Lindork’s Lists #248 – Country Christmas, Chinatown Chow Down, a TELUS World of Science GIVEAWAY & more!
Newsletter for December 5-10 2024
Note: this is the public version of my weekly email newsletter that gets sent to subscriber inboxes first each Wednesday. If you’re looking at this public version, there’s a chance you miss out on events earlier in the week! Get the full newsletter first bybecoming a free subscriber.
Things to Do This Week
Check out the Butterdome Craft Sale this weekend!
For more than 30 years, the Butterdome Craft Sale has been a holiday shopping staple! This popular Canadian market featuring 220+ artists, artisans, makers and designers returns to the U of A Butterdome from Dec. 5-8.
Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s email giveaway for admission tickets + gift cards to shop the sale this weekend. The FOUR winners who each get a pair of admission tickets + $100 gift card to shop the Butterdome Craft Sale are:
Kristina S.
Ny T.
Jacob P.
Kiran B.
Congratulations and enjoy!! Be sure to tell your friends and family to subscribe to my email to get curated recommendations for Things to Do, Eat and Know Each Week in the Edmonton area—plus exclusive email-only giveaways! I’ll be doing weekly email giveaways throughout December to celebrate the holidays. Enter this week’s below!
Thanks to the Butterdome Craft Sale for gifting tickets + gift cards to my subscribers!
Here are some holiday ideas for the weekend!
The Nutcracker returns to the Alberta Ballet this week Dec. 4-8.
“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (full length version)” is playing at the Walterdale Theatre from Dec. 4-14! (A play about a radio play, fun!)
A Very Indigenous Holiday Market is on this weekend Dec. 6-8 at the Alberta Aviation Museum. FREE to attend and includes live performances!
Kiwi Nurseries Christmas Walk is this Saturday, Dec. 7. Enjoy a walk along their Christmas trail and meet Santa and other Christmas characters.
There are a bunch of FREE rural Christmas events happening in Strathcona County on Saturday, December 7 as part of their ‘Christmas in the Country.’
The FREE 2024 KrampusLauf celebration takes place at Dr. Wilbert McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona this Saturday, December 7.
Rogers Place presents its Holiday Brunch & Skate this Sunday, December 8 with ice skating, brunch, photos and letters with Santa and more.
The FREE Greenland Garden’s “Country Christmas” event is this Sunday, December 8 featuring hay rides, kids crafts, cookie decorating and more.
FREE Celebrate the Season festivities are on at the Alberta Legislature from now until Dec. 21.
Glow “The Ultimate Holiday Light Spectacle” is back at the Edmonton EXPO Centre now until Dec. 31. I’m headed there with my family this weekend and will also be GIVING AWAY A FAMILY PASS in next week’s email newsletter as part of my December giveaways! So stay tuned for that.
Furry Frames is running a holiday-themed pet photoshoot fundraiser in support of AARCS Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society until Dec. 18.
And here’s a few other events you may be interested in:
The Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat-Cereal Cartoon Party at Metro Cinema is this Saturday, Dec. 7. Binge retro cartons, vintage commercials and sugary cereals!
Oddbird Art & Craft Fair‘s final holiday market weekend is this Dec. 6-8 in Old Strathcona.
Got an Edmonton area event, virtual event, or something coming up you think my readers would be interested in knowing about? Let me know!
You missed a TELUS World of Science Our Climate Quest Exhibit + Cities of the Future in IMAX GIVEAWAY!
Our Climate Quest and Cities of the Future in IMAX is on at the TELUS World of Science.
With Our Climate Quest, you’re invited to examine Canadian climate clues, see solar panels in action, get hands-on with models of greenhouse gas molecules, play carbon capture pinball, use an infrared camera, and more!
With Cities of the Future in IMAX, explore future smart cities designed to be totally sustainable and experience amazing innovations happening right now, all in IMAX 3D on Alberta’s largest screen! The TELUS World of Science just announced it is proudly Rainbow Registered as well—meaning it is committed to being a 2SLGBTQI+ inclusive and safe space! Love to see it.
Newsletter subscribers got a chance to enter to win a Family Pass to experience the exhibit and the IMAX show at the TELUS World of Science!
In next Wed, Dec. 11’s email I’ll be giving away a Family Pass to Glow Edmonton and a pair of tickets to The Story of Taylor Swift, stay tuned!
I regularly do email subscriber-only giveaways so in addition to getting my curated recommendations for Things to Do, Eat and Know Each Week, becoming a subscriber means you also get more chances to win free stuff! I’ll be doing weekly email giveaways throughout December 2024 as part of an email-only #AVeryLindorkChristmas this year.
(there’s also a paid option if you’d like to support my work further)
Food to Try This Week!
Explore Chinatown Restaurants as part of the Chinatown Chow Down Vibrancy Initiative!
I’ve launched a new project: the Chinatown Chow Down, a City of Edmonton Vibrancy project that involves three culinary experiences aimed at increasing vibrancy and visitation to the neighbourhood, supporting many local restaurants!
Attend Group Lunch & Dinners (December’s sold out in under 5 minutes!)
Attend Chinatown Food Crawls (the first one is in January)
Participate in the Chow Down Challenge Culinary Passport (dine and collect stickers at 10, 20, or all 24 restaurants on the passport to be entered for grand prizes. You can also submit dining receipts for a chance to win monthly prizes!)
The initiative runs until March so you’ve got lots of time to explore. Hope to see you out and about in Chinatown soon!!
Chinatown Pick of the Week – Rock n Roll ice cream (10109 108 Ave.)
Try the new Rock n Roll ice cream shop! The staff is super sweet and their handrolled ice cream flavours are excellent. I liked my Lychee Twist! They have a lot of classic flavours but also Indian flavours too. Plus coffee, pancakes and other treats. They are a participating restaurant on the Chinatown Chow Down Culinary Passport!
Dig into Ethiopian cuisine at Mesob Habesha Fusion (10546 109 St.)
Mesob Habesha Fusion near downtown Edmonton has great Ethiopian food and service but I’m also SUCH a fan of the decor and vibes!! Sit at a table where the table and light fixtures are designed to look like a mesob—the traditional, colourful, woven round wicker basket that our Ethiopian meal comes in. Share the Chicken Tibs and Vegan/Vegetable Platter. Eat with your hands using rolled up Injera (Ethiopian flat bread).
Book a winter patio dome at Riverside Bistro (1 Thornton Ct. )
I was invited to experience the beautiful winter patio domes at the Courtyard Marriott downtown Edmonton’s Riverside Bistro. This patio is such a hidden gem, literally it’s so hidden lol. They’ve really decked out the space for the season, super cute twinkly lights and holiday decor. The heated domes have fun themes (I like the Scandinavian and Alberta domes the most). And the menu by Chef Pawanjit Singh is really good. My favourite dishes we tried were the Seared Scallops and Pork Belly, Beef Carpaccio, and Shishito Peppers. It’s $50 to book the dome plus a commitment to spend $150 on food and drink. Each dome can accommodate up to six people! On a fluffy, snowy winter night, this is a really cute place to be. It operates regardless of how cold it is however I would recommend bundling up because although it is heated and there are blankets, if it’s chilly out you still feel it inside the dome. I’m sharing a video this week showing our dome experience on my Instagram so watch for that!
Also: You might be interested in getting a 2025 Edmonton CoffeePass which gets you 40 coffees from local cafe partners!
Sign up to be an ‘elf’ for the Holiday Hamper program!
Each year, Mike and I donate groceries to a family in need through the Holiday Hamper program. They are still accepting volunteer ‘elfs’ ahead of Delivery Day on December 21, if you can spare some groceries, this is a worthwhile local charity!
And here’s a few food events you may be interested in…
OCHA + BOBA is hosting a Winter Wonderland Night Market with food, boba, desserts, vendors and more on Dec. 6.
Yelo’d Ice Cream & Bake Shoppe is hosting a Yelo’d Christmas Mini Market this Saturday, Dec. 7.
Twice Cream is hosting their 2nd Annual Santa Food Bank Drive / event on Dec. 7.
Firefly Restaurant is hosting ‘Bottomless Mimosas & Brunch’ on Dec. 8.
The Meuwly’s Holiday Kitchen Party is back on Dec. 12.
The next NAIT Ernest’s Alumni Series chef dinners are on Dec. 13, Jan. 24 and Feb 14.
LAST Modern Events Holiday High Tea dates are Dec. 14 & 15.
The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald has a bunch of Festive Dining options on until New Year’s Day.
Le Petit Chef a 3D immersive dinner theatre with the “world’s smallest chef” is on at the JW Marriott until January 2025.
Seven Paintings, an interactive dinner show that combines art + technology
Spilt is also hosting Sober Saturdays every Saturday starting at 5 p.m. It’s “a vibe checked, alcohol-free hangout.” (like super elevated Paint Night!) is on at the Renaissance Hotel through 2025.
Ate 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.
New on the Blog
NEW ON THE BLOG! I’m finally sharing How We Celebrated Our Baby Benjimin’s One-Year Birthday (Vietnamese Thôi Nôi). I write about the first year Vietnamese ‘object picking’ ritual, along with all the other special ways we marked this milestone including the awesome local vendors we hired to bring the big bash to life!
Save $$$ with my Discount Codes
I regularly partner with awesome companies to offer discounts that save you money!
Here’s a few promos you may be interested in…
Get 20% off regular price items at Bamboo Ballroom using code LINDORK20.
Get 15% off your first-time order at Princess and the Pea (excluding Jellycat/Canada Goose) using code LINDA15.
Get 15% off Pedego Edmonton e-bike rentals with my code Linda15.
Get 10% off services at Park Integrative Health by mentioning my code LINDORK at payment. Valid for first-time massage, acupuncture, energetic healing + medical aesthetics appointments only.
See all current discount codes on my blog!
As a TELUS Ambassador, if you sign up for TELUS products or services using my referral link / code, I also get some revenue (unfortunately you don’t get a bonus lol).
Popular on my Blog Right Now
Here are the top four most popular posts on my blog this week:
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The full Lindork’s Lists includes:
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- Food to Try This Week
- Walls of the Week
- Interesting Thing on the Internet
- Social Media Did You Knows
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- Exclusive Newsletter Subscriber-only Giveaways
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