It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Santa Claus is coming to town and the Thunder Bay 50/50 grand prize is expected to surpass last year’s total and change lives.

November 19 marked the start of Delta’s Winter Wonderland, a festival running through February 28 that promises to paint the Waterfront in happy colours during the darkest months of the year. At the centre of it all is a 25-foot Christmas tree standing across from the Sleeping Giant.

Walking through the doors of the market, there’s a homey, eclectic vibe that pulls you in to explore—the warm glow of string lights, patterned rugs, and each corner taking you to different moments in time with their curated inventory. Co-owners Allison Modin and Marley Guinta say their intention with the business is to create a Thunder Bay spin on Kensington Market in Toronto. 

Just before a group of actors are set to perform A Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time, one actor just cannot do that story any more. So then the troupe comes up with the idea to just tell, well, every Christmas story ever told. From The Gift of the Magi and A Charlie Brown Christmas to The Grinch and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the stories overlap into a play-within-a-play.

The past four years of Ooky Spooky have left behind a trail of blood, slime, and a white substance not suitable to be named in this publication—all of it unhinged and unforgettable to those who were there to see it.

This year’s lineup features a variety of genres such as drama, comedy, documentary, horror, and thriller, with an emphasis on filmmakers from the region. “Our goal is to highlight local films and the local film industry, and we’ve been accomplishing that,” says Harpelle.

Director Laura-Lynn Petrick’s Lempo brings a chilling and intimate story to life on familiar northern waters. Childhood friends Shaun and Annie reconnect at neighbouring cabins, only to be forced to confront an ominous figure tied to Annie’s family history.

‘Tis the season for festivals, fun, and folk music, and Mt. Joy’s fourth LP, Hope We Have Fun, boasts 13 tracks that sound as good in headphones as they do on a festival stage.

Many of you may know Lights from her 2000s emo pop era; now, while we all may be ready to leave the extreme side bangs behind (if you know, you know), Lights’s new album A6 shows that she is ready to enter a new musical chapter.

Buying stuff isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it injects money into the economy, keeps stores open, and keeps people employed. If we see it that way, maybe Christmas is all about gifts, including the gift of continued economic growth if we spend our money in the right direction.

Since the return of concert-going, I’ve seen increasing conversation online about poor concert etiquette post-pandemic. I had been to a few smaller shows back home in Thunder Bay since returning after school, and didn’t notice anything much had changed. I thought this might just be the case in major cities where venues have massive capacities, given it had been a while since people had been in crowds and might just need time to acclimate. But then I experienced it for myself.

The issue I’ve been stuck with, though, is wanting to move myself beyond just acceptance and be able to see the beauty in my body. Recently, I have discovered the most incredible, perspective-adjusting form of art that has led me on a path to appreciating myself through music and movement: burlesque.