Christmas and New Year's Eve 2020
All we want for Christmas is to be back to kind of normal. And a skateboard.
…and the winner is.
We ran our first giveaway on Instagram this week. If you don’t follow us on Instagram, that’s cool – everyone who subscribes to the newsletter was automatically entered. It was a giveaway where you didn’t have to do anything (except find a copy of “The Night Before” with Seth Rogen for an extra bonus entry, which unfortunately no did). ANYWAYS, the winner is Kaitlin Kok! Congratulations on winning this gift back with a candle from The Scented Market, a bag of holiday blend coffee beans from Matter of Taste, a copy of the Downtown Kitchener Art Walk Guide, and $10 Downtown and $10 Uptown Dollars to spend at a local business.
What to do.
Monday, December 21
The days are about to start getting longer! Celebrate the winter solstice with the Irish Real Life festival folks online from 7 to 8:30pm.
Tuesday, December 22
Chef Arielle will be making some Christmas themed dishes from Trinidad for the Underground Multicultural Series with Underground Flavour Group event from 7 to 8pm.
Waterloo Public Library has Quizmas Holiday Trivia starting at 7pm.
Even more trivia, Trivial.Soup and Idea Exchange have Holiday Movie Trivia starting at 7:30pm.
Wednesday, December 23
Wear a mask and head downtown for the Winter Farmer's Market at the Kitchener Market from 7am to 2pm.
THEMUSEUM and the Coalition of Muslim Women - KW present Beauty in Islamic Art: Exhibition Tour featuring works by Canadian artists for whom their Islamic background is intertwined with their multi-layered cultural identities. Exhibition is online.
Waterloo Public Library has Holiday Baking from my Home to Yours: Buttery Shortbread starting at 7pm.
You can order Grand Trunk’s Penultimate Xmas Eve menu on Monday and Tuesday for pickup on Wednesday.
Thursday, December 24
Lana’s Lounge has their Lana’s Christmas Eve Turkey Dinner available for pickup from 3 to 5. Order cut off is December 22 at 6pm.
Tuesday, December 29
Kitchener Public Library’s Winter Festival kicks off with a virtual Erick Traplin concert from 10am to 11:45am.
Everyone loves a good collab, and what could be better than Arabella Park x Good Co. Productions? Check out Hindsight is 2020: A Good Co. x Arabella Park Production on Tuesday, December 29. $80 gets you beer or cider, food, a game, and some awesome music broadcast live from Arabella Park Beer Bar.
New Year’s Eve
THEMUSEUM’s Noon Year in a Box brings you all the fun of New Year’s Eve to the comfort of your own home. You and your family will enjoy a box filled with sweets, goodies, and craft supplies. You will also receive an exclusive invite to the Noon Year Livestream beginning at 10:45! You can watch guest performances featuring both music & magic, craft tutorials, and more.
Relish Cooking Studio has their Online Cooking Workshop: Make Ahead New Years Dinner from noon to 1:30pm. First you'll make their favourite lava cakes that need to set in the refrigerator. Then you'll prepare a winter salad and classic pasta sauce that can sit until later in the evening when you are ready to serve dinner.
Waterloo Public Library has their Noon Year's Eve Party Extravaganza from 11:30 to 12pm. Registrants for this program will be invited to pick up a bag of supplies needed for your at-home Noon Years Eve Party before the 31st.
You can’t always get what you want, but you can get THEMUSEUM’s Rolling Stones NYE in a Box. You get a bottle of Peller Estates Ice Cuvee & Virtual Tasting from the Peller Estates Sommelier, desserts from Chef D Tv, and a whole bunch of stuff to help you ring in the New Year (at home)!
Book by December 23 for Buzz Tour Co.s NYE Virtual Bash with handcrafted cocktails and snacks provided by Taco Farm, boogy to tunes spun by local DJ Eric from Thunderstorm Productions and leave the event with a personalized momento of this crazy year created by Magical Mirror Photobooth - plus prizes to be won from local small businesses!
Ways to support local.
Find some safe ways to experience winter this, uh, winter with the City of Kitchener’s Reimagine Winter series.
Celebrate NYE at home with Descendants Beer and Beverage Co with these awesome DIY kits.
Morning Star Designs has an awesome giveaway going on until December 24.
Two Goblets has a market - check it out ASAP!
As we slide headfirst into another lockdown, here’s an updated list of places to find local businesses, makers, and more:
Civilian Screen Printing’s KW Awesome “shirts for small businesses”
What to read.
Andrew Coppolino has a two-part discussion with local restaurateurs where they talk about what they’ve learned during covid, and look ahead to 2021. There Are Lessons to Be Learned During a Pandemic - Explore Waterloo Region blog.
What’s In The Vault? Princess Cinemas Auctioning 35 Years Of Posters - The Community Edition.
Hey, it’s me on a train. Now googling “how to remove bags under your eyes”. ANYWAYS, Communitech is running a campaign called #HangInThereWR with a bunch of ways to take care of yourself and others this winter.