Holidays.MyNC.com

With so many holiday decorations in their front yard, Trudy and Jerry Jones didn’t notice when the small, smiling plastic snowman disappeared.

So imagine their surprise when it showed up on their doorstep during Christmas 2002, along with a note and photographs of a year of travels up and down the Atlantic coast.

Since then the cheerful little snowman has become a cherished part of the large display of outdoor Christmas decorations, which they put on with their son, Chad, and his wife Tammy. They live next door to each other on Phillips Bridge Road in western Winston-Salem.

“We still don’t know who took the little booger for a trip,” said Trudy Jones. “But it looked like he had a good time.” (more…)

The holiday season is here and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to keep safety in mind as they decorate for the holidays. Flickering candles, blinking holiday lights and fragrant evergreens are beautiful staples of the holiday season, but when used improperly, these holiday decorating “must haves” can pose deadly dangers.

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Gov. Mike Easley and first lady Mary Easley are lighting the state’s Christmas tree.

The annual Christmas tree lighting is scheduled for Wednesday night on the Capitol grounds. The event includes music, food and children’s activities.

The Raleigh Garden Club has a 30-year tradition of decorating the Capitol. This year’s theme is “North Carolina Home for the Holidays.”

Festivities begin at 5 p.m.

Want to decorate you house for less this holiday season?  Check out what some experts are saying about how you can save money and still have the festive home you want.

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Susie Brady of Lumberton presented her uniquely designed Christmas ornament to the White House for display on the official White House Christmas tree.

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Mayor Charles Meeker will throw the switch on 40,000 lights at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, officially bringing the holiday season to Downtown Raleigh. 

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The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources encourages North Carolinians to practice environmentally-friendly holiday habits this year.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — During the winter and at the holidays, poinsettias are often a central part of the decorations, and for good reason. With various shades of red, pink, white, or a marbled combination of colors, poinsettias add a vibrant dash of color that complements the greenery of the season.

Poinsettias also provide a boost to North Carolina’s economy because the state is the third-largest producer of the plants in the country, according to the state agricultural department.

“North Carolina produced nearly 4.8 million poinsettias in 2007 and generated cash receipts of $15.2 million,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.  “Overall floriculture production contributes more than $194 million to North Carolina’s economy, and poinsettias are a very important part of that.” (more…)

Each year when the holidays roll around you probably take dozens of photos and shoot tons of video. Then what? They get tucked away, only to be pulled out for the occasional recminiscing.

Well, here’s your chance to change that. Your family’s holiday photos and video clips could appear on NBC17.

Here’s the deal. NBC17 is putting together a 23-minute holiday television show that will feature photos and videos from Triangle residents. But in order for her to create the show, she needs stuff to fill it with – that’s where you come in.

Do you have any photos or video clips from your family’s holiday celebrations that you’d love to appear on air? NBC17’s Page Crawford is piecing together all sorts of content. So if you’ve got an old video clip of your child doing a funny dance because she got a Tickle Me Elmo doll, send it Page’s way. She’ll even take photos of your kids crying when they met Santa for the first time or videos of your over-the-top yard decorations.

If you’d like to have some of your memories possibly appear on TV, you can submit them to http://www.holidays.mync.com. Please only submit stuff if you live in the Triangle though. Page is trying to fill the show with lots of local stuff.

BY MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
SEBRING — The holiday season is a time when fire departments often experience an increase in accidental fires due to candles, electrical problems, drying live Christmas trees and misuse of space heaters as temperatures begin to plummet.

Mike McCann is the fire inspector with the city of Sebring Fire Rescue.

“Never leave a home with candles burning,” McCann began. “And, never leave a room with a candle burning.”Candles can be especially dangerous around open windows with drapes, or when they are not in a proper container, or in homes with small children or pets that can knock them over, he said.

A lot can happen with a fire in just a few minutes.

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