There's 7 adults, 1 toddler and 2 babies seeking a suitable area in Canada to experience a White Christmas. Leaving around 18th Dec, we plan to hire a van and a house, and will stay in the one place for approx 8-10 days after which we will go to Victoria. We're not looking too much !!!: guaranteed snow on Christmas Day, some skiing, nature & wildlife, a town nearby for amenties, sightseeing etc. Any suggestions appreciated, also are there any Realtors who have rental houses at a better rate than specialty rental houses. Thank you for any info...

Statistically the best probability for a white Christmas is Quebec City, but that is a whole continent away from Victoria.
How far did you want to travel between your white Christmas destination and Victoria??

Look to the Interior Ski resorts like Big White, Sun Peaks even some further east into the Kootenay area like Kimberly.

If a small town Xmas feel is what you want and you'll find it there.

Thank you for the replies. Sorry I've taken so long to reply, have been off air for a few days. We would rather not have more than a day travel between destinations, as time will be of the premium for those who have to get back to work & obviously with babies, much easier to avoid too much car travel, but will consider all suggestions. Thanks again

Excellent chance of snow in Banff and Lake Louise; much more dicey just 50 miles away in Calgary.

But if Victoria is the seconddestination, Whistler, or the interior of BC, make the most sense from a travel point of view.

BAK

If a guaranteed white Christmas is what you want, you may be disappointed at Whistler. There will be snow but at the lower elevations including the village, it could quite easily be rain.

The recommendations for Big White and Sun Peaks in the interior are good ones. Unless there's unusally bad weather, you should be able to drive from either of these to Victoria in a day.

You'll find lots of Aussies (don't know whether you want that) at Big White. Do a search, and you will find enthusiatic reports on Big White from your countryman marko.

There are NEVER any guarantees with weather, but Lake Louise is usually a good bet for snow as it lies in a snow belt and there is a choice of ski hills to choose from.

The village of Lake Louise is very small and is really only a collection of hotels and small mall with about 12 shops. Banff and Canmore are much larger with all the services/amenities.

It's about a 1 drive from Calgary to Banff and flying time between Calgary and Victoria is also about 1 1/2 hours, so easily doable in one day.

In winter, don't expect to see too much wildlife other than birds, but do expect to see some amazing mountain views. Other winter activities include nordice (cross country) skiing, snow-shoeing, dog-sledding and skating. I always enjoy the Banff hot springs in winter time. Just something about being outside warm water and seeing your breath freeze. Just make sure not to get your hair wet!

nordice = nordic
being outside warm water = being outside in warm water

We flew to Vancouver on Christmas Day last year and it started snowing about halfway up the Sea to Sky highway. By the time we reached Whistler, there were beautiful thick snowflakes falling. Walking through the village of Whistler in the snow at Christmas was magical. Guess we were lucky! It snowed most of the week we were there between Christmas and New Year's.

I've also been in the Whistler village before when it was raining, but once you start of the gondola...it's snowing.

Again, all very helpful ideas - thank you. The low chance of snow at Calgary was not something we expected. Will look at Big White and Sun Peaks, also Fielding. The Hot Springs in Banff is high on to-do list. This is long term planning as it is for 2008, but will need to book airfares early next year.