This holiday season, Peterborough’s Shop the Lake has become a one-stop shop for all your holiday needs by transforming its showroom into a Christmas Boutique, where customers can stock up on decorations, special gifts, and yuletide treats. You can even purchase a premium real Christmas tree while giving back to the community.

Owned by Niki and Jason Pulchinski, Shop the Lake is a patio furniture retailer at 1525 Chemong Road supporting a wide selection of high-quality product lines at a variety of price points. Between supplying top brands and employing knowledgeable staff, Shop the Lake is dedicated to help you create comfy and functional patios, porches, decks, balconies, and other outdoor spaces.

But now that winter is here, Shop The Lake has turned its showroom into a Christmas Boutique for the second straight year. Hand-made embroidered tree ornaments, moose-shaped vases, green and red garlands, and nutcracker dishtowels are just a few of the merry homewares you can find at the boutique.

VIDEO: Shop The Lake’s Christmas Boutique

Since sweets are non-negotiable for the season, Shop the Lake also offers a selection of fudge, gingerbread cookies, and decadent chocolates to fill dishes shaped like Christmas lights, and tea or hot chocolate to fill the snowflake-decorated stacking mugs. The tasty treats also make for great stocking stuffers, pairing perfectly with the store’s other top gift items including warm robes, throw blankets, tumblers, candles, and sustainable soaps and skin care products.

Of course, once you have gifts for everyone on your list, you’ll need a Christmas tree to put them under. Beginning Saturday (November 30), Shop The Lake will have premium Nova Scotia Balsam Fir trees available in a range of sizes. If you can’t take the tree home with you, the store offers a $10 driveway delivery service for those living within a 20-kilometre radius.

Since Christmas is all about giving, Shop The Lake will donate $5 from each tree sale to the YMCA of Central East Ontario’s Strong Kids Campaign. The annual fundraiser raises much-needed support for local children, youth, and families facing financial restraint to participate in programming, membership, and camp opportunities.

Although Shop The Lake’s showroom has been turned into a holiday extravaganza, those looking ahead to the return of warm weather can still choose from Shop the Lake’s selection of outdoor furniture and connect with staff about their design needs and inspirations.

Visit the Christmas Boutique at Shop The Lake at 1525 Chemong Road from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. To browse or shop the Christmas Boutique online, visit shopthelake.ca, with both shipping and in-store pick-up available.

As a special bonus in celebration of the Christmas season, Shop The Lake — along with neighbouring women’s wear shop DJC Modern Apparel — is hosting a holiday open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 7th. You can visit both stores to shop for unique and stylish gifts, decor, and food.

Shop The Lake will be offering 10 per cent off all Christmas Boutique items during the holiday open house, when you can also enter into a draw for a free six-foot Christmas tree. To add to the festive atmosphere, the Peterborough Pop Ensemble choir will be performing Christmas carols starting at 2 p.m.

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The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is once again rewarding residents and visitors for supporting locally owned downtown businesses and getting everyone in the festive spirit with the return of the annual Holiday Shopping Passport program and the Holiday Window contest.

Holiday Shopping Passports are now available at over 160 participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants, and cafes in “The Boro”. For every $10 you spend at participating businesses, you earn a passport stamp.

When a passport is filled with 20 stamps, the completed passport becomes a ballot for one of three early bird draws on Wednesdays during December for a $500 Boro gift card and a grand prize draw for a $1,500 Boro gift card in January.

The early bird draws take place on December 4, 11, and 18, with the grand prize draw on January 8. To get you started, free stamps are available at the Peterborough Public Library, the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Visitors Centre, and Peterborough Square’s North Pole.

Along with the chance to win Boro gift cards, choosing to shop at independent businesses in downtown Peterborough also supports the local economy.

A report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has found that, for every $100 spent at a locally owned business in Canada, $63 is recirculated back into the community, compared to only $14 when shopping at a multinational chain and nothing at all when you shop at internet giants like Amazon.

“Our Holiday Shopping Passport program is a wonderful way to support downtown Peterborough’s unique, locally owned businesses while enjoying the festive season” says Peterborough DBIA executive director Nour Mazloum in a media release.

“Every stamp represents a contribution to our local economy and a connection to the people and places that make our downtown vibrant and welcoming. We’re thrilled to offer this incentive as a thank-you to our community for shopping and dining downtown.”

Find out more about Holiday Shopping Passports and see a list of locations at https://theboro.ca/holiday-shopping-passport/.

The DBIA is also helping shoppers get in the festive spirit with the annual Holiday Window Contest, where downtown businesses are challenged to decorate their storefront windows in the theme “Frozen Fantasy.”

From now until December 31, you can vote online for your favourite storefront display. Visit pollunit.com/polls/holidaywindowcontest to see this year’s holiday displays and to vote. The three businesses the receive the most votes will win a Boro gift card.

To make it easier and more affordable to shop in downtown Peterborough, the City of Peterborough will be providing free two-hour parking in the downtown beginning Black Friday (November 29) until the end of December, courtesy of Wolfe Lawyers.

For more information on businesses in downtown Peterborough and holiday events, visit theboro.ca and follow The Boro on Instagram and Facebook.