It came without ribbons! It came without tags!  
It came without packages, boxes or bags...
Then the Grinch thought of  something he hadn’t before!  
Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.  
Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!”  - Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The staff family around the Roast beast dinner. Bottom left to right: Pat Fream, Veronica Kloiber, Rae Jamieson, Sandra Wiebe, Sharon Syverson, Neville Palmer. Photo by Neville Palmer at Little Bow Pheasant Ranch.

With the harvest and changing weather we all look forward to cozy evenings at home, great scarves and awesome new boots – well maybe that’s just me, inspired by this issue’s fall fashion shoot!
Yes, the holidays are closing in on us and it’s time to think of dinner plans, shopping and giving to others. Fortunately this issue has it all covered.
For me, the busyness and expectations of the holiday season can be overwhelming but I find the best remedy is to take time to do kind deeds for others.
True giving is its own reward (sorry for the cliché), but when you get an opportunity to see how your giving has affected someone else’s life, it can change your own.
That said, I know you will be moved by the two touching stories in this issue of some very special people who have given extraordinary gifts that changed them and most certainly enhanced the lives of others.
And speaking of gifts, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Santa (well three Santas actuall). As one of seven children, I grew up in a home where fun and family were more plentiful than money, hence the concept of Santa was really just a fairytale.
However, this year, some 40 years past my childhood, something changed for me when I met these three mysterious and magical characters. There was something about their spirit that made me wish they would stay all day; something that left me with a smile on my face and my heart a little lighter.
Am I a believer in Santa Claus now? I am closer. I am certainly more aware that there is a certain joy in giving to others at Christmas time or any time.

Here’s a toast to finding your inner Santa and don’t forget your routes…

In a recent trip to visit my sister in Costa Rica I took some time to really relax. We spent a good part of every morning solving Merl Reagle’s crossword puzzles and not only did I get reconnected with my sister, but I reconnected with my love of words and puzzles.

I have always loved word games like Scrabble, wordfind, crosswords, etc., a pastime endeared to me from my mother who loves games and engaged us in many on long summer road trips. No surprise that I’d end up having a job where words are a major part.

I particularly love the “fill in the blank” games and so when Pat submitted a sidebar on chuckwagon history for her Jason Glass article, I found myself finding words that would form a link between magazine publishing and chuckwagon racing. This is what I came up with:

Back in the dusty days of old, cowboys/magazine folk lived and cooked out of the back of their chuckwagons/desks. At the end of a long hard day on the range/office, when every man/ working woman was good and thirsty, they loaded up their wagons/laptops and raced to the saloon Gitter’s Pub and… you guessed it… the last one there had to buy the beer. (Some things never change!)

Although there are wonderful things on the internet, like good information and crazy videos, some things are just better on paper – like magazines and crossword puzzles!

So go now, take your magazine, your book or your crossword puzzle out on the back deck and enjoy some sunshine… and don’t forget your routes…

By the time you have this issue of Routes in hand, winter should be almost over, and spring around the corner, waiting to give your spirits a lift. I can hardly wait for it myself; for tulips, mountain hikes and garden fresh vegetables… but as usual, I’m one step ahead of myself.

In this issue we have a wonderful assortment of stories, adventures and events for you to delve into. Read about how Alberta’s ranching tradition is alive and well, and in some ways being reinvented as families work to preserve a way of life they are anchored in.

Get ready for a wild off-road excursion when you jump onboard the ‘Black Pearl’, an Alberta piloted ’78 Chevy truck on a three-day off-road race in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula with writer Veronica Kloiber. And speaking of crazy adventures, check out our Detours page to find out how my husband spent his January. He sailed for 30 consecutive days in a yacht race from Gold Coast, Australia to Singapore.

For our fans of the arts, Peter Worden’s screenplay mimics the art of his story subjects, Alberta-born up-and-comers Zoe Slusar and Bailey Kerluke of ‘Untitled Productions’.

For our stargazing fans, check out details of a chance encounter of Jupiter and Venus and plan to join contributing astronomer, James Durbano, for an up close look at this rare celestial coupling on March 12.

If you are like a lot people taking off on a tropical holiday to escape the winter cold our spring fashion shoot may inspire you to shop locally for clothing for your next vacation or just to brighten up a winter wardrobe.

See? So much to sample and experience before spring arrives. Enjoy every minute and … don’t forget your Routes!

January! A new year. An exciting time for new beginnings but, in Alberta, also a great time to stay indoors, complete projects or search magazines for great ideas.

After the tree comes down and the glitter is boxed up for another year I look at what’s left behind and I want to paint, rearrange or completely renovate a space. In this issues’ Home Feature we bring you three very different living spaces that will inspire your post holiday interior project.

As you hopefully know by now, Routes has gone to six issues a year and we have also taken on a few new members to the team. Jacqueline Overmars will be in the office to take on some administrative duties. As well, writer Veronica Kloiber is going to offer the occasional family perspective article, which she has titled Mindmumming!  I am sure you’ll love it.

What we love doing every issue is talking to passionate and inspiring people like four local and talented athletes who play sledge hockey – such an inspiration. We also loved working with the High River sisters responsible for Crave cupcakes, getting to know them and see what brought them this far.

And speaking of food, we asked our readers for their favourite food at their favourite eating-places and we found 12 Great Eats for 2012! So, as Julia Childs would say Bon Appetit! (must be wearing pearls when you say this).

 Stay in, stay warm and don’t forget your routes!

Look What I Found:

Do you love magazines because you can read a story in just a few minutes and or simply love the writing style of short stories? On www.foundpress.com you can purchase a short story for as little as 99 cents and easily download it to your computer or your electronic reading devices.

This fall issue is a marker for three years of bringing Routes magazine to the foothills! I am proud of the product and all the staff who work so hard to make it happen.

Putting together this issue for you started a bit earlier than normal. Writer, Mary Savage began in January, to arrange a private interview and photo shoot with TV host, Mike Holmes. What a pleasure. Mr. Holmes was – the  same sincere and passionate man you see on TV, he’s the real deal and willing to put on a suit of armour – although not the tights that went with it!

Speaking of the real deal, don’t miss the Q&A article on Peter Fuller, one of only a few craftsmen in the country handcrafting replica suits of armour with painstaking accuracy. He’s a man passionate about preserving a piece of history.

Hammering out another piece of history right here in Nanton is Martin Reinhard, one of only a few master blacksmiths in the Canada. Check out the story by Peter Worden and then check out of his workshops and try your hand at forging.

And when it comes to history, did you know Waterton National Park, the world’s first Peace Park, is almost 80 years old?  We are also celebrating the 100^th anniversary of our national parks in Canada!

As you wonder where the time goes (maybe reading Experiment #3 can help) and as we move into the fall season, take some time to enjoy all our wonderful parks before winter, whether it be in your own town, one of Alberta’s 69 provincial parks, or across the country to a national one!

Oh – and don’t forget your routes!

Sandra