Things to Do in St. Albert

The imaginative designers behind the Homes for the Holidays Tour join creative forces every year, bedazzling five local residences with eye-grabbing cheer from the inside out. All of the homes have sufficiently prepared for Santa’s arrival, boasting walls strung with holly, trees adorned with twinkling lights, and cabinets stocked with cookies and barrel-aged bourbon. Homeowners invite touring parties to explore their winter wonderlands and garner inspirations for their own holiday decorations. All proceeds from the Homes for Holidays Tour support all of the charitable foundations supported by the Junior League of Edmonton, including the Kids Help Phone.

More than 40 acres of downhill trails, some extending as long as a mile, traverse the tree-dappled slopes at Rabbit Hill Snow Resort. There are three terrain parks here, all filled with enough boxes, rails, tubes, and jumps to keep you shredding and flying through the air all day. To help visitors surmount trails ranging from green circles to double black diamonds, instructors lead one- to three-day private and group lessons and multiday skiing and snowboarding camps.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada's Team In Training (TNT) has led more than 450,000 volunteers in raising more than $1 billion for blood-cancer research, public education, and patient-aid programs. As participants fundraise to qualify for a fall-season race ($3,500–$5,000 minimum based on the event), they also receive a 24-week training program under the tutelage of esteemed coaches who prepare team members to run, walk, or form a chorus kick-line during marathons and half-marathons. Upon reaching fundraising goals, registrants receive entrance to their chosen event, including airfare and a two- to three-night hotel stay.

Balloon pilots take up to eight passengers on hushed flights above the broccoli floret treetops and azure waterways of the Edmonton countryside. Twice a day, bulbous polyester sheets fill with heated propane and thousands of flapping doves as passengers ascend to the skies in their basket. Balloon trips float past the same landscape traversed by Windship Aviation since 1982 before touching down for toasts and the presentation of keepsakes.

At Crankpots Ceramic Studio, fledgling artisans personalize pre-sculpted ceramic pieces with handprints, footprints, and a vibrant palette of paints. Located in Edmonton's historical Old Strathcona district, the intimate studio boasts an array of ready-to-paint bisques, including mugs, piggy banks, and decorative plates. Post-painting, the pieces are glazed and fired on-site by a breathy dragon. Pint-sized Picassos can celebrate their birthday with painting parties at Crankpots. For adults, the studio—which is open seven days a week—also hosts bridal showers, office parties, and singles nights for lonely statues.

"It's not just about art. It's about learning a little bit, and doing art, and letting them create too," explains Kristine Godziuk to the St. Albert Gazette. As the owner of 4Cats St. Albert, a children's art studio with one-day workshops and extended classes, Godziuk drives this viewpoint home by lacing her curricula with age-appropriate art history. While crafting a piece of pop art by silkscreening a soup can, students may learn about Andy Warhol's 25 pet cats named Sam. A self-portrait session gives way to a discussion on Frida Kahlo. During a six- to seven-week Artist of the Month series, children dig into the work of two artists per class, letting small fingers experience the challenges of their respective media. Artistic adventures and further learning continue beyond each class with accompanying 4Cats art books and collector cards with links to educational cartoons on the studio's website. The franchised company, with locations throughout Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, was named for Picasso's favorite café, Els Quatre Gats, where he pondered various shades of blue and took inspiration from townsfolk who could turn their faces inside-out.