Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Snow and sleet may make Christmas a little more magical Tuesday.
We don't get too many white Christmases in this part of Pennsylvania, but this year might be one of them. Look for snow to fall Christmas morning, the National Weather Service says. And then look for it to be covered in sleet and freezing rain later in the day. The forecast for Palmer/Forks has snow after 1 a.m. Christmas Day. There's a slight chance of more snow on Christmas during the day, followed a possibility of sleet or freezing rain Tuesday night. Whatever happens, stay safe on the roads the next few days.
Monday, December 24, 2012
PennDOT driver license center on Route 248 in Palmer Township will be closed for the holidays.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including its full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 25, for Christmas and Tuesday, Jan. 1, for the New Year’s holiday. Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.state.pa.us. PennDOT operates a center on Route 248 in Palmer Township. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and include driver’s license and photo ID renewals; vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; …
Sunday, December 23, 2012
It's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and Day.
We used to watch for him. As children, we'd look out our windows up into the northern sky on Christmas Eve and seek out Santa Claus and his sleigh. Back in those days, the 1970s, there were no Santa trackers on the Internet. (There was also no Internet and smart phones or much technology.) We did things the old-fashioned way back then, putting out a plate of cookies and milk for Saint Nick, listening to old records as Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis and the Carpenters filled our hearts and minds with holiday cheer. Hopefully, by that point of the season, we may have already sat on Santa's lap and offered our wish list or received a letter from him from the North Pole. Going to parties on Christmas Eve held by family and friends was…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The NORAD Santa Tracker website is counting down the seconds to Santa Claus's impending arrival.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
It's almost Santa time. It's getting colder and that means more time indoors for kids, which means some parents could probably use help keeping the little ones under control--especially when they start to ask, "When's Santa coming?" Well, here's a link to a website that could help keep them occupied in the weeks to come. The NORAD Santa Tracker isn't monitoring Kris Kringle's every move just yet, but it does feature a countdown clock that keeps track of the seconds until his departure. So here's the countdown to Christmas clock to share with everyone in your household who still believes. Happy counting down!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Send a loved one - child or adult - a free personalized video from Santa via www.portablenorthpole.com
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Santa is keeping up with the times and technology - and he's even offering free personalized video messages for kids and adults from a website called www.portablenorthpole.com (PNP). A basic message is free and includes the recipient's name and some of his or her characteristics. There's an option for placing photos of the recipient in Santa's book, which shows events from the past year and determines if someone has been nice or naughty. You can pay a fee for a more elaborate package. The video will be e-mailed to the recipient. Since its launch in 2008, PNP has generated more than 60 million videos viewed worldwide by children and young-at-heart adults. The PNP also features an e-store stocked with unique personalized products from Santa…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
People of many different faiths and even people of no religion celebrate Christmas. Tell us why you do.
In my opinion, the Christmas season is a beautiful time of year. I grew up in a strong Christian home where, when asked, we knew that Christmas was about Jesus’ birth. Whether or not it was exactly on Dec. 25 is debatable, but this is the day on which we celebrate. Yes, Santa made his appearance, and it was always terrific to get those fun toys and candy canes. But ultimately, it’s a religious holiday that holds strong meaning for many who share the Christian faith. It's a time of hope. But as I’ve broadened my relationships with people of different religious upbringings, and some with no belief in a “god,” I’ve become more aware of something. There are many non-Christians who also celebrate Christmas. They look forward to the holiday …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Come to Forks Township farm to meet Gus, Ginger and three other reindeer.
Capturing Christmas lights on your camera can be a challenge. Get some tips. Photograph your lights and enter our holiday lights contest for a chance to win $500
- NEWS
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Saturday, December 15, 2012
We put up holiday lights to see how pretty they look when it gets dark. You want to capture those lights on your camera, but getting those lights to look right in your pictures can be more of a challenge than you bargained for. Professional photographers have lot of experience and cameras with all sorts of settings that most of us wouldn’t know what to do with. Here are three tips for the amateur photographers out there. Use these tips to take a picture of your holiday lights. Post the picture to our Palmer/Forks Holiday Lights Contest and you could win $500 to pay your electric bill Want to get more technical than that? Here are some other resources for taking holiday photographs.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
What's the best place in or near Palmer and Forks Townships to buy a Christmas tree? Whether it's a tree farm or a roadside stand, tell us where you go for 'fir' in the comments section below.
- BUSINESS
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Where do you get your Christmas tree? We'd love to know. I keep thinking about getting a real one. I've had a small plastic Christmas tree for over 20 years. It's starting to look like one that Charlie Brown might put up.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Forks Township farm features five reindeer as a holiday tourist attraction.
You know Donner and Blitzen... Well how about Ginger, Clarise and Gus? They may not be in Santa's sled, but on a farm in Forks Township, five reindeer have become one of the Christmas holiday's hottest attractions. At the Z Arch Barn Farm, an upstart Christmas tree farm, the reindeer are just as popular as the pre-cut Fraiser and Douglas fir Christmas trees that owner Vince Zarate has on display on Klein Road. He built a barn over the past year and turned it into a place to sell Christmas trees in late November, opening for business on Black Friday. But the reindeer are the stars of this show. Zarate said he acquired three of them from a breeder in New York and the other two from another one in Wisconsin. The reindeer are very friendly for…
Veronica Charles
9:17 am on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
This place is beautiful! It will definitely be a new family tradition to visit each year. We went on a weekend when Santa was there, they were selling trees, hot dogs-cocoa-cupcakes. Santa had a looooong conversation with high fives with my kids. I loved every minute. You kids cant be loud or out of control wild near the reindeer, i think its mating season and they are cranky but "nice list" kids… more ›