their photos and then lingered together having a treat and enjoying the music. Thank you to our amazing local musicians: Carolyn Grass & Friends, Carol Grolman, The Christmas Belles (Rita, Jane, and Mary), Pedalman Dupuis, Sweet Harmony, Sophie Hill, Rick Roy, and the Squamish Fiddles. Thank you to Mayor Patricia Heintzman and Carol Grolman for making the Advent Ceremony each Sunday so special. Thank you to Blackcomb Aviation, Squamish Terminals, and all the budding artists and writers who entered our Squamish Christmas Literary/ Art Contest - the Santa Fly In was a huge success. Thank you to those who set up displays at our event. Thanks you for helping us support local charities and community groups (Squamish Community Christmas Care, Squamish Scouts, Squamish Food Bank, and Sea to Sky Community Services). It's been a really nice three weeks - thank you for celebrating with us! Now Santa is napping so that he'll be ready for his big day!
Sept 2015 The Squamish Christmas Market started out as a dream for a few friends who wanted to create an event in Squamish that would evoke the same feelings as a traditional outdoor European Christmas Market, but with a West Coast twist. It started small with a handful of vendors and evolved over 10 years into an amazing event that attracted over 50 vendors and over 6000 visitors. We added live music with local musicians, a winter beer garden, road hockey, art shows, Santa and Grinch photos, face painting, balloon art, food vendors, sleigh and pony rides, art/literary contests, Santa fly ins, window decorating contests, snow from the “North Pole”, huge Christmas trees, and lots of twinkle lights. We supported and fundraised for Squamish Community Foundation, Squamish Helping Hands, Canine Valley, 4th Squamish Scouts, and Squamish SPCA. We worked alongside The Santa Parade and then took on organizing it. Now it is time to do something new!
Thank you, Squamish, for an exhilarating, fun sleigh ride!
Signed, two people who believe in the magic of Christmas, Cindy Cardiff and Gregory Fischer
Thank you, Squamish, for an exhilarating, fun sleigh ride!
Signed, two people who believe in the magic of Christmas, Cindy Cardiff and Gregory Fischer
Squamish showed its true community spirit, making the 2014 Squamish Christmas Market and Santa Parade a huge success! Thank you to the vendors who put the effort into setting up wonderful booths at the market and were rewarded with huge crowds. Thank you downtown businesses for sharing your power so we could light up the market and for staying open late to be a part of it. Thank you to the musicians: Sea To Sky Fiddles, Runaway Wagon, Rita Jane and Mary, Carol Grolman, and Carolyn Grass and Friends and to Brian Marchant for taking care of sound and making the music flow through the street. Thank you Anna's Interiors for going above and beyond hosting the stage on your patio. Thank you Newport Market for being such a big part of this event from collecting vendor applications to having movies and facepainting inside and Santa photos outside your business. Thank you Nuna Innovations for supplying us with such wonderful lighting for our event. Thank you Howe Sound Brewing Company for the Beer Garden with beer and mulled wine. Thank you Pam, Squamish CAN, InBiz, and Scouts for helping us be a green event. Thank you Miller Capilano, SAR, RCM-SAR, SSCS, and volunteers for doing traffic control. Thank you random guy watching the parade for helping with barricades. Thank you Squamish Sounders Football Team for all the help taking down at the end of the event. Thank you Pizzalicious for looking after volunteers. Thank you Ian, Shaun, Dawn, Darwin, and Jared and the other volunteers for taking on the crazy registration and start of the parade. Thank you everyone who decorated, dressed up, and created floats for everyone to enjoy in the parade. Thank you to our main sponsors Chances, Fortis BC, Woodfibre LNG, Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, and District of Squamish for the cash donations and services in kind that enabled us to offer such a great event to the community. Thank you Corsa Cycle, Tantalus Bikes, Carney's, Greg Gardner GM, Save On Foods, The Chief, Mountain FM and many other local businesses for supporting our event. Thank you all the students who entered the Literary/Art Contest and for Blackcomb Aviation and Squamish Terminals for such a wonderful prize of a helicopter ride with Santa. Thank you Santa, the Grinch, and the Elves for joining us at our event. And most of all thank you to our families for being so involved in this event that takes us months to prepare for. From the organizers, Greg, Michael, and Cindy, Merry Christmas!
The 2013 Squamish Christmas Market had the potential to be the best ever with over 50 vendors, a great music and entertainment lineup, beer garden with hot mulled wine, pony and carriage rides, street hockey, magical market lighting, and Santa buzzing the market in his helicopter then setting up for photos with all the children. Then Mother Nature decided to make it one of the windiest days we've had in a long time and changing the -3 temperature to more like -17!! A huge thank you to all the vendors who tried their best to make it through the immense challenge of that wind! Let's try it again next year, but hopefully without that wind. Watch our Facebook page and our website www.squamishchristmas.com for up to date information. Our plan is the first Friday in December! Merry Christmas everyone!! From the Squamish Christmas Organizers: Cindy Cardiff, Gregory Fischer, and Michael Kanka
Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2012 Squamish Christmas Market such a huge success. It was a clear sunny day and clear starry night with cool temperatures and little wind. Squamish Junction Park was transformed into a magical outdoor market with vendor tents beautifully decorated with twinkle lights and displaying unique gifts, food vendors with delicious smells and tastes, talented musicians singing carols on stage, a Gingerbread Warming House and Winter Art Show, a huge pile of snow from the North Pole, a Winter Beer Garden, gift wrapping, photos with Santa Claus and the Grinch, fundraising and support of many great causes and organizations, and everyone mingling together while having a great time! Now that is the spirit of Christmas!!!!
The 2013 Squamish Christmas Market had the potential to be the best ever with over 50 vendors, a great music and entertainment lineup, beer garden with hot mulled wine, pony and carriage rides, street hockey, magical market lighting, and Santa buzzing the market in his helicopter then setting up for photos with all the children. Then Mother Nature decided to make it one of the windiest days we've had in a long time and changing the -3 temperature to more like -17!! A huge thank you to all the vendors who tried their best to make it through the immense challenge of that wind! Let's try it again next year, but hopefully without that wind. Watch our Facebook page and our website www.squamishchristmas.com for up to date information. Our plan is the first Friday in December! Merry Christmas everyone!! From the Squamish Christmas Organizers: Cindy Cardiff, Gregory Fischer, and Michael Kanka
Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2012 Squamish Christmas Market such a huge success. It was a clear sunny day and clear starry night with cool temperatures and little wind. Squamish Junction Park was transformed into a magical outdoor market with vendor tents beautifully decorated with twinkle lights and displaying unique gifts, food vendors with delicious smells and tastes, talented musicians singing carols on stage, a Gingerbread Warming House and Winter Art Show, a huge pile of snow from the North Pole, a Winter Beer Garden, gift wrapping, photos with Santa Claus and the Grinch, fundraising and support of many great causes and organizations, and everyone mingling together while having a great time! Now that is the spirit of Christmas!!!!