Celebrating the Holidays at Province House

Province House is all set for the holiday season. The lights have been hung, the tree is up, the official Province House holiday card has been sent out and -- best of all -- everyone's invited to stop by.

Murray Scott, Speaker of the House of Assembly, extends an invitation to all Nova Scotians and visitors to come to Province House to enjoy the decorations and to see the original artwork used for this year's card.

The tree was hand-picked and donated by the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association, while the display of lights is part of the National Capital Commission's annual Christmas Lights Across Canada program. The program co-ordinates the display of lights on Parliament Hill and at provincial and territorial legislatures throughout Canada as a national symbol of unity and goodwill.

For the second year in a row, Province House has commissioned a local artist to create an image for its official holiday greeting card. This year's original work, by Shelly Atkinson of Truro, is now on display. The work will remain in Province House's permanent collection of art.

Ms. Atkinson's artwork and the Christmas tree are located in the Red Chamber of Province House, 1726 Hollis St., Halifax. Province House is open to the public from Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.