Boxing Day is a great British tradition that may have lost its meaning over the decades, but not its popularity. When it falls on a Friday, like it has this year, it provides an extra-long weekend to relax, take in a movie, clean up the gift wrap or just enjoy the sparkle of the holiday season.

Recently, a friend flew to London for four days, so that she and her sister could walk the streets of London and take in the incredible Christmas lights that turn that city’s downtown into a fairyland at this time of year.

As a boy in Calgary, I can remember the family going for a drive to “see the lights,” and many of us can recall when the Brewery in Inglewood was a place of imagination — a townscape with wonderful little figures. Crescent Road was a “must-see” destination for Christmas lights, too. These days, we’re seeing more of the sparkling tradition of Christmas lights coming back all over Calgary, along with amazing commercial displays at Spruce Meadows, in Legacy and at Confederation Park, to name a few highlights.

Your weekday........

© Calgary Herald