Jack Knox

Why do the volunteers do it, devoting their free time to standing on the cold, concrete floor of a cavernous curling rink, subsisting on nothing but coffee, dust mites and the occasional Timbit?

Sometimes opening the cardboard boxes dropped off at the drive-through book collection is like busting into a Kinder Surprise. The cartons contain all manner of items inadvertently donated with the books. Among the weirdities uncovered over the 26 years of the charity event have been a home-made pie, a Boy Scout uniform, paratrooper boots, a fish-gutting knife, a case of wine (which was returned to the owner after he came back, damn it), several pairs of eyeglasses and more passports than Jason Bourne keeps in his safety deposit box.

Get ready, book lovers — it’s book sale weekend! Here are 27 things to know about the 27th Times Colonist book sale, on this weekend at the Victoria Curling Club.

Vancouver Island sacrificed disproportionately on June 6, 1944 — soldiers of the Victoria-based Canadian Scottish Regiment were among the first ashore in Normandy on D-Day

The Times Colonist Christmas Fund is about helping people, when they need it. The newspaper asks readers for donations, which are then distributed to local organizations that know which individuals could use the most help.

Here's a side of John Horgan you might not have seen: After pulling the plug on politics, the former premier became a volunteer at the Goldstream Food Bank.

While few of us like parting with our money, most of us want to help our neighbours when they need it, particularly at a time when it's nice to spread the joy.

Kim Vis was 3 1/2 when she fell through the ice of a pond near her Port Alberni home, and was pulled seemingly lifeless from the water up to 30 minutes later.

Soap for Hope Canada, which receives funding from the Times Colonist Christmas Fund, provides hygiene products to people in need.

As we all know, Christmas sucks. Too much commercialization. Too much (or, rather, too little) money. Too much fruitcake (bleh!).