Bev Newsome, our most recent guestagrammer, shared this the other day, and it was a seasonal reminder for me – an apt one on this Black Friday ode to shopping frenzy – not to get too caught up in the slippery idea that what makes the season is more stuff.

Diane Zaste, another of our instagrammers and a frequent contributor, brought this video to my attention, when she realized I was thinking about gratitude:

All of which bring me back to the idea that supporting local makers and artists is a way to celebrate the season more thoughtfully, a way to invest in those doing good work, and a way to gather as community in a more fulfilling way than you might get from a stress-laden trip to the mall. Craft over thoughtless consumption. Celebrate uniqueness over the mass-produced.

So save the date for Lil’wat’s Gathering of the Artists which will take place at the Lil’wat7ul Cultural Centre, in the new T’szil Learning Centre, on Sunday, December 9, from 10am to 4pm.

Other community and arts-infused events coming up:

Mountains of Art takes place tomorrow, Saturday November 24. 

And don’t forget the Holiday Singalong for kids at the Pemberton Downtown Community Barn on November 30.

The annual Pemberton Children’s Centre Christmas Bazaar is set for Saturday, December 1, at the Pemberton Community Centre.

Santa PAWS takes place at Big Sky on Sunday December 2.

The Lil’wat Nation Homestead group hosts a Christmas Craft and Bake sale at Ullus on December 8, 11am – 3:30pm.