With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s time for students and teachers around Prince Rupert to start planning for Rupert Square Mall’s annual Christmas Tree Decorating Contest.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of this beloved Prince Rupert tradition, with the contest taking place on Friday, Dec. 1. The first-place winning classroom will receive a free pizza party from Panago, courtesy of Rupert Square Mall and its Tenants Association, not to mention bragging rights for the year. There are also prizes for second and third place runner ups.
“We’ve been hosting our annual Christmas Tree Decorating Contest for 20 years now, for many mall tenants and Prince Rupert families, it’s just not Christmas until the trees have been decorated,” says Maggie Viviers, On-Site Property Manager.
While there’s no official theme for the trees, class teams are encouraged to embody the true meaning of the holidays through their decor choices, such as kindness, peace and generosity. Viviers also notes that as a children’s contest, it should be the children who are decorating the tree, with limited guidance from teachers and other adults.
The event runs from approximately 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with pre-scheduled time slots for each group of children to come and decorate their tree. Only 25 trees are available, so teachers are encouraged to enter their classroom sooner rather than later. Every child who participates will receive a goody bag with various holiday-themed activities after they finish decorating their tree. Once all the trees have been decorated, three volunteer judges from the Tenants Association will carefully review each tree before selecting this year’s winner.
“Our Christmas Tree Decorating Contest is a much-anticipated event and a Prince Rupert holiday tradition. Every tenant and staff member looks forward to seeing the kids excitedly decorating their tree for the entire city to come and enjoy,” Viviers says. “We look forward to welcoming this year’s students and wish them all the best of luck!”
The deadline to enter is Nov. 28 – email maggie.rssc@pollycogroup.com. If you haven’t received your invitation to participate, call Maggie Viviers at 250-624-5163 to update your contact information and express interest in this year’s event. The tree’s will be up for the community to come and enjoy until the New Year, with classrooms having until Jan. 8 to pick up decorations should they need them back.
Follow Rupert Square Mall on Facebook for the latest updates on events and sales.