8 Places to See Beautiful Christmas Lights in Canada

There’s something truly magical about Christmas lights during the holidays. Thousands of twinkling lights can make any place feel like you’re walking in a winter wonderland. We’ve rounded up eight of our favourite spots in Canada to take in Christmas light shows, tunnels, and even a train.

1. Grouse Mountain

Christmas lights Grouse Mountain Beautiful Canada - London Drugs

Photo by @vancitywild

After taking the gondola up Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, BC, walk through a tunnel of lights before skating and grabbing hot cocoa. Tip: it’s a great holiday date spot!

2. VanDusen Botanical Garden

Christmas Lights VanDusen Botanical Garden London Drugs

Photo by @tovogueorbust

Walk among the maze of Christmas lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC. For many it’s a yearly tradition to see the Festival of Lights!

3. CP Holiday Train

The CP Holiday Train is travelling from province to province collecting donations for North America’s food banks. Find out when the train is coming to a town near you – and see a live holiday show!

4. Leduc County Christmas Lights

Leduc County Christmas Lights - London Drugs Blog

Photo by @capitalpowercleaninc

Walking in a Christmas wonderland at Leduc County Christmas Lights in Alberta! Remember to bring a donation for the food bank and snap a great picture with these twinkling lights.

5. Vancouver Christmas Market

Vancouver Christmas Market - London Drugs Blog

Photo by @fraaappuccino

Stand inside a giant Christmas tree at the Vancouver Christmas Market! Reflective of a traditional German market, shop for classic treats, visit local vendors with handmade goodies, and ride the merry-go-round.

6. Bankers Hall

Bankers Hall Calgary - London Drugs Blog

Photo by @aliyahkm

With a huge Christmas tree surrounded by lights, put Bankers Hall in Calgary on your to-visit list for a picture-worthy moment!

7. Prince’s Island Park

Prince's Island Park Calgary - London Drugs Blog

Photo by @anaib

Walk over to Prince’s Island Park near downtown Calgary, AB, for a bridge full of lights and festive Christmas cheer.

8. Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Capilano Suspension Bridge - London Drugs Blog

Photo by @vancitywild

All lit up for Christmas, the Canyon Lights at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park are beautiful over the holidays. It gets busy though, so go early or on weeknights if you can!

Did we miss somewhere? Tell us in the comments! Merry Christmas from all of us at London Drugs!

7 Beautiful Signs That Spring Is Just Around the Corner in Canada

Since it’s technically still winter, we may be jumping the gun here in Canada, but the the thought of Spring is too exciting not to talk about. There aren’t many other things that thrill Canadians more than seeing the first few signs of warmer weather: the old, grey piles of snow in Calgary transforming into ankle-deep puddles, the first sights of the new potholes blooming in Saskatoon, any temperature that doesn’t have a minus in front of it in Winnipeg, or one day, just one day, that it doesn’t rain in Vancouver are all welcome signs that spring is near, and we can put another Canadian winter under our belts. Here are 7 Signs that spring is juuuuuust around the corner.

Buds

Photo by Ruth Hartnup via Flickr

These little friends are usually the first signs of spring Canadians will see. Of course, the second thing they’ll see is fellow Canadians running around exclaiming, “BUDS ON THE TREES! BUDS ON THE TREES!”

Robins

Photo by Don Brubacher via Flickr

Robins know when things are starting to thaw out, so when they show up in your backyard, it’s a good sign that your extremities are about to get warmer.

Sun

Photo courtesy of Banff Lake Louise Tourism

It’s a unique experience to play a bit of pond hockey with the warm sun on your face. In the above photo, the Banff Women’s Hockey team are here taking full advantage at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.

Blooms

Photo by Walter A. Aue via Flickr

Crocuses are usually the first buds to poke their little heads out of the cold, Canadian ground, and we’ve made early Crocus spotting a competitive spring sport.

Geese

Photo by James Mann via flickr

The comforting honk of these feathered friends making their way back to our lakes and ponds are a welcome sound in the ears of chilly, damp Canadians.

Patios

This patio at Canim Lake, BC isn’t quite ready for lounging on yet, but you know as soon as the temperature gets anywhere around 5 degrees, it will get dusted off and put to good use.

Spring Skiing

Photo by thesnowclub via Instagram

Is there any better feeling than skiing with no jacket? No. No there is not. Check out this daring canuck flipping for spring in Whistler, BC.

How excited are you about spring? Tell us, or even better yet show us, in the comments!

Aluminum metal panels offer durability, clarity and a unique way to display photography

Choosing the right surface to display your photos on is just as important as capturing the right moment on your camera. More and more photographers are opting to print on aluminum panels due to their durability, resistance to fading, and their glass-like luminous quality. The London Drugs Photolab has been printing photos on aluminum metal panels since 2014, and has recently added larger sizes to the range of printing options.

Photographer, Larry Hilderman has printed several of his photos on aluminum at London Drugs, and offers some insight about why he uses the medium to showcase and sell his photography.

I have worked in the photographic industry for 35 years on the technical side. Starting with friends and family, and then growing through word of mouth, I have been fortunate to sell images to clients across Canada. As a landscape photographer, I have had great success using aluminum panels to showcase my work. The smooth glossy surface of the panel shows great detail of the photograph. Colour gamut is not diminished with good saturation, the image has “pop” that has been very well received.

Aluminum panels have a sharper look to them as opposed to paper or canvas prints, they have “depth” that is not normally seen on other media. This enhances the colour and contrast without looking artificial. This is best suited to subjects with more saturated colours – but I have had black & white images printed on aluminum that also looked beautiful. It must be the apparent contrast that enhances the image.

As a bonus, the image is extremely durable and resistant to moisture which allows it to be displayed in high traffic areas and places with high humidity. I have had many requests for these panels and hope to sell more in the future!

Above: Selected images from photographer Larry Hilderman, whose aluminum prints are currently featured in the Local Inspirations Artist Gallery at select Calgary Photolabs.

See more of Larry’s work at: http://larryhilderman.myportfolio.com/

Get Ready with Me: Ania B.’s Everyday Makeup Routine

Canadian personal style/beauty blogger and FLARE Magazine’s April cover girl Ania B. gives us an insider peek at what goes into her everyday skincare and beauty routine! Follow along with her in this GRWM (Get Ready With Me) tutorial to find out how she keeps her skin looking its best, and get her tips on how to achieve her signature smouldering eye look.

Products featured:

Face:

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion SPF 15
CoverGirl Clean Liquid Makeup for Normal Skin in Buff Beige
Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Light Medium
NYX HD Studio Photogenic Finishing Powder
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Glow Powder in W102 Golden Neutral
NYX Illuminator in Magnetic

Eyes:

NYX Dream Catcher Palette in Dusk til Dawn
L’Oreal La Couleur Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
Cargo Swimmables Eye Pencil in Pebble Beach
L’Oreal Voluminous Superstar Mascara in Black
Maybelline Eyestudio Master Precise Skinny Gel Liner in Sharp Brown

Lips:

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Lip Balm in Too Cool
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

Brushes:

Subscribe to London Drugs on Youtube and don’t forget to check out Ania B.’s blog.

Stay tuned for more beauty videos!

4 Spectacular Weekend Getaways for Calgarians

Where to go for a weekend away from Cowtown? Obviously the Okanagan and Lake Louise are worthy destinations, but we’re willing to bet that most Calgarians already hit both of them on the regular (wine tours in the summer and ski trips in the winter, right?). Instead, we’re sending you off the beaten path to some drivable destinations that deserve a little more credit.

Drumheller, Alberta (Driving distance: 135 km)

A photo posted by Travel Drumheller (@traveldrumheller) on Jul 31, 2014 at 12:15pm PDT

Of course there’s the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the hoodoos, but Drumheller is also a top pick purely because of its beautiful landscape. Camping & hiking in the Badlands will treat visitors to Horseshoe Canyon, a mini Grand Canyon, where you can view the sedimentary layers of the land. There’s also the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dinosaur Provincial Park, where vast amounts of dinosaur bones have been discovered. Take a tour and revel in the long history of the beautiful province.

Jasper, Alberta (Driving distance: 413 km)

A photo posted by Jasper, Canada (@tourismjasper) on Sep 10, 2015 at 7:43am PDT

Heading to Alberta’s other National Park may seem like an extra far drive, but keep in mind that the Columbia Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) from Banff to Jasper is agreed upon by many to be Canada’s most beautiful drive. Take your time on the drive, and expect to stop for several photo ops. Once in Jasper, you can hike, bike, wander, ski, snowmobile – whatever you want! A fun aspect of skiing Marmot Basin is the ski-out parking lots. Join in on the fun with the locals by tailgating for lunch.

Kalispell, Montana (Driving distance: 423 km)

A photo posted by Whitefish Mtn Resort (@skiwhitefish) on Sep 9, 2015 at 4:14pm PDT

Despite the declining value of the Canadian dollar, we had to include at least one roadtrip south of the border. Calgarians are lucky to be so close to the beautiful rolling hills of Montana, so why not take advantage? Whether it’s ski-out accommodations at nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort or the rustic village culture in downtown Kalispell, you’re in for a treat.

Edmonton, Alberta (Driving distance: 299 km)

A photo posted by Edmonton Tourism (@exploreedmonton) on Sep 10, 2015 at 2:24pm PDT

We know the rivalry is intense between Calgarians and Edmontonians, but hear us out. Sometimes it’s just fun to go to another city for a weekend. What other excuse do you have to get a hotel room and wrap up in a fluffy bathrobe? Nicknamed “Canada’s Festival City,” you know there’s always going to be something going on for entertainment. It’s also got a river valley that’s 22 times bigger than New York’s Central Park. Bike and kayak in the summer, or snowshoe and cross-country ski in the winter for a real treat. Lastly, when Edmonton opens their new hockey arena, Rogers Place, in fall 2016, it’s going to be a must-see (and in the process, you can see new NHL all-star Connor McDavid play).

London Drugs launches food donations direct from Web to Western Canada’s local food banks

Goal is to raise 80,000 pounds of food this summer for people in need

The annual food fundraising tour, Five Hole for Food (FHFF) kicks off in St. John’s on July 1^st and this year, there are new ways for the public to support local food banks during the summer, one of their toughest times of year.

“People generally donate to their local food banks during the winter,” said Richard Loat, CEO and founder of Five Hole for Food. “We run FHFF during the summer specifically to fill the needs of empty food bank shelves.”