Park Royal’s Guide to Tackling Everything on Your Holiday To-Do List

If you go to one place that has it all, you can get it all done!

Now that the holiday season is coming up quick, you’ve got to get prepped for those festive holiday parties, rounding up the required groceries, doing menu planning and crafting cocktails! (And somehow still find time to do all your Christmas shopping.) When you do the trip math, instead of running across town for this and that, Park Royal is the one-stop-shop answer. You can park your car for free and easily hit all of your major errands in a few hours—and maybe even fit in a facial—here’s how.

Fuel Up

A little extra caffeine boost always helps kickstart a shopping trip, so head to Caffè Artigiano for your favourite brand of latte or a bold-meets-savoury organic Italian roast. If you’re more of a premium loose-leaf-tea person, you can easily hit DAVIDsTea located just a few shops over in The Village at Park Royal.

Gifts for Impossible-to-Shop-for-People

You could buy on a hunch (is it the right size, style, colour, price point?) or snag a gift card at one of their favourite shops; Anthropologie for your brother’s new girlfriend, Zara for Mom, Simons for everybody (this Quebec import has chic designs and accessories at all price points for men and women). Not only are gift cards thoughtful and eco-friendly, but this way you won’t have to lug extra heavy bags around while you tackle the rest of the errands on your list.

Host Gifts at the Ready

Have a few dinner parties coming up on the calendar? Arrive with one of Purdys’ special holiday choco-sets to gift the hosts. You could go big, like the Chocolate Survival Gift Basket ($90)—hedgehogs, dark chocolate salted butter toffee bar, milk chocolate sweet georgia browns and more—or, get the charming six-piece for $11.

The Turkey Saver

Picking up a big, beautiful turkey, the main event of many a holiday feast, is as easy as strolling into the meat department at Loblaws City Market or picking up a reserved uncooked organic bird at Whole Foods Market. At Whole Foods, you can even visit a Holiday Solutions Specialist in-store to help you shop for all your holiday food preparations. This leaves you plenty of time to spend on other things, like making the punch.

Essential Libations

Don’t you hate it when you’ve picked up all your groceries but still have to zip across town to do a liquor run? Grandpa’s scotch, prosecco for toasting, gin for cocktails and a local pinot to go with dinner—you can get it all without ever leaving Park Royal, as there’s a massive BC Liquor Store at Park Royal North. Hosting a ton of holiday parties? You can even speak to a BCL rep about buying in BULK (please drink responsibly).

Room and Decor

Whether you wish to incorporate a delicate layering of holiday accents in the home or go full-spirited Santa’s Workshop, you’ve got retail options that cover the entire decor spectrum: Christmas Traditions, Dollarama, HomeSense, Winners, Hudson’s Bay, Urban Barn and Michaels will keep you stocked with all the scented candles, festive textiles, servingware and ornaments your host-with-the-most heart desires.

Night-of Beautifying

Feeling a bit stressed? Pop in for a 45-minute power facial at Skoah. Want to look your best for that big office shindig? Book a makeover or touch-up at MAC Cosmetics or Sephora, or get a holiday-party-perfect updo at Chatters Salon.

The Under-the-Tree Gifts

Looking for something specific to wrap up for loved ones? You can find everything from holiday tech (The Source) to athleisure (Lululemon) and more at Park Royal—just check the A to Z directory here or scope out this handy interactive map for ideas.