Northern Groove

Nothing makes a mother more proud than her baby screaming in public because a creepy bearded man scared the bejeebers out of them!

The verdict is in and it appears this year there are more funny, akward, goofy Santa photos than frameable ones. So we decided that instead of picking one winner in the nice photo category we would pick three in the funny category. Take a look at these priceless Santa photos and let us know what you think!

We want to thank everyone who submitted photos and send a special thanks to our top winners: 

Taylor - Grande Prairie, AB

Addisyn - Grande Prairie, AB

Landon - Fort St. John, BC  

We hope you all enjoy a little laugh!  Wishing you a Merry Christmas from the all of us at the Northern Groove! 

The spirit of Christmas is everywhere and the Alliance Church is no exception! A local woman, Cathy Ortynsky, painted the mural photographed above, to set the stage as the Christmas backdrop for the Fort St. John church.

 Cathy, who is a local artist involved in pottery, sculptures and clay, says this is the largest painting she has ever done. It took her three weeks in total, starting out first with a small diagram she had drawn out and finishing as the painting seen above. 

 The Christmas mural was painted for the church's annual Christmas play and for everyone to enjoy during the services of the Christmas season. 

This Christmas, instead of working through the masses at Wal-Mart, why not check out something a little more unique? This & That on 100th Street in Fort St. John is a treasure trove of awesome vintage pieces, local craftswork and artwork, and many other home and fashion accessories you never knew you wanted until you saw them!

There are hand-knitted toques and hats made by local artisan, Faye Eggleston. There are lacy earrings and stone earrings and leaf earrings and all kindso of earrings from Liane Bass. She has two lines available in the store; Of Love and Philosophy of Nature. There are cute and "old"-fashionable aprons and sexy cookery wear by Sugar Baby as well as amazing framed paintings done by Karen Molander.

Pop in to This & That and browse their ever-changing treasures. Everything from antiques (still need a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift?)  to apparel (a cute, vintage-style dress for that New Year's party, maybe?), there's so much in the store, it's climbing the walls!

Check out these photos for a peek at the thises and thats you can find at This & That. And say hi to Norman th Pug!

This & That
10112 - 100th St
p: 250.262.0049 

Walking into Olivia Kabat’s house, you’ll be delighted to see an impeccably decorated Christmas tree to your right and an impressive looking Nativity to your left. This is not an uncommon scene during the holidays; however, in mid-November, it’s a notably early reminder of the season to come.

Olivia, originally from Mexico, married her Canadian husband and started a family almost two decades ago. As we look upon her beautiful Christmas decorations she laughs and points to the Nativity: “That’s my culture.” She then points to the Christmas tree, “That’s my husband’s.”

She goes on to explain the Latino-style Christmas celebration, which lasts much longer than the
Canadian version, which partly explains the early arrival of Christmas in the Kabat home. Las Posadas, for example, starts on December 16th and lasts until December 24th. On the 16th, one house in the neighbourhood invites over the local children for a celebration of the Nativity. Starting with a song that imitates Mary and Joseph’s search for the inn, Olivia explains that the night also involves “prayer, food, games, dancing and a piñata”.

The traditional Latino festivities continue on until the beginning of February with neighbourhood parties, dances and gatherings. Olivia jokes, “In Canada, Christmas is all about food and presents. Once the presents are opened, my family says, ‘Well, Christmas is over.’ And I think, what do you mean it’s over?” For Olivia, her fondest childhood memories come from family and friends gathering together – whole neighbourhoods celebrating through music, food, dance, decoration and traditional celebrations.

Olivia laughs and tells a story about getting hit with flying fruit from a broken piñata. Her stories about Christmas in Mexico often involve not only lots of laughter, but a liveliness and joy that can only come from experiences that involve gatherings with those you love.

The Welcoming & Inclusive Communities & Workplaces Program includes a number of “Gathering Spaces”. These involve opportunities for local communities to create joyful memories of their own. As Christmas approaches and I start to skim through recipes to plan festivities of my own, I think about the significance of gathering spaces. How do people gather in Fort St. John? Why do they gather?

My hope is that we can create stories as a community that bring the same kind of joy as Olivia’s memories of Las Posadas. My first step? I won’t be afraid to linger a little longer at gatherings that encourage laughter, dancing and especially piñatas bursting with fruit.

Personalize Your Gift Giving with a Recycled Rubber Tire Tile

A one-of-a-kind Christmas gift idea is offered by the Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT). You can take a personal step toward a more sustainable community by purchasing a unique paving tile made of recycled rubber tires.

Your name or names of family, friends, colleagues and businesses will be engraved on each tile making a great gift for those hard to buy for at Christmas time. The tiles will be placed on a path in a public Fort St. John location in the spring as a demonstration of a sustainable alternative to cement or tar paving. You can monitor how the tiles react to the sun, ice , snow removal and repeated melting over a period of 8 months. The first project of recycled rubber tire tiles will encompass 1200 square feet of surface.    

The recycled rubber tire tiles are a pilot project to introduce a sustainable product to Fort St. John and area. The tiles are entirely a BC product, made from car and truck tires shipped from Fort St. John to Pacific Shredders and ground into BC crumb. Dinoflex Industries in Salmon Arm uses the BC crumb to make the rubber tiles.

The tiles are durable, permeable and easy to install and reinstall. Perfect for playgrounds and other people places, they are a more environmentally friendly and a more forgiving alternate to paving or cement. On walking tracks the cushioned surface is easier on the knees and legs. Recycled rubber tire tiles are commonly used for driveways and patios.

NEAT invites you to be part of the drive for sustainable living in Fort St. John. Be one of the first to give your stamp of approval to this recycled product for the community. A 4 foot square tile engraved with your name is a donation of $250 and a 2 foot square tile is $150. All donations receive a tax-deductible receipt. If purchased before December 12, a Christmas card with a photo of your personalized tile will be available for you to give on Christmas day. Check out www.neat.ca for more information or stop in to 10027 100 Street in Fort St. John where NEAT has other unique environmentally friendly gift items for sale.

Partnered with my reflection, I danced a sock-footed-slip-step on the lacquered gymnasium floor. A melodic mishap of off-keyed notes tumbled from my lips and into my microphone/toothbrush as I belted out the lyrics to “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth”.

Between refining my performance lisp for the schools annual Christmas concert and adding toys to my ever-growing wish list, my eight-year-old self didn’t spend much time thinking about the harsh reality that Christmas is often more of a struggle than a celebration.

The words to this playful Christmas carol seemed simple and carefree, as a young girl I thought this tune was charged with nothing other than comedic candor. After all, nobody in their right mind would ask Santa for teeth!

The tradition of gift giving at Christmas can feel magical but the veil between magic and reality is running thin. We have relented to measuring the worth of gifts with luxury and hefty price tags. The holiday has become increasingly smothered with over consumption that leads to stress that lingers long after the eggnog has passed its best before date.

Whatever happened to the perception that the greatest gift of all is love? This festive season take a moment to peer past the twinkling Christmas lights, look into the eyes of your loved ones, smile at strangers, shovel your neighbours walkway and give away hugs! Hugs hold a super power; the connection of a thoughtful embrace can make your heart warmer than any hot cup of cocoa. This holiday season get connected in a universal hug! Give love. It’s the only gift that will not tatter or break, and it’s guaranteed to last a lifetime and longer.

Under the Yoga Tree offers an extensive yoga schedule for all levels, with public classes offered 7 days a week. For an up-to-date schedule visit www.undertheyogatree.ca

Public Classes, Beginner Programs, Pass Cards, Unlimited Membership, and NEW! One-Week Into Membership.

Private and Corporate sessions available.

Contact Randelle Lusk, RYT-200  for more information:

250.263.5828 |   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | #4, 10104-100th Street FSJ

It's official! Santa Claus has made a stop in the Fort St. John area and will be hanging around the Totem Mall for the month of December. Give him a big hug, have a photo shoot and tell him what you would really like to find under your tree this Christmas season.

Once you have your photo in hand send it my way at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We want to see the good ones, the bad ones and we definitely want to see the ones where one kid is crying and the other kid is picking their nose! You have until December 20th to submit and then we will choose the best and the worst Santa photo of the 2011 year and post them up on our website! 

To Catch Jolly Ol' St. Nick himself before Christmas head down to the Totem Mall:

Thursday Dec 1st - 10am-3pm

Friday Dec 2nd - 10am-3pm

Wednesday Dec 7th - 10am-3pm

Friday Dec 9th - 3pm-6pm

Saturday Dec 10th - 11am-4pm

Wednesday Dec 14th - 10am-3pm

Friday Dec 16th - 3pm-6pm

Saturday Dec 17 - 11am-4pm

Tuesday Dec 20th - 10am- 3pm

Wednesday Dec 21st - 10am- 3pm

Thursday Dec 22nd - 10am - 3pm

Back by popular demand, “Music That Moves You” is back for the holiday season on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Residents are encouraged to hop on the transit bus and enjoy live holiday music performed by local musicians.

This festive event is free and promises tons of fun for the whole family! Enjoy a mug of hot chocolate as you wait for the bus at the North Peace Cultural Centre. Just for fun, wear your tackiest holiday sweater for a chance to win a prize!

The bus will be travelling the Southside Route. The event kicks off at 7pm at the North Peace Cultural Centre, though riders may hop on or off at any stop along the Southside Route. The event runs from 7:00 – 9:00pm. A special thank you to our partners: BC Transit, the North Peace Cultural Centre, and Northern Groove.

"Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice", the sale of recycled Christmas decorations at the Artspost this month is coming to an end on December 3 which is the last day to get unique and recycled Christmas decorations by donation. AND the North Peace Potters Guild will have a Mug Wall Christmas sale along with many pottery bowls on December 3 as well.

The Artspost continues to be open  from 9am  - 12 noon this week to sell used decorations. Saturday December 3 is the last day to get in on this great way to be environmentally friendly and recycle decorations.

This Saturday, the Artspost will be open from 10am to 4pm with tea and Christmas goodies. Come on down to 10320 94 Avenue and find some old and new treasurers to refresh your Christmas.

Call 250-787-2781 for further information.

Santa’s Workshop is the perfect way to kick off Christmas Vacation for the whole family. There will be crafts, gift making, Christmas games, holiday cartoons, Christmas music, cookie decorating and a special visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Each family will receive 1 free 4x6 family portrait with Mr. and Mrs. Claus and other photo packages will be available for a fee. Share an afternoon of fun with your loved one’s and artSpace at the Cultural Centre.

Date: Sunday, December 18

Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Tickets: $15.00 Parent / Child, $30.00 Family of 4 (Additional Family Members are $5.00 Each) Please pre-register/purchase tickets by December 12th... Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Contact:www.npcc.bc.ca or call Susan at 250-785-1992