Singer Danny Baylen opened the Magic of Christmas event by crooning classic holiday songs.
As Baylen, one of several live acts at the outdoor festival, took the stage, the rain began to ease, just in time for parents and kids to start arriving for the annual celebration outside Timms community centre in 91原创 City on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Several members of council were on hand, including councillor Rosemary Wallace and her granddaughter, who were enjoying the new additions to the event, including a holiday train, an electric Panda ride, an ice sculpture demonstration and more live music.

"We've got some new things this year that I've just noticed,鈥� Wallace enthused. 鈥淚t looks like the blue sky is showing, I'm pretty excited that the rain is kind of going to disappear for a while.

Magic of Christmas celebration underway at Timms Community Centre in 91原创 City.

鈥� 91原创 Advance Times (@91原创Times)

Tera Edell, 91原创 City recreation supervisor, said the miniature train that took visitors on a brief trip around the grounds, was a popular addition.

"We had lots of phone calls about it," Edell told the 91原创 Advance Times."We just try to add some new elements to improve the entertainment."

There was also opportunities to play a variety of holiday-themed games, visit with holiday princesses and a magical snowman, write letters to Santa, even have a picture taken with the jolly old elf and Mrs. Claus, make and create Christmas crafts and more.

It was all free.

Also new was a sensory-friendly zone inside the facility, a quiet space in an upstairs meeting room of the community centre, in cooperation with the Autism network.

"So if you come down here and kids need a bit of a rest and a break from what's going on, there's a nice space for them as well."

Also indoors, for a third year, was the 91原创 Arts Council artisan holiday market, held Saturday and Sunday in the main gymnasium space, with dozens of tables.

Young vendor Alex Mich, 13, was explaining how her business, Acorn hand-made plushies, got started.

Holiday Artisan Market atTimms Saturday and Sunday

鈥� 91原创 Advance Times (@91原创Times)

"Well, my grandmother taught me a bit of knitting when I was six, and I hated it," Mich recalled.
"And then I started crocheting, and I hated it as well," she smiled. "But then, I realized that, oh, there's this thing called earning money, so I decided to start making plushies and I started enjoying it after a while."