Monday, December 24, 2012
How much will we spend this year? And what's the best-selling Christmas song of all time? Find the answers below.
We know that there were three Wise Men, 12 days of Christmas and that Santa delivers all his presents around the world in one night. But did you know... $23,439.38 How much it would cost to buy your "true love" all the gifts in the 12 Day of Christmas . 12.9 billion hours, $447 billion How many hours Americans were expected to spend shopping, wrapping and returning gifts last year. That was about 42 hours and $688.87 per person. Get your postman/postwoman a gift According to Hallmark, Christmas is the largest card-sending occasion . Nearly 1.5 billion cards are sent to friends and family every Christmas Season. (That's actually down 400 million cards since 2004.) $983 million The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from …
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday is Christmas Eve. Tuesday is Christmas Day. Here is a list of how state and federal offices and services will be affected. NJ Transit :
Sunday, December 23, 2012
A weak storm front expected to bring up to two inches of snow starting Monday night.
Cross your fingers. As of Sunday, weather projections indicate a storm front entering the region that could give us—gasp—a white Christmas. According to the National Weather Service, there is a 20 percent chance of snow on Tuesday, with a temperature ultimately reaching 38 degrees. Stephen Pellettiere, with Ion Weather based at the Morristown Municipal Airport, said current projections appear to have the small storm begin producing at about 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, tapering off at the latest 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. "A little storm is passing to our south," he said. "There's a tenth of an inch of moisture, which translates to about an inch of snow." Some areas, including southern Morris County, could see as much as two inches of the white …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
A look at the hot toys for tots this holiday season.
Every holiday season, the mailbox fills with the latest toy catalogs. Children peruse the pages as they scribble their lists, daydreaming about what they will find under the tree come Christmas morning. Parents pull out their pocketbooks, spending hard-earned cash as they anticipate the joy on those little faces. What will be the runaway favorites this year is always a guess, but here are some of the latest trends, mixed with tried-and-true perennial favorites. jChews Smartphone teether by Jellystone No tears for parents or babies. Babies love nothing more than to gum Mom and Dad’s cell phone, but now they’ll be too intrigued with their own smartphone to chew on. The Jellystone smartphone teether comes in seven funky colors and is BPA …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Admission is free to this family-friendly annual event.
The annual Essex County Holiday Lights Spectacular has returned to the Turtle Back Zoo for a sixth year. The exhibit features 50 animal and holiday-themed figures including bears, tigers and elephants illuminated by over 100,000 lights, along with holiday lights designed to look like wooden soldiers, stars and winter scenes, according to a release from the office of Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. “Turtle Back Zoo will be turned into a Winter Wonderland, with extraordinary seasonal lighting exhibits and costumed characters," DiVincenzo said in a press release. "Stroll the landscaped paths of our zoo and admire the illuminated images of everything from toy soldiers to penguins." The exhibit is open every day except …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Need a quick holiday cookie recipe? Make one of these for your parties this season.
One of the most important holiday questions to ask yourself is: What kind of cookies will you be baking for your get-togethers this season? From sweet to savory, holiday cookies come in all shapes and sizes. And what’s better than to top off a tray of cookies than a glass of homemade eggnog? You can check out myrecipes.com to learn how to host a successful cookie swap and view more holiday cookie recipes. You can also head down to Splurge Bakery, Patch Readers' Choice 2012 award winner, or check out Bella's Bakery if you don't feel like making the sweets yourself. Want to do it yourself? Check out the recipes below: Eggnog In a saucepan over low heat combine milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cinnamon stick and clove. Bring to a slow boil…
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Local resident Wayne Robbins, of Inside Montclair, films the annual Church Street Christmas tree lighting.
The holiday season illuminated Montclair's Church Street on Friday night with the flip of a switch. A large crowd gathered in the heart of the town's business district for the annual Christmas tree lighting on Friday. The music of the Montclair Community Band filled the keen, clear night, there was hot cocoa flowing, and Santa even dropped by for a visit. Resident Wayne Robbins, of Inside Montclair, filmed the holiday event again this year. The video above includes holiday greetings from local merchants, who stayed open late to greet the crowds and kick-start the holiday shopping season.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Earlier and staggered store openings result in shorter lines, less frenzy the day after Thanksgiving.
Varied opening and sale times at retailers for the Black Friday rush seemed to spread out shoppers throughout North Jersey’s biggest stores this weekend. This year marked a new marketing tactic—more retailers opened Thanksgiving night. While some stores bought into the new trend, others stuck to the traditional early-morning opening times Friday, while others chose to open at 7 or 8 a.m. And, the different opening times gave shoppers a lot of options, and the ability to hit multiple stores. Long nighttime lines awaited shoppers at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, which saw customers skipping Thanksgiving dinner to line up almost a day before some stores’ 8 and 9 p.m. openings. The line at the Walmart in Watchung started forming at 1 p.m. …
Monday, December 19, 2011
Radio host parlays his passion for the holiday into a year-round job.
For most of us, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Jay Isherwood’s Christmas spirit lasts all year long. And, apparently he isn’t the only one who feels this way. He is the host and program director of an Internet radio station, www.MerryChristmasRadio.com, which plays Christmas songs every day, 365 days a year. As his station boasts, he is a certifiable Christmas nut. Last December, 70,000 listeners from all over the globe tuned into www.Live365.com to listen to the station and somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 people were still listening in July, and throughout the off season. Isherwood anticipates the numbers will be even higher this year. This former Livingston resident always had an interest in entertainment, but it wasn’t …
Scott Helming
1:21 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Actually, there is no firm evidence there were three wise men. We know if three gifts, hence the thought of three persons...An ongoing mystery! more ›