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 …
How to make a meaty meal to satisfy holiday guests.
Prime rib is a very expensive "company's coming" cut of meat, and typically it only goes on sale around the holidays. Prime Rib is on sale at Shop Rite for $4.99, for $5.99 at Pathmark and for $6.99 at Stop & Shop. I like to buy Sheffield & Sons “Angus” standing rib roast which has large, traditional prime rib bones and a good grade of meat (USDA Angus Choice Beef). It is typically three to four pounds. (With tall college guys in my family, we usually think a pound per person, including a bone with each slice.) Select a roast that is "marbled" with bits of fat "speckled" in the center of the roast (ask their meat manager to help you select if you have a question). This "marble" will give the roast the best flavor and ultimately the …
A Montville version of the classic poem.
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town, Most Montville residents awaited Santa and hardly showed a frown. As they celebrated the holiday with family and ate Christmas treats, Montvillians reflected on the past year, both the struggles and and feats. Several police officers planned to finally retire, And to complete the township force, several new ones were hired. Local elections were heated beginning with the primary in June, Don Kostka won re-election and will be sworn in soon. The township acquired some land also known as Marketplace, Local women showed their support for breast cancer research by running in a big race. Talk continued on what should go at the former G.I. Auto yard, A farm stand owner expressed concern …
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 …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Vreeland Farms owners describe the difference between some of the most popular trees this season.
Each of them is green, has needles and reminds people of the upcoming holiday. But not every Christmas tree is the same. Laura Cluff and Mike Casella, both 27-year-old West Milford residents, have co-owned Vreeland Farms, on Route 202 in Montville, since July. The couple is leasing the farm stand, hoping to build a bigger business and eventually get married. "We're trying to start our own business and trying to succeed," Casella said. The stand, which was previously owned by Cluff's aunt, has continued to offer specialty items, like jellies and jams, syrup, spices, and non-traditional items, like the colorful spinners that can be seen from Route 202. The stand does not offer particular produce items all year, rather focuses on seasonal …
Monday, December 3, 2012
Montville kicks off the holiday season as kids sing Christmas carols.
Santa Claus came to town Monday night after dozens of Montville children sang holiday tunes with his name. The kids and their parents gathered at the Montville municipal building for the annual tree-lighting and holiday celebration. Elvis the Elf performed holiday tunes while attendees sang along. Santa and Frosty the Snowman arrived just after 7 p.m. on two Pine Brook Volunteer Fire Department trucks.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Montville volunteers will celebrate the holidays at the municipal building.
Montville Township will be hosting its annual tree-lighting event Monday at the township municipal building. A countdown will lead to the lighting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Santa Claus and a snowman will also make an appearance after riding in on a Montville Township Volunteer Fire Department fire truck. The Montville Women's Club will be providing refreshments and local Girl Scouts troops will be making decoratins for the tree that is displayed inside the lobby throughout the holiday season. The Pine Brook Jewish Center will also be hosting a menorah-lighting ceremony later this month.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
NORAD tries to predict when you might expect St. Nick coming to your home.
For 364 days out of the year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spends its time tracking airplanes, missiles, space ships—anything flying near the United States and Canada. But on Christmas Eve, a team of volunteers spends the night tracking a very special pilot: Santa Claus. "We are the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications and the people to do it," NORAD said on its website. "NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house." Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west, NORAD noticed, meaning he moves from the South Pacific to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe …
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 ›