Lindork’s Lists #147 – Festive (indoor + outdoor) Activities, southside cafes & more Holiday Giveaways!
Newsletter for December 21-27, 2022
Note: this is the public version of my weekly email newsletter that gets sent to subscriber inboxes first each Wednesday. Get the full newsletter first by becoming a free subscriber.
Things to Do This Week
We’re still in a pandemic! Please mask up, stay home if sick, and get vaccinated/boosted.
It’s still pretty cold out this week so if you are headed out do bundle up!!
Experience the Winter SolstICE in ICE District (next to Rogers Place)
Rogers Place / ICE District are launching its Winter SolstICE 10 days of winter adventure and entertainment for the whole family from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1—including their giant snow maze, public skating in the newly opened Ice Plaza, plus some Oilers and Oil Kings holiday games (and New Year’s Eve Tailgate Party).
Drive through the Borealis Lights or Magic of Lights (St. Albert / Leduc)
In the interest of something festive but warm to do, this week would be a good one to drive through two holiday light shows—the new Borealis Lights in St. Albert (runs until Jan 8) or Magic of Lights in Leduc (runs until Jan 1).
Check out these other FREE outdoor holiday lights around Edmonton
This list I put together is from 2020 but they should still be relevant this year!
Get tickets to ‘Die Harsh: A Christmas Musical’ (Grindstone Theatre)
This holiday season, the Grindstone Theatre presents ‘Die Harsh: A Christmas Musical’ from Dec. 20-30, and Jan. 4-8. This is a musical satire based on many’s favourite Christmas movie (if you think Die Hard is a Christmas movie lol).
Check out Luminaria at the U of A Botanic Garden before it’s gone! (Hwy 60)
After more than 20 years, Luminaria, the outdoor winter festival at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden (located 5 km north of Devon on Hwy 60), is shutting down. Dec. 31 is the final day! Bundle up and head to Alberta’s largest botanic garden and take in the festive lights, a winter train, candles, snow sprites, and more.
Meet Santa and stay warm inside the Muttart Conservatory pyramids
The Muttart Conservatory is hosting Santa Dec. 21 (Wed) night from 6-8 p.m. and Dec. 22 (Thurs) night from 4:30-7:30 p.m. if you’re looking for something festive, but also warm and tropical during this chilly week. General admission applies (plus the annual Poinsettia Sale is on, so you can pick those up—and check out their cute gift shop).
Got an Edmonton area event, virtual event, or something coming up you think my readers would be interested in knowing about? Let me know!
Plus:
SACE (The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton) asked if I could share about their Winter Holiday 50/50 Raffle. Tickets start at $10 and the jackpot is currently just over $2,100! Winner takes half. Nearly half of Albertans will experience sexual violence in their life. We also know that sexual violence disproportionately impacts those who are pushed into positions of vulnerability, including Black, Indigenous, and other racialized people, members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and people with disabilities. Buy a raffle ticket (or two or three!) for a chance to win (while supporting Albertans).
Food to Try This Week
Please continue safely supporting local restaurants, in whatever way works for your comfort levels. If not dining in, please do take-out! Mask-up and please stay home if you’re sick.
Check out the new ‘Boiler Room’ at Fox Burger (6423 112 Ave.)
My pal Chris is just raving about the new ‘Boiler Room’ basement restaurant under Fox Burger in Highlands, in the location of the original boiler used to heat the historic building since 1913. Late night menu (mostly the same items you can get at Fox Burger with some differences). They take resos!
Try a calzone from Battista’s Calzone (11745 84 St.)
This glowing recommendation from Chandra suggests you head to Battista’s Calzone on Alberta Avenue ASAP to get your hands on their delicious calzones—and say hi to lovely owner Battista. It’s a #YEGFoodFaves spot too!
Try my favourite south side cafes (Brown Butter + Calabash)
Today I’m headed out to visit some of my favourite south Edmonton cafes—Brown Butter Cafe and Calabash Cafe and encourage you to check them out too! Try the breakfast bunwich or rice dishes (and drinks) from Brown Butter, or the Korean hotteok dessert pancake or croffles (and drinks) from Calabash.
Give the gift of Arby’s this holiday season! (various locations)
As part of my Arby’s Ambassadorship, I wanted to remind you that maybe the gift of Arby’s is all your loved ones want this season? 😉 Watch my Holiday Arby’s Video for some inspiration—and take advantage of their 2 for $10 Bacon & Cheddar + Poutine Dip Sandwich deal before it’s too late! (or pick up some holiday gift cards)
Don’t forget to book your New Year’s Eve dinner at a local restaurant!
I normally do a round-up of New Year’s Eve activities in Edmonton but I won’t be able to get to it this year. So in lieu of that, sharing a few NYE restaurant special events I’ve come across. Be sure to get your reservations in early to avoid disappointment!
Tiramisu Bistro New Year’s Eve features door prizes, trivia, live music and more. It’s a 5-course meal with a glass of Prosecco, two seatings (6 and 9 p.m.)
Tzin 104’s New Year’s Eve features 5-courses plus a bottle of wine (or individual wine pairings). Tzin is teeny so if you’re interested make a reso ASAP.
Pampa Brazilian Steak House’s New Year’s Eve features all you can eat meat (plus salad bar with 40 items), sparkling wine, and a dance with DJ dropping Brazilian tunes.
MEAT is offering a New Year’s Eve Meal At Home! If you’re not interested in going out but don’t want to worry about the food, MEAT has you covered with an NYE heat-at-home special.
Those are really just a few ideas. If you have a favourite restaurant, or one you haven’t been to in awhile, check their social media or all to see what they’re up to for NYE. Keep scrollin’ for a link to my NYE Hot Pot Blog Post too!
Eaten something amazing recently? Want to show some love to a struggling restaurant? Have a take-out suggestion? Let me know to include in this newsletter.
You missed Newsletter Giveaways!
My annual “A Very Lindork Christmas” giveaways 🎁 have now wrapped up on my social media + blog, and this week’s email newsletter was the last holiday giveaways email I’ll be doing featuring separate prizes for newsletter subscribers this holiday season (plus promo / discount codes to take advantage of!) If you aren’t a subscriber, you missed out!
This week, newsletter subscribers got to enter for a chance to win one of 4 prizes:
A $50 gift card to Maternity + Baby Store The Fourth.
A 1-night stay at Guesthouse 71 Bed & Breakfast in Medicine Hat (Southern, AB).
A $50 gift card to local clothing boutique Bamboo Ballroom.
A pair of tickets (valued at $300) to Broadway Across Canada’s Anastasia!
I also announced winners for last week’s newsletter subscriber-only prizes:
Lindsay S. wins a 1-night stay in the Canadian Rocky Mountain (Nordegg, Alberta, valued at approx $155) from Beehive Bungalows.
Kaelin K. wins a $50 gift card to Alberta outdoor adventure store Breathe Outdoors (formerly Campers’ Village).
Karla I. wins a Dermaplaning Facial + Scalp Massage treatment (valued at $155) from Edmonton Luxury Mobile Spa Kaavish Spa.
Learn more about all great businesses featured in this year’s holiday giveaways on my blog!
Save this season with my promo codes!
Get 10% off at Chocolate Escapade using code LINDORK10.
Get a bonus $20 when you spend $100 on gift cards at Pink Gorilla Pub & Patio. Just mention LINDORK when purchasing.
Get 20% off the world’s most versatile smokeless firepits from Coulee Outdoor using code LINDORK20.
Get one free custom cake topper with a cake purchase valued at $150 or more from The Nancy Bakes. Just mention LINDORK!
Get 10% off your Beehive Bungalows booking with code LINDORKXMAS. You just have to message them on AirBnB when planning to book so they can apply your discount. Book by Jan 31, 2023 for travel by June 30, 2023.
Get 10% off when you shop at Breathe Outdoors this season using code LINDORK! Note: Until December 24, take advantage of Breathe Outdoors’ Winter Adventure Sale with many items up to 40% off! My 10% off code also saves you on sale items too!
Get 20% off a Kaavish Spa booking when you mention LINDORK20.
Get 10% off at The Fourth Maternity / Baby store using code LINDORK10.
Get 15% off at the Edmonton International Airport’s Value Park using code LINDORK15. Book by Dec. 31, fly by March 31.
Get 20% off at clothing boutique Bamboo Ballroom using my code LINDORK20.
Although that wraps up my holiday giveaways, stay tuned as my newsletter anniversary is coming up in January which means more prizes to thank you for being a subscriber!
New on the Blog
As part of my partnership with the City of Edmonton, promoting things to do + places to visit + food to eat in Edmonton’s Chinatown, I’ve put together a ‘12 Stocking Stuffer Ideas Under $12 in Edmonton’s Chinatown’ blog post! Try or gift something unique + maybe new-to-you, particularly for the food lovers in your life.
From the Blog Vault
If you are planning to do New Year’s Eve in this year, Mike and I usually put together NYE Hot Pot at Home and you can use my blog post or video blog to help you plan yours if you’d like to do the same!
Popular on my Blog Right Now
Here are the top four most popular posts on my blog this week:
Subscribe for More!
Free subscribers to my weekly newsletter Lindork’s Lists receive the full, hyperlocal newsletter first in their inbox every Wednesday—before anyone else! You can also become a paid subscribers to receive access to more musings and stories written by me—or simply subscribe to support my work, especially if you’ve been following me for awhile and are so inclined :)
Learn more about Lindork’s Lists (and become a free or paid subscriber!)
The full Lindork’s Lists includes:
- Things to Do This Week
- Food to Try This Week
- Walls of the Week
- Interesting Thing on the Internet
- Social Media Did You Knows
- Exclusive Promo Codes / Discounts
- Exclusive Newsletter Subscriber-only Giveaways
- Newsletter Subscriber-only Access to Events
Paid subscribers also receive access to musings, stories, an exclusive Q&A every other Sunday, giveaways and more content (forthcoming lol). Becoming a paid subscriber also supports the content I share overall.
(You’ll get the option to subscribe for free or select a paid plan)
