About a Fair
From stunning jewelery, fine arts and unique crafts to quality prepared foods and personal care products hand made by Yukon artisans, the 12 Days of […]
The Yukon’s Winter Mermaid: The American Dipper
A happy melodic song rings along the Yukon River below the dam, and you imagine it’s a pretty little bird singing in a tree. But it’s
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Everyone Matters
One of the philosophical pillars of the Learning Tree Daycare is to teach the kids there about helping other people. “Teaching kindness and all of
Just For Kids
On Saturday, Dec. 3 the kids get to shop. All by themselves, without parents watching over shoulders. It’s the perfect chance for them to buy
Hang on, George
Christmas Eve, 1946. Several actors huddle around their microphones, live-broadcasting a radio station’s seasonal drama, complete with commercial intervals and a touch of Yuletide music.
Newspaper-Making in Namibia
Murder, betrayal or New Year celebrations – these are the topics on the list. It is December 30 and we have to decide which story
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Tips on Winter Birding
Yes, baby, it’s cold outside. But birding can get you out of the house, connect you with nature, and other people. During December’s Christmas bird
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Go ahead, say “Merry Christmas”
A couple of weeks ago, my 17-year-old neighbour hailed me from across the street, “Hey, Ken. Happy Hanukkah!” After a moment of stunned surprise, I
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Jamaican Baked Bananas for Christmas
Delicate and fine, the American Beauty Rose china service was surrounded by gleaming silver cutlery, platters and serving bowls passed down through family generations. All
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A Puff of Humbug
I have read A Christmas Carol many times, but I can’t seem to recall is if Ebenezer Scrooge smoked a cigar or a pipe, or
Christmas in Dawson
Christmas is a time of gatherings with family and friends. But what if you find yourself alone at that time of year? Well, if you’re
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Dawson Lights up for Christmas
We have reached that point in the season where we don’t get a lot of direct sunlight in Dawson City’s historic townsite. Those who live
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Tannenbaum
Historians agree that our modern Christmas tree tradition originated in the German Renaissance period (circa 1500). Martin Luther added candles as decoration. Prior to candles,
Seeds of Cuba
The Christmas season is upon us. For cigar lovers, this is a perfect excuse to indulge and order up a nice selections of stogies. For
Love, Ambivalently
Many beloved Christmas films had inauspicious debuts. It’s a Wonderful Life lost money for the studio when it was released in 1946, but television viewings
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20 years of going to the dogs …
Humane Society Dawson is celebrating a milestone birthday this year. The “small shelter with a big heart” turns 20 years old, and shows no signs
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Brightening Up Even the Darkest Nights
I’m happy to record that, except for the arrival of the Sears Wish Book at North 60 Petro Express, everything else related to Christmas here
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A Northern Tradition
Each year, Whitehorse ushers in the Christmas season by lighting the gigantic evergreen tree on Front Street, a parade along Main Street, and Santa arrives
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‘Tis the season: Christmas 2015
Jessica Vellenga will offer antique lace pendants and cowls created from old sweaters. A graduate of McMaster University with study abroad experience at University of
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Another Christmas without my family
Living far away from your family means that sometimes your strength and persistence will be tested. It’s Christmas 2014 and I am in Montreal. A
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Seed Catalogues Launch Dreams
“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues” – Hal
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St. Paul’s Tries To Get Warmer
November and most of December were mild in the Klondike this winter. Wondrously, it only took two-and-a-half days to warm up St. Paul’s Anglican Church enough
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In Bloom for Christmas
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens / Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens / Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These
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Claus for the Cause
Sometimes you experience things that you never would have expected. I never thought I would be living above the Arctic Circle in Old Crow dressed
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The Proof is in the Pudding
Ah, Christmas — the time of year when magazines abound with recipes promising taste sensations derived solely from rainbows and snowflakes. At least that’s my
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A Tough Nut to Crack
Nuts are a staple product come Christmas time. The Nutcracker ballet is a staple theatre production, too. Combine the two and you have yourself a
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Jake: pet Santa
Jake will be getting presents from Santa Claus, and his dog, Spencer, will too. What about the dogs & cats at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter?
Bring back the light
In the dark days of winter, we could all stand to sing a page from the Swedish songbook; in particular, the tradition of Sankta Lucia,
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Getting Ready for Christmas
It was December sometime in the mid-1950s. I was in the Baptist Mission School here in Whitehorse. Behind the fenced-in grounds of the school were
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Eric’s Christmas Moose Stew
I’ve got a moose stew I usually throw together in the winter for a party. I get it going on the stove, and when it’s
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Bands on the Run
Whether you attend December 15 or 16, Keith Todd promises that Music for a Winter’s Eve will be “a magical, festive night of music.” Todd
The Nutcracker Comes to Dawson
The Nutcracker is coming to Dawson City just in time for the holidays. The Northern Lights School of Dance in Whitehorse is staging the traditional
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Craft Boss
The Yukon is known for its craft fairs. From Dawson to Faro to Teslin, each community has its own craft niche. But when you get
Christmas Eve Preparations Before Halloween?
Learn the advantages of early Christmas preparations and how to stay organized for a joyful holiday season.
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Christmas Vacation Procrastination
Christmas – when presents take precedence and work is cast under the bed and forgotten. Youth and adults alike put off assignments until the final
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And a Grouse, in a Pine Tree
Midwinter is rife with tradition. Celebrating, tolerating, or avoiding family gatherings and their associated rituals is part of many people’s December, whether they ascribe to
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Take Caroling a Step Further
Attention hearty Yukon yuletide carolers: prepare to step up your game. Whitehorse’s choir collective, Messiah Chorale, invites you to sing-a-long this solstice weekend. And not
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A Quiet Yukon Christmas
Twas the week before Christmas and all through the farm. Not a chicken was stirring, they’re all in the barn. All summer they roam, but
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A Turkey and Some Gifts Can Make a Big Difference
For more than a decade volunteers have been bringing bundles of stuff to hundreds of families in need around Whitehorse at Christmas — and making
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The Christmas That I Met Lady Sherry
My new job at a remote bush camp kept my wife Pearl and I apart for our first Christmas in 1946. When the spring rolled
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The purrrrfect portrait
Gerry Steers has the patience of a saint. The owner of Gerry’s Computer Magic spends her days doing what she loves best – photographing animals.
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Staging the Nativity in the Museum
Christmas Eve is a busy night in Dawson City, with all four of the churches holding their own late evening services in honour of the
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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like… You Know
The Dawson pre-Christmas season launched on Nov. 10 as the gym in the Robert Service School filled up for the Dawson Daycare’s Bazaar. This was
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Homegrown Hoedown: The Christmas craft fair season is upon us
The stories are as varied as the goods for sale. Yukon has a lot of crafty and artistic people, and this is the time of
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Buys for Guys
You have a problem. Through no fault of your own you have acquired a “Guy.” This is to say a human male and not a
Countdown to the hoopla
When does Christmas start? Of course it is December 25, but when can the hoopla begin? Back in 1991, I was volunteered to play Santa
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Holiday Gift Ideas for Wine Lovers
Sometimes, finding that special gift for someone who is a wine lover seems like a daunting challenge, so I’d like to devote this article to
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A Christmas Savoury
In Klondike days, the oldtimers would have used canned spinach to make this quiche. Today, we have the luxury of being able to buy fresh
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The Poem That Launched Our Santa
“If I had one wish that I could wish this holiday season, it would be that all the children of the world join hands and
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Christmas has exploded 12 doors down.
Cher Yukon, Yes, it is that time of year again. I can’t believe I have been in Montréal almost four months. Of course this festive
Christmas has exploded 12 doors down. Read More »
Home for Christmas
“You pour the brandy on the pudding and set fire to it?! You English are strange”. Whitehorse in the snowy grip of Winter 2001. Basement
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The Astronomers Christmas Wish List
The snow is flying, the sky is full of clouds and apparently this is the way it is to be for a while. What is
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Kissing Underneath the Mistletoe
Long been a symbol of the holiday season, the infamous mistletoe — or modern-day kissing ball — has been placed in doorways and arches the
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Bike Shop Makes Room for ‘The Gritty Gallery’
There’s a new gallery in town … but only for a little while. Five artists will display their artwork in Philippe’s Bicycle Repair during the
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Wines to Serve With Christmas Dinner
I was pondering what to write about in this article, when I was approached by a co-worker of mine who is heading out to family
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Extreme Christmas Shopping
Let me begin by saying happy holidays to each and every one of you. I know that gets said a lot this time of year
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Anatomy of a Christmas Kindness
A battle is raging inside the F.H. Collins Gadzoosdaa Student Residence common room. Potato, turnip and carrot skins fly across the tabletop as 18 busy
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Pimp My Ice Shack for Christmas
Given that it had been a mild winter thus far, the thought of bone-chilling cold was not top of mind. Rather, I was preoccupied with
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Celebrating Traditions of the Holiday Season
There are few holidays more revered in tradition than Christmas. In our hearts and minds, Christmas holds a special place all its own. For most
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The Real Santa Claus Does Not Run
40 Santas donned the red and white and ran [pub crawled?] the entire two blocks of Main Street in Manayunk. Or.
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Christmas Comes to This
My best Christmas ever felt humdrum and boring at first. I was a first-year university student in a Greyhound bus for 10 hours to spend
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Didee & Didoo – Poem “News from Old Crow”
NEWS FROM OLD CROW DECEMBER IS ALWAYS BUSY IT MAKES SOME OF US DIZZY. CHRISTMAS MUSIC WE HEAR SO WE KNOW HOLIDAY IS NEAR. THE
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Dawson Looks After Those in Need
Food banks often start with the churches, which are acting out their faith’s instructions to look after the poor. In Dawson, the Transients’ Dinners that
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A Christmas Classic Is on Its Way
It is 3:30 in the afternoon, on a beautiful fall day in Whitehorse, and the long narrow hallway at Northern Lights School of Dance (NLSD)
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Romantic Christmas comedy had a long journey
Patti Flather is sitting at a coffee shop talking about how much fun it is to write strong roles for actors over 40. “There’s just
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Following a Festive Tradition
One of my favourite traditions of the holiday season is planting containers of amaryllis bulbs. The amaryllis is a beautiful and fascinating bulb. Among the
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Christmas Concert is Caliente, Caliente, Caliente
Barbara Chamberlin is loving the wordplay surrounding the Whitehorse Community Choir’s upcoming Christmas show, Christmas Caliente. “It’s music to warm your soul,” she says deliciously.
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Artrepreneur: A Visual Feast … and Then Some
Arts Underground was packed on Nov. 20. Not only was the Yukon Art Society Christmas show opening, but Yukon Women in Music was holding a
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A Toast to a ‘Sparkling Season’
With the drop in temperatures, the shorter days and the recent snowfall, I am reminded that we are headed into the holiday season. Few places
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Christmas Cacti
As we approach the festive holiday season, the Christmas cacti comes into full bloom, illuminating holiday dècor with its exotic and abundant blossoms. This full-spectrum
Play makers: Get your craft on
Hockey players can craft, too. That is the message from Arlin McFarlane, artistic director for Yukon Educational Theatre’s Inzanity Wing, the backbone behind this year’s
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Magical Christmas Mantels
When I was a child, my father built a 12-foot-long stone fireplace in the centre of our living room. Little did I know, at the
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The Snowplough Went By at Noon Today
??BY DAN DAVIDSON The snowplough went by at noon today; I think it’ll go by again. The reason I think this is plain to the
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Gifts for Wine Lovers
As the Christmas and holiday season roll around, several friends have asked me for gift suggestions for the wine enthusiasts on their gift list. Without
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Mistletoe Made Merry!
Kissing underneath the mistletoe is among the most favourite of traditions celebrated during the holiday season. But where did this unique symbol of the season
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Simple and Sweet: An Old Time
Simple ingredients: butter, sugar and flour make up real old-fashioned shortbread. While variations on these basic ingredients are many, the real McCoy is hard to
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Christmas for Farmers
I love Christmas … the lights that light up Main Street, the smells of Christmas baking, the excitement of wrapping up secrets and putting them
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Cooking on the Wild Side of Christmas
Steak and Kidney Pie has been a Boxing Day tradition in my family. They go “Box” (shop) and I make the pies … mmm …
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The Sacred Flower of Christmas
The revered holiday poinsettia is among the most-beautiful and significant flowering plants of the holiday season. Also known as the Christmas star or Christmas Flower,
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Wine Throughout the Year
As we race toward Christmas and the new year of promise that follows, I can’t help but reflect on the wonderful and poignant experiences that
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The editor’s Christmas Wish List
Over a mug of root beer, the editor of What’s Up Yukon, Darrell Hoo key, extols his particular Christmas Wish List. Topping the list, Wish
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A Happy Start To The Holidays in Dawson City
Christmas and New Year’s are fast approaching us here in the Yukon, and this weekend reminded me what a beautiful and magical place we live
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A Taste of Denmark
My parents, Bob and Elly Porsild, were from Denmark and we always observed Christmas in the Scandinavian way, celebrating with dinner and pakke on the
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Families and Christmas Trees: All Shapes and Size
On the first Sunday after southern Yukon’s cold snap waned, my roommates and I piled into Jayden Soroka’s Subaru and headed down the Fish Lake
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A Neophyte’s Guide to Christmas Cookies
Among the reasons I know I’ve turned into my mother: the cookies. Yes, I am the middle-aged mother who bakes only sugarless, oatmeal-raisin cookies. This
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Didee & Didoo – Poem “News from Old Crow”
News From Old Crow DECEMBER IS ALWAYS BUSY IT MAKES SOME OF US DIZZY. CHRISTMAS MUSIC WE HEAR SO WE KNOW HOLIDAY IS NEAR. THE
Didee & Didoo – Poem “News from Old Crow” Read More »
Wine for a Winter’s Eve
So now the rich, velvety darkness of the Yukon winter has descended and the temperatures at my cabin have dropped below minus 20, several evenings.
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Cranberries Colour Christmas
The bright-red colour and tart flavour of Yukon cranberries complements Christmas feasts beautifully. For a change, try baking cranberry sauce ahead of the big day.
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Dear Mister Ed
If I recall it rite, it was that young lad Forest Gumpp that said “Life is like a crate of onions. You don’t know what
Artrepreneur: Minus 40/North of 60
The members of the Yukon Artists @ Work Co-operative have put together a pre-Christmas show that gives viewers a multifaceted portrait of winter life in
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Lights of Life … for everyone
A four-foot-something tree, adorned with angels, captures my attention as I enter Hospice Yukon. The lighting is soft and I am greeted warmly as I
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The Indoor Living Christmas Tree
The Norfolk Island pine is a popular and spirited plant that has adapted to many indoor living spaces. Enjoyed for its close similarity to an
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Didee & Didoo – Poem “I Love Christmas”
I Love Christmas FOR CHRISTMAS I CAN’T WAIT THEN OUR HOUSES WE’LL DECORATE. WHEN CHRISTMAS CAROLS I HEAR I KNOW CHRISTMAS IS HERE. I JUST
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Jupiter Takes Centre Stage Through December
Here comes the Yuletide observing season, so get ready to tilt your neck up. There are plenty of cosmic events happening in those amazing Yukon
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Beloved Nutcracker Ballet draws audience into the seats … and onto the stage
There is no surer sign of the holiday season than the annual staging of The Nutcracker. The Northern Lights School of Dance is presenting the
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The Claus Expose: Santa Dishes on Doubters, Believers, the Unwilling and More
The Job My Santa adventures in the Yukon began when George Green needed a Santa for an Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon fundraiser at Hougen’s
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Just Do It and Do It and Do It
Pam Charmin is a night owl. As organizer of the Yukon Craft Society’s annual Spruce Bog craft sale, she has to be. Charmin joined the
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Festival of Trees Offers Several Events to Light Up the Season
There’s nothing like the fun of picking out and decorating the perfect Christmas tree to put you in the holiday spirit. But if one tree
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Choir is Ready to Get You Into Christmas Spirit
For some Yukoners, there are only two seasons: summer and choir. The four choirs of the Whitehorse Community Choir (WCC) reconvened in September, and, for
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Didee & Didoo – Poem “Christmas Concert”
CHRISTMAS CONCERT TIME IS NEAR AND IT COMES ONCE A YEAR. THE WEATHER IS A BIT COOL AN’ WE ALL GO TO THE SCHOOL. THE
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