On Nov. 28 the CORE Shopping Centre transformed into a winter wonderland, where princesses, dancers and even Santa himself gathered to bring holiday cheer for the 4th annual Find Christmas Downtown.
The CORE partners with the charity The Magic of Christmas to give over 100 Christmas trees to families in need. Sponsors, including the Calgary Flames, the SAIT Trojans and Avenue Calgary participate in decorating the trees
“We bring in 150 trees that were all donated by Canadian Tire. The trees come in and then we let corporate Calgary, local businesses [and] our retailers come decorate the trees,” says marketing director Caron Anderson
The production of the event, which starts as early as Stampede, featured live entertainment including dancers, music and of course watching the sponsors decorate their trees.
Clayton Busher, president of The Magic of Christmas, aims to bring Christmas cheer to families through their charity, and their partnership with the CORE’s has meant a great deal for them.
The event includes free photos with Santa, with monetary donations welcome to help The Magic of Christmas and the Salvation Army. Photo by Solaya Huang
“Christmas can be a stressful time a year for a lot of people,” says Busher. “So for us it’s about creating some magic for people that that may not be able to find it on their own.”
These trees can help to bring that Christmas magic to households across Calgary and give them the holiday staple.
“They really make any home feel more festive over the holidays,” says Anderson. “I think it gives kids that kind of magical touch of Santa.”
Outside of this event, The Magic of Christmas also delivers gifts to over 700 families on Christmas Eve, as well as to all major hospital hospitals and care facilities
To find out more about The Magic of Christmas, what they do, and how to help visit: http://themagicofchristmas.org/
Editor: Dan Khavkin dkhavkin@cjournal.ca
FCD from MRU Journalism on Vimeo.