Keep Food-Borne Illness Off Your Holiday Menu

The North Georgia Health District offers these tips.

As you lovingly serve roasted turkey, baked ham, delicious casseroles and decadent desserts to family and friends this holiday season, don’t let food-borne illness be one of your secret ingredients. Festive times are for giving and sharing, but that should never include sharing food-borne illness. Here are some tips from the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline (1-888-674-6854) to help you have SAFE holiday festivities. Safely handle food. Always wash your hands before and after handling food—especially raw meat and poultry—and keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean, as well. Cook thoroughly. Be sure to cook food thoroughly to safe minimum internal temperatures. To learn more about safe temperatures for various foods, log onto www.fsis.…

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Any Good Samaritans in West Cobb?

Have you experienced or heard of the contribution of what some have referred to as “Secret Santas” or “layaway angels”? Share your stories with Patch.

A store in Providence, R.I., recently saw an anonymous individual pay off the layaway balances of eight strangers. During a week earlier this month in D'Iberville, Miss., 35 layaway bills were paid off at a Walmart. We’re wondering if there have been any such stories in West Cobb. Have you experienced or heard of the contribution of what some have referred to as “Secret Santas” or “layaway angels”—those who pay off the layaway balance belonging to someone they don’t know? Has a Good Samaritan helped you in some other way this holiday season? Share your stories in the comments or email them to Editor Jon Gargis at jon.gargis@patch.com and we may follow up with you in the coming days.

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Prevent Your Home from Being Burglarized This Holiday Season

Here are 11 tips from Allstate, all aimed at reducing the chances of your home being burglarized during the holidays. Allstate Provides Home Burglary Prevention Tips for the Holidays

The Weekender: Santa's Workshop, Hot Chocolate and Candy Canes

It's the last weekend to tell Santa what you want for Christmas.

Live Nativity When: 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday Where: Saint Teresa's Episcopal Church, 5725 Fords Rd. NW, Acworth | Get directions Why Go: People who have attended in previous years have experienced “many really powerful ... moments,”organizer Paula Flippin said. Price: Free Kennesaw State University Women's Basketball vs. Georgia Southern When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: KSU Convocation Center, 1000 Chastain Rd. NW, Kennesaw | Get directions   Why Go: The home team needs your support. Price: $6 | Buy tickets Santa's Workshop When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: Marietta Square, 50 North Park Square NE, Marietta | Get directions Why Go: This is your last weekend to tell Santa what you want for Christmas. He leaves…

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Local Service Members Wish Their Families Happy Holidays [VIDEO]

See the messages these men and women overseas had for their families and friends back home in Powder Springs, Austell, Douglasville and other nearby cities.

On occasion, we here at West Cobb Patch venture onto YouTube to find videos of local relevance. A recent video that caught our eye was one uploaded by DouglasvilleCITITV on Monday. The clip shows several service men and women wishing their families happy holidays. As of early Wednesday, the video (which is attached to this article) had nine views. The service members—filmed while abroad in Afghanistan, Germany, South Korea, Spain and other locations—had holiday messages for family and friends in Powder Springs, Austell, Douglasville and several other nearby cities. We’ll try to keep an eye on YouTube for videos filmed by or starring locals. If you see any interesting ones we’ve missed, send us an email at jon.gargis@patch.com.

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The Weekender: White Christmas, Charity Music Fest, Ugly Sweater Contest

Your weekend guide also includes a Christmas Cantata and a shopping extravaganza.

The Atlanta Lyric Theatre Presents White Christmas When: 8 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday Where:  Earl Smith Strand Theatre, 117 North Park Square NE, Marietta | Get directions Why Go: It's a classic, timeless musical. Price: Tickets start at $25 | Buy tickets Holiday Shopping Extravaganza When: 11 a.m. Saturday Where: Christine's School of Dance, 1305 Cedarcrest Road, Dallas | Get directions Why Go: You can shop for everything from fudge and rice warmers to bird feeders and scarves at this event. Price: While admission is free, don't forget to bring a few dollars to support the vendors at the extravaganza. 22nd Annual ROCK 4 TOTS Charity Music Fest When: 3 p.m. Saturday Where: Reds Timbers, 730 Concord Road …

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USPS Offers Multiple Options for Holiday Packages

Choose mailing products, services and delivery times at various price points.

Patch 101

How Can Nonprofits Use Patch?

In our latest edition of “Patch 101,” we share how nonprofit officials and volunteers can post events, photos and calls for action to be seen by West Cobb Patch readers.

It’s December, which means many nonprofits are in the midst of community projects such as toy drives or feed the hungry events, while others are soliciting donations before the end of the 2012 tax year. If you represent or volunteer with a Cobb-based nonprofit or one that serves the West Cobb area, you have many ways with which you can utilize West Cobb Patch to get the word out: 1. Start a blog about your nonprofit or its campaign(s). Maybe you’re with a lesser-known nonprofit in the area, or perhaps you perform a service or hold an event that few people are aware of. Or maybe you want the public to know why they should donate to your cause before the end of the year. One way to educate the public is by posting a blog. Clicking this link …

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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.