Friday, January 4, 2013
Saying goodbye to the holidays and this column.
So, how did you spend Boxing Day? Unless you’re wearing a toque and scanning the web for creative ways to incorporate Christmas leftovers into poutine, you spent it staring at the Amazon.com home page in a kind of disconnected-post-holiday stupor, head propped on your coffee mug and desperately trying to remember what day it is and how you got to work this morning. At ease, Suzy Snowflake. The color-coded Christmas threat scale has been changed from fuchsia to magenta, signaling a "less-than-elevated-but-remain wary" threat of continued holiday madness. Time to check the expiration date on that carton of egg nog in the fridge before the Penicillium takes over and your left with a thick Camembert that smells like nutmeg. The post-holiday …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Kwanzaa is celebrated in the United States from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
The seven-day festival of Kwanzaa, which celebrates African-American heritage and culture, starts Wednesday, Dec. 26 and ends Tuesday, Jan. 1. Here are some facts about the week-long holiday. Do you know of any Kwanzaa celebrations in Downers Grove? Tell us in the comments. Tell Us: Do you have any facts about Kwanzaa that you would like to share? Please write them in the comments section below. This list was compiled with information from City News Service. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on Downers Grove news:
Monday, December 24, 2012
Joliet Area Community Hospice offers two-part class entitled Help with the Holidays
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Dawn Aulet
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Monday, December 24, 2012
For most of us, the holidays are a time of joy, time filled with family and friends, good food and often, presents. It is a time of year we look forward to. For someone who has lost a loved one, though, it can be a time they dread. It's okay to say no to parties or even to events that you always attended because you are just not feeling up to it. "(Those grieving) need to say what do you need what is it you would like from us," Mary Ann Burns, Joliet Area Community Hospice Bereavement Counselor said. The person who is grieving needs to be the one to decide what he or she wants to do. For the other family members who know someone is grieving, though, it is appropriate to ask. Families have to decide what the new normal is now that a loved …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Our Patch Elf on the Shelf has gotten ahold of our computer and now wants to know what his buddy elves are up to. Share your photos here!
Saturday, December 8, 2012
What holiday traditions are unique to your family?
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
What holiday traditions are unique to your family?
The holidays are defined by traditions. One of my favorites is the arrival of the Restoration Hardware Holiday “Sourcebook,” which is a snooty synonym for “catalog.” I remember when this mall staple had a Mayberry hardware store vibe, where you could drop four grand on a roll-top desk and pick up a few Moon Pies at the cash register on the way out. Now the brand resembles the mournful sparseness of the mausoleum interior from the cult horror flick Phantasm. When did decorating for the holidays become so somber? Flip through the pages of “melancholiday” home decor ("This candle holder was meticulously hand carved from weathered casket wood..."), and you half expect Angus Scrimm to appear behind you and scream, “Ho! Ho! Ho! The funeral is …
Monday, December 3, 2012
Check out images from the village's tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 23, courtesy of the village of Downers Grove.
With the holiday season in full swing, what's better than a good, old-fashioned tree lighting ceremony? Downers Grove kicked off its holiday festivities Nov. 23 with the start of its second annual Gingerbread Festival, hosted by the Downers Grove Downtown Management Corporation. Santa Claus and Downers Grove Mayor Martin Tully hit the switch on the village's tree that afternoon, marking the official start of a weekend packed with holiday activities—including a storybook reading at the library, breakfast with Santa, a middle school play and complimentary carriage rides. In case you missed the ceremony, check out the video above, which was posted on the village's YouTube account Nov. 30. Looking for more images from the festival? Check out …
The US Postal Service anticipates this will be its busiest holiday shipping season. Find out when items should be mailed by and where you can mail items on select Sundays in December.
The holiday rush is about to set in. Along with waiting in line to buy gifts at stores, the lines can be even longer at the post office as gift givers mail cards and packages to friends and family across the county and world. To accommodate the holiday rush, several DuPage County post offices will be open every Sunday prior to Christmas. The post office at 757 DuPage Blvd. in Glen Ellyn will be open on Dec. 2, 9 and 16 from noon to 4 p.m. In addition to the Glen Ellyn location, the post office at 122 N. Wheaton, in Wheaton, will be open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Lombard Post Office at 380 St. Charles Road will also be open from noon to 4 p.m. The USPS is anticipating this will be its biggest holiday season in its 237-year history. The …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Santa Tracker: Where you can find the big guy around Darien, Downers Grove and Woodridge.
Do you craft the most perfect Christmas cookie in town? Do your family and friends drool at the sight of your sugary creations? Enter your cookie in Patch's contest for a chance at a $100 gift card and other sweet prizes.
Dan McReavy
3:35 pm on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tony, come over to nwzPaper.com already! We just passed month three of public beta testing and Sam DeWitt of Denver, CO marks journalist account number 352! http://nwzpaper.com/journalistPerspective?userId=352 I highly recommend everyone to check it out if you are sad about the decline of Patch. Best, Dan McReavy more ›