The Spirit of Christmas was alive and well in Bragg Creek this past weekend. The cozy hamlet was transformed into a sparkly, winter wonderland.
On Saturday the Bragg Creek Community Centre welcomed children of all ages to take part in a visit with Santa, horse drawn wagon rides, cookie decorating, scavenger hunts, Christmas crafts, hot chocolate, movies and popcorn. A horse-drawn wagon brought visitors around the community and at 4 p.m. the Christmas tree outside the centre was lit up to a round of applause by visitors.
The annual event started 14 years ago by local resident Marina Cooke. It used to take place the first two weekends of December, but this year the Bragg Creek Chamber of Commerce decided to shorten it to a weekend. Spirit of Christmas organizer Jen Jurkowski said she expects more than 1,000 visitors over the weekend. She said the event is an opportunity to showcase the town's offerings and local shops to visitors from around the area.
"It's hard to find events that are free," Jurkowski said.
This past weekend was the first time the tree lighting ceremony was added to the festivities. Each year the chamber will add more trees to be lit up by community sponsors including RE/MAX, Spray Lake Saw Mills, the Trading Post and the local chamber.
