Floral family goes Christmas crazy this weekend

Designer and Christmas lover Cory Christopher looks at one of the packaged Christmas ornaments that will be available during the weekend event at First Choice Tree Nursery. -File Photo

By Stephen Dafoe

Sturgeon County – The community’s annual Christmas festival may be over for another year, but east of Morinville is the place to be this weekend to get your fix of all things Christmas. The Cherdarchuk family will once again be hosting the annual A Very Cherdarchuk Christmas at First Choice Tree Nursery and Gardening Centre Dec. 2 and 3 from 6:30 to 9 p.m…

Designer and resident Christmas fanatic Cory Christopher said the annual gathering is an opportunity for people to get into the Christmas spirit with a family who wishes Christmas could be a year-round occasion. “It’s truly a fun-filled family evening for peopleof all ages,” he said. “We’re opening our Christmas crazy house for people to tour through. They can see some incredible trees that we’ve decorated. They’ll see our North Pole village for which we have over 250 pieces. They’ll be able to see our yard which will be fully decorated with over 300 strands of Christmas lights.”

Christopher said this year’s event is even larger than last year. Children’s activities have been added, including snow ball – a Christmas themed version of baseball where a giant candy cane is used to bat giant Christmas ornaments. Additional children’s activities included an outdoor theatre playing Christmas movies, a snow dig and reindeer antler toss. But tossing ornamental antlers is not the closest children will come to Santa’s sleigh mates. Real reindeer will be on hand Saturday night.

There will also be carollers and live entertainment for Christmas enthusiasts young and old as well as some of Christopher’s unique Christmas-themed designs.

The Cherdarchuk family is hoping people will come out over the weekend to celebrate and share their enthusiasm for the season. “Every year it seems to get more exciting for us with Christmas coming,” he said. “We truly love Christmas and we love the spirit it brings the world, and it’s an amazing opportunity for us to give back, to open our yard to bring that Christmas spirit to everyone in the community.”

Once again this year the Cherdarchuks will not only be sharing the spirit of the season with lights and elves but with the spirit of giving. As was the case last year, admission proceeds will be donated to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. Participants this weekend will pay $8 per carload to attend the event and those collected admission will be donated to the Mazankowski. Additionally, a custom-designed Christmas ornament will be on sale with $10 from every purchase going directly to the heart institute.

The event, hosted by the Cherdarchuks and First Choice Tree Nursery, is presented by Start in Sturgeon. For more information, visit www.cherdarchukchristmas.ca.