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Christmas

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Weekender: Hanukkah Celebrations, Journey Through Bethlehem

There are plenty of offerings in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties this weekend.

Journey Through Bethlehem When: 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday Where: Burnt Hickory Baptist Church, 5145 Due West Road, Powder Springs | Get directions Why Go: Walk through a historical village set at the time of Jesus’ birth. Price: Free Parent's Night Out When: 6 p.m. Friday Where: Brawner Hall, 3180 Atlanta Road SE, Smyrna | Get directions Why Go: You need a few hours away from the kids. Price: $40 | Buy tickets Holiday Shops at Hunter Park When: 9 a.m. Saturday Where: Hunter Park, 8830 Gurley Road, Douglasville | Get directions Why Go: Get some holiday shopping done without the hassle of the crowds at the mall. Price: Free Live Nativity Downtown Dallas When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Downtown Dallas Merchants Association, 213 Main …

Community Spotlight: Santa to Arrive in Military Vehicle [VIDEO]

Head to the North Cobb area Friday, Dec. 7 for Santa's Arrival, and get an opportunity to write letters to service members overseas.

This week's Cobb, Douglas and Paulding Weekend & Community Spotlight features Santa's Arrival in Acworth. The streets of Historic Downtown Acworth are expected to be filled with thousands of people Friday night for Santa's Arrival, a tradition in the community for more than 10 years. Santa will arrive in a military vehicle this year, giving the children an opportunity to write letters to soldiers serving our country overseas. Bring the whole family to kick off the holiday season, and enjoy an evening of music and entertainment with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Have a great event coming up in your community? Upload it onto your Patch, then email Editor Jon Gargis at jon.gargis@patch.com, and your event could be featured in the next Weekend Spotlight…

Thursday, December 6, 2012

For Real Estate, It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holiday season is ringing in a renewed real estate market, says C. Mark Willix in his latest offering.

Yes friends, the holiday season is in full swing. There are presents to be wrapped, baking to be done, holiday parties filled with revelry and the joy of the season filling each heart. And even with all of the hustle of post-Black Friday events the real estate market is usually expected to be slow this time of year. While we do generally see a bit of a drop in sales, this is definitely not a slow market. 2012 has been a banner year for the market recovery. Inventory levels started off strong and then began to drop at the end of the first quarter. As I've been telling you for most of the last six months, the inventory levels are spurring rising prices. While conditions still favor buyers, sellers are seeing a strong market as well. It is my…

Santa Will Reply to Letters from Children

Thanks to a very special U.S. Postal Service program, "Santa" will reply to children who mail him their Christmas wish lists this holiday season.

Friday, November 30, 2012

The Weekender: Cities to Light Christmas Trees, Welcome Santa

Across Cobb and Paulding, communities will officially ring in the holiday season this weekend.

Christmas at NorthStar Church Arts & Craft Show When: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday Where: NorthStar Church, 3413 Blue Springs Road NW, Kennesaw | Get directions Why Go: There will be more than 75 arts and crafts exhibitors from all over the Southeast. Price: Free admission and parking. Seventh Annual City of Hiram Christmas Tree Lighting When: 6 p.m. Friday Where: City of Hiram, 342 Oak St., Hiram | Get directions  Why Go: Santa Claus will be there. Additionally, there will be live music, train rides for kids as well as horse and carriage rides. The lighting of the Christmas tree will take place at 8 p.m. Price: Free The Nutcracker When: 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. …

Weekend Spotlight: Holiday Homes Tour [VIDEO]

Get ideas on holiday decorating by taking the Holiday Homes Tour this weekend.

This week's Cobb, Douglas and Paulding Weekend & Community Spotlight features the Homes for the Holidays Tour presented by The Foundation of Emory-Adventist Hospital at Smyrna. The event will be held noon-6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2. Tickets are $20 and all proceeds will benefit The Foundation of Emory-Adventist Hospital at Smyrna to raise funds for new patient beds.  Purchase tickets at www.SmyrnaCares.org or by calling 770-438-5233. Visit Patch's Event Calendar for more details. Have a great event coming up in your community? Upload it onto your Patch, then email Editor Jon Gargis at jon.gargis@patch.com, and your event could be featured in the next Weekend Spotlight on Patch sites across Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Christmas Comes to West Cobb This Weekend

We’ve compiled a list of holiday happenings going on in West Cobb this weekend. Find out how to submit any events we’ve missed to West Cobb Patch’s calendar.

West Cobb residents looking to get into the holiday spirit have several events to choose from this weekend. The three listings below from West Cobb Patch’s events calendar caught our eye. Clicking a link below will take you to an event page where you can find more details. Saturday, 10 a.m. 8th Annual Candy Cane Hunt in Mableton Saturday, 5 p.m. Powder Springs Christmas Tree Lighting Sunday, 2 p.m. Christmas House Arts and Crafts Show in Mableton If we’ve missed a great holiday event this weekend, and you don’t see it in our events calendar, not to worry—it only takes a minute or two to post to our calendar. You can visit the events calendar page and click the “Add an Event” button on the right side of the page, or you can head directly to…

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Speak Out: What Will You Spend on Holiday Gifts?

Do you plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year? If you’re the average shopper, one survey says you probably will.

If you’re the average shopper, chances are you may be spending a bit more on gifts this season than in years past. Earlier this month, American Research Group reported that its phone survey earlier this month showed that Americans plan to spend an average of $854 on gifts this holiday season, up nearly a third of last year’s average of $646. That’s also the highest average since ARG’s 2007 survey, when survey respondents’ average was $859—that amount fell by about half in 2008. Here are the average amounts of planned spending survey takers have reported since 2002. Year Average Spending Percent Change   2012 $854 + 32% 2011 $646 - 2% 2010 $658 + 58% 2009 $417 - 3% 2008 $431 - 50% 2007 $859 - 5% 2006 $907 - 4% 2005 $942 - 6% 2004 $1,004 + 3…

Monday, November 26, 2012

Ministry Seeks To Bring Christmas to Seniors

Neighbor Love is looking for volunteers to deliver Christmas gifts to senior citizens and monetary contributions that will go toward the purchase of the gifts.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Top Toys Cobb Kids Will Be Asking For

Find out what’s in before you head out to take advantage of Black Friday savings.

Making sure to put just the right presents under the tree for kids can be a trick even for Santa. If you’re hoping to find out what’s hot before you head out to shop on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, we’ve put together a few suggestions. What toys are in demand in your house this season? Share your suggestions in the comments section. Retailers themselves are generally the best judges of what’s in. Here are what some of the biggest toy retailers in West Cobb and beyond are saying: This store agrees has come up with a handful of choices. They include: To see the full list of suggestions, visit Target online. This retailer has an extensive list of hot toys for the holidays. It’s also running an online contest where customers can …

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