Christmas shopping can be about more than hitting the malls. There are some wonderful shopping experiences outside the city. Combine your shopping with lunch and a drive through the country, an educational visit to a woolen mill or a trip to a museum.

PaSu Farm ia a working sheep farm and has a great boutique which sells a range of moccasins, fine wool fashions, sheepskin coats, hides, blankets and other products, made locally and from around the world. You can then enjoy a meal in their restaurant, with a view of the Rockies on a sunny day. They are also offerning a dinner theatre in December. The farm is located north of Calgary a short distance west from the Queen Elizabeth Highway, off Secondary Highway 580, with lots of signs to lead you there.

Custom Woolen Mills is another great place to visit and shop. They produce woolen and exotic fiber products, such as carded wools, rovings, spinning balls, batts, wool yarns, knitting kits, socks, comforters, mattress pads and hand-woven blankets. Not only are the products produced on-site, but this is a working museum, using industrial revolution machinery. Take time to do the self-guided tour. According to their web site, they are only open 9:00 - 3:00, Monday to Friday. Go north on Highway 2, turn east at Highway 582 and follow the signs.

Saskatoon Farm is another fun place that is out of the city to do a little Christmas shopping. During the summer, the farm is noted for their saskatoon berries. This time of year they have a nice gift shop and cafe.

If you are in the mood to go further afield, the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller has a wonderful gift shop with all things dinosaur. A visit to Drumheller makes a great day trip for the family and you can do some Christmas shopping while you are there. One of our staff members shared her impressions of the museum in "Walking with the Dinosaurs".

If you would like to take the road less travelled as you are on your daytrip, why not check out these books, Back Roads of Southern Alberta or Day Trips from Calgary.