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 …
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 …
The North American Aerospace Defense Command has a website that now offers a Santa tracker mobile app to follow the jolly man's magical flight.
They sent him their wish lists, sat on his lap, and left cookies and milk for his arrival. Now the only thing left for children to do is track Santa's progress as he delivers gifts around the world on Christmas Eve. Thanks to the folks behind the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, families worldwide can now follow Santa's Christmas journey in real time. The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special "Santa hotline." Instead of reaching Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations, according to a description on the NORAD Tracks Santa Facebook page, which has more than …
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 …
As you look over the list of gifts you need this holiday season, an unsettling feeling starts. How will I pay for all these gifts? How about homemade gifts?
Gift-giving is meant to be a time for sharing how much you appreciate others, but rising prices and tight budgets take the feel-good vibes right out of gift-giving traditions. This year, take the money stress out of the holidays by turning to homemade gifts. Homemade gifts are a great way to show you appreciate someone while also adding a personal touch. Gifts don’t need to be expensive to be special. Get the family involved in the fun and you will be creating memories while making unique gifts for those who mean the most in your life. Patch explores the homemade holidays in hopes that you will find something to inspire you to enjoy the season more. Healthy options: Pack energy in a jar with healthy snacks like energy bars, dark chocolate…
Friday, December 21, 2012
Patch users vote baby playing with holiday lights as the best photo in contest.
Baby's first Christmas was not only memorialized in a photo by his parents, but now as the winner of Patch's regional photo contest. The photo, "Wesley Tangled in Lights," was chosen as the winner of Patch's Best Holiday Photo contest. We asked Patch users to submit their favorite holiday photos on participating sites. Photos were then chosen to enter our regional contest where users could vote for the photo they felt was the best. While some photos showed dogs dancing around holiday lights, other photos showed kids with Santa Claus and dressed up for the holiday season. The winning photo of the baby playing with holiday lights in the Christmas tree was submitted by Rose Dudek on West Orange Patch. As the winner, Rose Dudek will receive a…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
We asked Patch users in several local communities to share their best holiday photos. Check out which were submitted and vote for your favorite in the comments.
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
Welcome to Round 2 of Patch’s Best Holiday Photo Contest sponsored by Unique Photo. We have received so many of your holiday memories and photos, and now it’s time to vote on the region’s best photo! The photos with the most votes from our ten participating Patches will now be entered to win the grand prize, a $500 gift card to Unique Photo. The winner will be announced Friday, Dec. 21 at noon. To vote: Look for the number in the top right corner of the photo and refer to that in the comments. The winners of the local contests are: Montclair Patch: Holiday Card Reality submitted by Eileen Lundberg Caldwells Patch: "The Magic of Baby's First Christmas" submitted by Peggy G Caldwells Patch: "Under the Mistletoe" submitted by Erika Balestro …
Wednesday, December 19, 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!
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Hi friends! I'm the Patch Elf on the Shelf. Call me Patchy. I've heard about more of my friends hanging around the area lately, and I wondered what they were up to. Could their families post pictures here on Patch to show me? I'd love to catch up with them. We all go back to Santa on Christmas Eve, but in the meantime, we'll be watching you! Cheers, Patchy the Elf Add your photo by clicking on the green "Upload Photos and Videos" icon.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Submissions are still being accepted. Upload your best holiday photo in Montclair.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
‘Tis the season to spread the holiday cheer in Montclair. In partnership with Unique Photo, Patch is launching a photo contest for the picture that best captures all the things we love about the holiday season. Enter our contest to give your photo the chance to compete and then browse the contest to see other entries from your Patch. The submission deadline has been extended until Dec. 16 at 11:59 p.m. The winners from 10 participating area Patches will then go on to the final round, where the winner will be awarded a $500 gift card to Unique Photo. Here’s how it works: Beginning Nov. 26, upload your favorite photo to this article (it’s super easy—just make sure you are a registered user first. In the caption, tell us who or what is in …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
2012 is venue's busiest year.
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Sunday, December 9, 2012
The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo set a new annual attendance record for the eighth consecutive year, according to the office of Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. On Saturday, Dec. 1, DiVincenzo welcomed Pompton Plains residents Shannon and Alex Patti and their 2½-year-old son Roman as the 525,508th visitors to the zoo in 2012. In recognition of the milestone, DiVincenzo, Essex County Parks Director Dan Salvante and Turtle Back Zoo Director Dr. Jeremy Goodman presented the family with a gift basket filled with toys, stuffed animals and merchandise from the zoo, along with a one-year membership to the Essex County Zoological Society. This is the third consecutive year more than half a million visitors have come to zoo. “…
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Turtle Back Zoo
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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 ›