Calgary school bus driver goes all out with holiday decorations for kids
Catch a glimpse of the Christmas school bus as it rolls through southwest neighbourhoods
It looks a bit like a yellow Christmas tree cruising down the road, but it's really a Calgary school bus decked out in its holiday finest.
All it took to create the festive atmosphere was a cigarette-lighter inverter and a little imagination from bus driver Gay Powlan.
Metallic snowflakes dangle from the ceiling, and strings of rainbow-coloured lights and silver tinsel run up and down each row.
Powlan says she did it for the kids.
"When they see the Christmas lights and it's all decorated, it just helps to bring the spirit to life," said the bus driver of five years.
"And when I see their faces, it makes my heart smile," she said.
Powlan's bus runs for kids in Chinook Park and Willow Park.
You'll see her rolling along Highfield Avenue, cruising down Blackfoot Trail to Glenmore, down 14th Street to 90th Avenue and into the neighbourhoods of Palliser and Braeside.
If you're stuck beside it in holiday traffic, you may see the stuffed toy candy cane that hangs from a side view mirror, the snowman stickers that adorn the windows, or the red-and-white "Merry Christmas" sign that adheres to the front grill.
With files from Mike Symington