Gwinnett Daily Post Special Section - Gift Guide2 2010

Page 2 • HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE • Sunday, December 5, 2010 • Gwinnett Daily Post • gwinnet tdai lypost .com

Direct From TriumphantEngagements in London, SanFrancisco and Orange CountyCA threesixty° entertainmentannounces J M Barrie's PETERPAN A Theatrical Adventureperformed in The threesixty°Theatre in Pemberton Place®,adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola®, Downtown Atlanta.

Atlanta – threesixty° enter-tainment presents the spectac-ular new threesixty° stage pro-duction of PETER PAN, J MBarrie’s classic story performedin a state-of-the-art theatertent for a limited engagementin Pemberton Place®, adjacentto the World of Cola-Cola®, inthe heart of Downtown Atlanta.Performances start Friday, Jan-uary 21. Conceived by anaward-winning creative teamand featuring 23 actors, stun-ning puppets, epic music, daz-zling flying sequences, and theworld’s first 360-degree CGItheater set, PETER PAN is anextraordinary experience.

This engagement will bethe United States East Coastpremiere of the threesixty°PETER PAN. Atlanta will beonly the fourth location in theworld to host this production.

One of the most strikingelements of this new produc-tion is the setting in which it ispresented. The threesixty°Theatre, allows for perfor-

mance “in the round” in a1,300 seat theater-tent, whichwill stand between the World ofCoca- Cola and the GeorgiaAquarium in Pemberton Place.

The entire interior of thetent is lit with more than15,000 square feet of Hi-Reso-lution video -- three times thesize of Imax screens -- so thatboth cast and audience areimmersed in a CGI Neverland.When Peter and Wendy fly toNeverland, the audience flieswith them over 400 squaremiles of virtual London andbeyond.

Tickets, priced from $35to $75 (previews all seats$50), are on sale now atpeterpantheshow.com, andby phone at 1-888-ppantix(1-888-772-6849). For inquiriesabout group ticket discountsfor 12 or more, call 404-881-2000. Premium ticket packagesare also available, and includeadmission to the performance,drink voucher, souvenirbrochure, and PETER PANaudio book. Special behind-the-scenes “Into Neverland”tours will be available weeklythroughout the run.

threesixty° entertainment,a theatrical production compa-ny based in London with Char-lie Burnell, Matthew Churchill,and Robert Butters as princi-pals, commissioned a first class

c r e a t i v eteam to develop this

production of PETER PAN.The cast of PETER PAN fea-tures members of the originalLondon production joined byAmerican actors, making it atruly international company.

Following the success inLondon, PETER PAN came tothe United States, premieringin San Francisco on April 27.Robert Hurwitt in the SanFrancisco Chronicle wrote, “Aspromised, the high- andlowtech special effects in thethreesixty° Theatre are spec-tacular and highly entertaining.I found much of the showbeguiling. My grandchildrenwere delighted.”

David Littlejohn in the WallSt. Journal said that PETERPAN is “unforgettable. Visuallydazzling. Peter Pan, TinkerBell, Wendy and her two broth-ers fly against an unbelievablycomplex computer-generatedcyclorama of a zooming,whirling, looming and recedingLondon circa 1904. Once inNeverland, the surroundingcomputer-generated scenerycontinues to enrapture, sur-rounding both the audienceand the 23 living actors.” For more information about

PETER PAN, please visitpeterpantheshow.com or

facebook.com/peterpantheshow

Get ready for an immensely thrilling ride

PETER PAN

gwinnet tdai lypost .com • Gwinnett Daily Post • Sunday, December 5, 2010 • HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE • Page 3



Broadway Across

America - Atlanta Holiday

Package Announced

Help spread someBroadway magic with thegift that keeps giving allseason long! The recentlyannounced BroadwayAcross America – AtlantaMini Season Packageincludes classics such asWest Side Story and Hair,as well as a Tony Awardnominated newcomer,Shrek the Musical, and thehigh-energy ballroomdancing spectacular, Burnthe Floor.

“Our new holiday pack-age enables theatre fans togift an experience that willresonate throughout theyear,” said StephanieParker, vice president ofBroadway Across America– Atlanta. “This mini sea-son line up features someof this season’s most antic-ipated shows at prices thatcan accommodate anybudget.”

With packages start-ing as low as $52,reserving seats andspreading the joy toloved ones will be easier

than ever for Atlantans. Tickets can be purchased

through December 31

online anytime at

www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.comor by phone at 800-278-

4447 (Monday-Friday

from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Show dates include:West Side Story

January 25 – 30, 2011Burn the Floor

March 22 – 27, 2011Shrek the Musical

April 26 – May 1, 2011Hair

May 17 – 22, 2011

Give the gift of entertainmentthis holiday season

A: Burn The Floor: Mirko Scolian and Nuria Santalucia. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.B: Hair National Tour. Pictured: The Company. © Joan Marcus 2010.C: West Side Story Broadway company. Photo by Joan Marcus.D: SHREK: DreamWorks Theatricals & Neal Street Productions present SHREK THE MUSICAL. PHOTO CREDIT: ©2010 Dream-Works Theatricals (Joan Marcus) Pictured: Eric Petersen (Shrek), Alan Mingo, Jr. (Donkey), Haven Burton (Princess Fiona).

AB

C D


By Brendan LemonDisney’s Beauty and the Beast,

now embarked on a lavish and visuallyre-imagined new tour presented byNETworks, is one of best-loved of allmusicals. It’s easy to understand why.Its classic story -- of a beautiful villagegirl, Belle, who is first repelled by, thenattracted to a gruff yet big-heartedBeast --is indeed, as one of the show’snumbers has it, “a tale as old as time.”The songs (music by Alan Menken;lyrics by Howard Ashman and TimRice) are almost criminally tuneful.And the musical’s appeal crosses agebarriers: truly, “Beauty” is an experi-ence that can be enjoyed by child andadult alike.

Many of the songs – the charming“Belle,” the infectious “SomethingThere,” and the spectacular hospitalityanthem “Be Our Guest” – were writtenfor the 1991 animated movie, whichwas the first – and until 2010, the only– animated film ever to be nominatedfor the Best Picture Oscar. The movie’sstatus not just in cinematic history butin critical lore was cemented when theNew York Times’ then-theater criticFrank Rich, called Beauty and theBeast the best musical of the year – inany format.

Disney took the cue, and soonstarted things rolling for the live adap-tation. Several new songs, as well asthe book by Linda Woolverton, werewritten for the stage version, whichopened on Broadway at the PalaceTheater on April 18, 1994, and went onto become the seventh-longest runningproduction in Broadway history.

Rob Roth, who directed theBroadway premiere and is back at thehelm for the new tour, says that the

“story of the show is about seeing pastthe exterior of a person and into his orher heart.” He says that conveying thatfeeling is key to any production of“Beauty.” What’s fresh about the tour,he adds, is not just the timeless moralbut a new approach to the visuals.

Stan Meyer, the scenic designerboth for the 1994 Broadway versionand for the new production, says thatthe former staging was, essentially, the1991 movie made live. The latter is “adeparture from that.” He explains: “Wedid a lot of research that involved east-ern-European wood carving and gildedmanuscripts. The new version is anilluminated manuscript come to life.”

Audiences will delight in the eye-popping storybook shapes and colorsthat Meyer and the other original-ver-sion designers (Ann Hould-Ward: cos-tumes; Natasha Katz: lighting) have re-imagined. The production’s look, addsMeyer, “is more evocative of whimsyand very, very romantic.”

The new production of “Beauty”is a treat not only for the creative teambut also for the cast. For Liz Shivener,who plays Belle, the job is the realiza-tion of a dream. Shivener says she got“really obsessed with [‘Beauty’]” at theage of around 8. “Like a lot of littlegirls,” she says, “that’s the age when Iwanted to be a princess.”

Shivener says that, as a child inOhio, she used to dance around thehouse and sing all the songs from theshow. She continues: “As great as it isfor kids to see the DVD version athome, it’s an even bigger treat for themto experience it in a theater. The wholeworld of this story takes on a much big-ger scale. Kids don’t forget that.”

In addition to Shivener, there are

Nathaniel Hackmann as Gaston andJustin Glaser as the Beast – all part ofa large, multi-gifted cast.

Hackmann, who grew up in amusical family, in Arizona, has sungwith top classical companies like theVirginia Opera. He has done Gaston,the conceited village bully in “Beau-ty,” twice before, and understandswhy audiences are drawn to him. “It’sa classic case of the character whoyou love to hate. There’s so muchcomedy to him, and he’s been drawnso cleverly by the people who wrotethe show.”

Glaser, who is from Kentucky,says he not only enjoys performing thesongs every night but also is continual-ly inspired by its message. “We live in aworld of beautiful celebrities and itseems as if you don’t look exactly likethem that you don’t have a chance inlove. But that’s just not true. There aremany qualities that make peopleattractive – having brains like Belle, ortenderness like the Beast displayseventually. I’m excited to take thisshow around the country and remindaudiences of these things.”

Disney’s Beauty and the BeastLooking into the heart of an all-new ‘Beauty’

JAN 12-16THE FOX THEATRE

NETworks presents

Photos by Joan Marcus


Since 1983 PeterbrookeChocolatier has combinedfine European traditions ofchocolate making with Amer-ican tastes to produce someof the most unique and delec-table chocolate treats avail-able today.

Chocolate covered pop-corn, the signature item in thePeterbrooke product assort-ment, is available in 6, 12, 24,and 54 ounce sizes. Beautifullypackaged, for giving to that spe-cial someone, or enjoying foryourself!! The freshly poppedpopcorn, drizzled with a uniquecombination of custom choco-lates will surely please the mostdiscerning of pallets A tastytreat not to be missed !

Other popular items in thestore are handmade dark

chocolate truffles, hand dippedpretzels, Oreos, Peanut butterRitz crackers, and Grahamcracker smores. Some newfavorites to the assortment ofchocolate delicacies are choco-late covered potato chips,chocolate covered fries and cat-tails; a decedent combination ofcaramel chocolate, pecans, andeven more chocolate!

Guests of PeterbrookeChocolatier find a variety of milk,white and dark chocolates skill-fully molded, and hand dipped tocreate creamy fondant centers,cordial cherries, and trufflesamong many other varieties ofcreation. Seasonally, fresh straw-berries and other fruits arealways available in hand dippeddelectable Peterbrooke Choco-late. Beautifully arranged gift

baskets filled with chocolatytreats in many sizes and priceranges are available for Corpo-rate and holiday gift giving.

Custom chocolate moldsof most any size or shape canbe ordered for special occa-sions or events. Chocolatebusiness cards, thank youcards, announcements, cor-

porate logos, or custommolded pieces, can be filledin dark, milk or white choco-late, limited only by yourimagination.

Italian handmade ice creamcalled “Gelato” is also availablein the store. Six custom Peter-brooke blended flavors areavailable by cup, or chocolatedipped and decorated wafflecones. Gelato, Italian ice creamis thicker and richer than con-

ventional ice cream and has acreamy, yummy melt in yourmouth flavor.

Our four tiered beautifulchocolate fountain is availablefor party rentals; everythingyou will need to provide yourguests for a memorable occa-sion is included. In store birth-day parities, chocolate makingclasses, and gourmet wine andchocolate parties can also bescheduled for fantastic choco-

late covered memories atPeterbrooke Chocolatier.

Put Peterbrooke Choco-latier at the Forum, 5161Peachtree Parkway, on yourHoliday shopping agenda, andcome sample some of thewonderful chocolate treats instore for your holiday gift giv-ing. We welcome you to ourshop and will make certainyou have a delectable “Choco-late Covered Day”!!

Chocolate traditions of Peterbrooke


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Donating is a popularway to show appreciationduring the holiday season,but not every household hasthe funds to donate thisyear. In lieu of making afinancial donation, a gift oftime and service is just asvaluable.

Research indicates that50 percent of charitabledonations are madebetween Thanksgiving andChristmas. During the sea-son of hospitality andtogetherness, making chari-table donations is ever-pre-sent in many people’sminds. However, financialinsecurity due to the slug-gish job market and econo-my will likely result in more

people hoping to volunteertheir time instead of theirfinances this holiday season.

Volunteering one’s timeis a way to give back withoutexpending funds. Just ascharities and other organi-zations are in need ofmoney to operate theircauses, they also need man-power to put plans in action.

Busy people may thinkthey don’t have the time tovolunteer, but this is not thecase. According to CharityGuide, a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to promotingflexible volunteerism byinspiring and facilitating actsof kindness, volunteer workcan take as little as 15 min-utes per week and be based

on a flexible schedule.When considering vol-

unteerism, individuals canpick a cause that is dear totheir hearts. Organizationsthat raise awareness aboutmedical conditions to ani-mal rights groups are allcharities that can use assis-tance. Here are some waysthe average person can vol-unteer service.

Business owners whoprovide a particular productor service can donate suchitems to the charity. Forexample, a printing compa-ny can offer to print letter-head or envelopes for anorganization. A baker canoffer food for luncheons orfundraisers. Donation of

time doesn’t necessarilyhave to mean manning thephones.

Schools are often under-staffed and can use the helpof parents and other com-munity members. Volun-teering beyond the typicalcall of duty can help schoolprograms flourish. Volun-teering time as a coach or asa librarian can ensure chil-dren have the resources andprograms for a well-round-ed education.

Consider spending timewith the elderly at a nearbyassisted-living facility or aspart of a home-visitor pro-gram. Individuals who don’thave family nearby mayappreciate a visit from

someone, even if it’s just tosit and chat. This is some-thing the entire family cando, even children.

Something as simple ascarpooling or offering toshop for busy people isanother form of volunteerwork that doesn’t requirebeing part of a particular

organization. Why notbabysit for a person who hasto catch up on some holidayshopping?

There are plenty of waysto contribute without writ-ing a check. The holidayseason is the perfect timeof year to join with othersin a giving way.

Give the Gift of Volunteerism for the Holidays


comes to Atlanta

The tour of the currentsmash hit Broadway pro-duction of WEST SIDESTORY is coming toAtlanta. WEST SIDESTORY will play at theFox Theatre from January25-30, 2011 as part of theBroadway Across America- Atlanta 2010-2011 sea-son. Tony Award-winninglibrettist Arthur Laurents’Broadway direction will berecreated for the tour byDavid Saint, the AssociateDirector on Broadway.The original Jerome Rob-bins choreography isreproduced by TonyAward-nominee JoeyMcKneely (The Boy fromOz, The Life).

The new Broadwaycast album of WESTSIDE STORY won the2010 Grammy Award forBest Musical Show Albumon January 31, 2010. TheBernstein and Sondheimscore is considered to beone of Broadway’s finestand features such classicsof the American musicaltheatre as “Something’sComing,” “Tonight,” “Ameri-

ca,” “I Feel Pretty” and“Somewhere.”

The new Broadwayproduction began pre-views at the Palace The-atre on Broadway Monday,February 23, 2009, openedto critical acclaim break-ing box office records atthe Palace Theatre onThursday, March 19, 2009,and recouped its $14 mil-lion investment after run-ning only 30 weeks.WEST SIDE STORY hada long journey to Broad-way. Six years elapsedbetween Jerome Robbins’sfirst idea of a modernmusical adaptation ofRomeo and Juliet and itsactual Broadway debut in1957. Originally, the actionof the musical was to takeplace on New York’s LowerEast Side with tensionsflaring between Jews andCatholics during thePassover and Easter holi-days. The original settingleft the authors unin-spired and the projectwas put on hold. Yearslater, when Arthur Lau-rents proposed changing

the basis of conflict fromreligion to race, the showgained creative momen-tum and WEST SIDESTORY was born.

Originally directed andchoreographed by JeromeRobbins, WEST SIDESTORY opened at theWinter Garden Theatre onSeptember 26, 1957 andgarnered passionate reac-tions from critics and audi-ences alike. The piece hasoften been credited withchanging the entire courseof the American musicaltheatre. Applauding thecreators’ innovation indance and musical style,TIME Magazine exclaimed“Robbins’ energetic chore-ography and Bernstein’sgrand score accentuate thesatiric, hard-edged lyrics ofSondheim and Laurents’capture of the angry voiceof urban youth.” New YorkTimes critic Brooks Atkin-son described the show as“profoundly moving; anincandescent piece of workwhere theatre people,engrossed in an originalproject, are all in top form.”

National Tour of West Side StoryAli Ewoldt and Kyle Harris National Tour of West Side Story

Customers donatingfood items receive OnDemand movie couponsand a chance to win theultimate HD package.

The sight of emptyshelves at local foodpantries is an all-to-oftenoccurrence these days.Food banks find them-selves serving more fami-lies in need than everbefore.

Over the years, Charteremployees and customersacross the country haveparticipated in giving pro-grams that benefit theircommunities, and thisyear is no exception.Movies for Food is anationwide donation pro-gram created by Charterto help re-stock emptyfood pantry shelves in ourcommunity.

Charter employees inGeorgia know that localfood pantries are wrestlingwith the same dilemmafacing other food banksand pantries across thecountry. As the economicdownturn continues, theneed for donations hasbecome critical.

“Holiday time is espe-cially difficult for manyGeorgia families,” saidMatt Favre, Vice Presidentand General Manager forCharter in Georgia. “OurMovies for Food programenables us to help familieswho may experiencetough times this winter.This is the impetus forCharter to work alongsidevarious local food pantriesin offering Charter OnDemand movie couponsfor food donations; andgiving away an HDTV, a

year of the Charter Bundlewith HD and many othergreat prizes.”

Customers donatingfour non-perishable fooditems will receive an OnDemand movie coupon,(cable channel 1 with aCharter digital receiver).Customers donating 8 ormore non-perishable fooditems will receive two OnDemand movie coupons.

Charter’s partner-ship with various localfood pantries guarantees

that food donations aredistributed in the commu-nity where the donationwas received. Residentsand Charter customersmay visit any one of Char-ter’s offices throughoutGeorgia to drop off thenon-perishable food items.

Charter’s Movies forFood program is currentlyunderway and is acceptingdonations through Friday,December 31. More infor-mation is available atcharter.com/moviesforfood.

Charter’s “Movies for Food” SupportsCommunity Food Pantries

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While most people areconsumed with shoppingfor holiday presents, conartists are hard at work com-ing up with new ways topart individuals from abuck. Unsuspecting peoplecould lose their holiday spir-it if victimized by a scam.

Every year people savemoney so that they canpurchase scores of gifts fortheir family members andfriends. While money isbeing charged to creditcards or flying out of wal-lets at check-out counters,con artists are interested ingetting their cut of the pro-ceeds. Many scammersprey on the goodwill ofpeople this time of year,fleecing them of their hard-earned money.

There are a number ofscams that are common-place throughout the year,but seem to escalate comethe holiday season. Many ofthese fake deals are solicit-ed through mail or e-mail.Here are some to avoid.

Spam scams: Check any-one’s e-mail inbox andthere’s bound to be dozensof unsolicited messages intheir offering products andservices. While manyadvertisements are fromlegitimate companies(many from stores andbusinesses a consumermay have used in the past),others are from bogus out-fits looking to prey on theunaware. These scam e-mails may promise unbeat-able deals on all types ofthings. If it seems too goodto be true, it probably is.Shoppers can avoid theheadaches of losingmoney to scammers bydeleting unsolicited e-mails and not falling preyto the deals they offer.

Name a star, planet, etc.:

Individuals looking forclever gifts for that hard-to-buy-for person may havebeen tempted to “name astar” in one’s honor. A num-ber of companies charge afee to register a chosenname for a star at particularcoordinates. The trouble isthat only the InternationalAstronomical Union (IAU)names stars, and the starsare not for sale. Many starsare actually named withnumbers and in abidanceto strict regulations by theIAU. Any organization thatclaims they can name a staris not legitimate.

Phony charities: All typesof charities spring uparound the holidays anddo their best to collectmoney for a particularcause. There are manylegitimate charities aroundthe world, even some theaverage person may not beaware of. It is important forconsumers looking todonate money to a charityto carefully research theorganization before writ-ing any checks. In the U.S.,most charities must file aForm 990, which will indi-cate how much the groupsspent on programs, admin-istration and fundraisingactivities. A person canrequest a copy of the Form990, although some chari-ties charge a fee for this.Houses of worship may notbe required to file a Form990. Beware of charitiesoffering a Tax ID number inplace of a Form 990.This IDnumber can be issued toany business and does notnecessarily indicate a legit-imate charity.

Online auctions: Thou-sands of nameless peoplelist items for sale on popu-lar auction Web sites. Indi-viduals take leaps of faith

when bidding on andeventually purchasingitems at auction. Selectingsellers with high rates ofpositive feedback is a goodidea, as is paying with aform of payment that canbe cancelled should theitem not be shipped out.

Destructive e-mails: ’Tisthe season for merriment,and people are anxious todownload cute and whimsi-cal ring tones or e-greetingsto celebrate the season.What they may not know isthat some of these seem-ingly harmless downloadscontain potentially damag-ing computer viruses.

Bad gift cards: A favoritetrick of con artists is toswipe and steal the infor-mation from gift cards ondisplay in stores and thenperiodically check to see ifthey’ve been activated.Once active, the scammerscan use the cards to shoponline. Another gift cardscam is to sell bogus cardsonline that have no mone-tary value.

Pickpockets: Not all holi-day scams need to be high-tech. Picking a pocket orstealing a purse is still thriv-ing today -- especially incrowded places like a busymall. Shoppers should beaware of their belongingsat all times while shopping.


The concept of millionsof animated twinkling holidaylights may not have originat-ed with Virgil Williams –Chairman and CEO ofIslands Management Compa-ny, LLC – but in the fiveyears since his company’sacquisition of the 1,500-acrelakeside resort destination, hehas sought to make TheMagical Nights of Lights big-ger and better. In fact, “big-ger and better” is a recurringtheme with the ongoingimprovements throughoutthis Southeastern luxuryresort. With Williams’ multi-million dollar renovation ofthe Resort’s accommoda-tions and amenities in addi-tion to a $30-million invest-ment by the Lake LanierIslands Development Author-ity to improve the Resort’sinfrastructure, streetscapes,and walkways – today’s visi-tors to Lake Lanier IslandsResort are being treated to anentirely innovative experi-ence. Just last year, the resortunveiled its new andimproved Magical Nights ofLights animated holiday-themed light displays and fes-tive Holiday Village.

Renowned for its seven-miles of animated, twinklingholiday light displays, LakeLanier Islands Resort is cer-tain that the glow from justoutside your windows willwork its way into the heartsof each inhabitant of yourcar, igniting that age-old hol-iday spirit as it has beendoing for visitors of the Mag-ical Nights of Lights for near-ly two decades. That’s thetrue “magic” behind LakeLanier Islands’ MagicalNights of Lights. Follow the

winding illuminated path allthe way to the Holiday Vil-lage. In Santa’s Workshop atthe heart of the Village, littleones can sit atop Santa’s lapcommemorating themomentous occasion with aphoto, while shoppers bustleabout gathering gifts andornaments. By the light oflarge toasty bonfires just out-side the Workshop’s doors,countless parents will bestowthe art of a perfectly roastedmarshmallow to the delightof their children. Warm your-self from the inside out with acup of hot cocoa as youmake your way through therest of our festive HolidayVillage featuring carnivalrides, pony rides, petting zooand games. A favorite annu-al tradition for many in theSoutheast, Lake LanierIslands Resort invites you tomake Magical Night ofLights part of your family’sspecial holiday memoriesthis year and for many yearsto come.

Magical Nights of Lights

runs nightly from 5 p.m. to10 p.m. November 20through December 30. Dis-count coupons are availableat participating McDonalds,Chick-fil-A, Publix and Quik-Trip locations (while supplieslast). Lake Lanier IslandsResort also offers All-Inclu-sive Packages that includeadmission to the MagicalNights of Lights, unlimitedcarnival rides, and can be tai-lored to incorporate one ofthe Resort’s most excitingnew amenity additions for2010 – an Express Tour zipline through Lake LanierCanopy Tours. This 20-to-30-minute trip through thetreetops includes four thrillingzip lines and one scenic skybridge – providing one of themost unique views of theIslands imaginable. For a ter-rific holiday-themed stayca-tion, Magical Nights of LightsLegacy Lodge Accommoda-tion Packages can be sched-uled around the one-of-a-kindexperience of Breakfast withSanta (on select dates).

Lake Lanier Islands Resort 18thAnnual Magical Nights of Lights

Con Artists Don’t Take a Holiday Vacation



Memberships are thosespecial gifts that give allyear long. This holidayseason, Fernbank Museumis enhancing the joy of ayear-long gift by discount-ing two of its most popularmemberships—the FamilyAdvantage Membershipand the IMAX AdvantageMembership, whichinclude numerous benefitslike free Museum admis-sion, IMAX passes, guestpasses and a science kit.

Even better, Memberscan celebrate the holidayswith Fernbank Museum’snew exhibition and pro-gramming series WinterWonderland: Celebrations& Traditions Around theWorld – for free. Membersalso receive 20% off allMuseum Store purchasesto make giving that perfectgift even easier throughDecember 24.

On view through Janu-ary 5, 2011, Winter Won-derland features treesdecorated by communitypartners and Consulateoffices that twinkle withlights, glimmer with color,

and shine with culturalornaments and emblemsthat recognize the diversi-ty of celebrations, holi-days, traditions and eventsaround the world.

You won’t want to missFernbank’s festive WinterWonderland programmingas cultural groups and spe-cial guests entertain visi-tors with performances,dancing, music, craftdemonstrations, story-telling and more.

Additional Programming:

In addition to dailyopportunities to experiencethe beautiful trees andother displays, Fernbankpresents extended hours tosee Winter Wonderlandafter dark on December 12,17, 19 and 26.

The Museum’s WinterWonderland CelebrationWeekend on December11-12 features specialactivities, performances,crafts and games for thewhole family.

And the Winter Won-derland Cocktail Party onDecember 8 gives visitorsa chance to warm up tothe holiday season withPeppermintini cocktails,free hors d’oeuvres fromSerpas Restaurant, andthe sights of Winter Won-derland after dark withB98.5 FM’s Vicki Lock andthe Morning Show team.

Fernbank Museummembers can see the exhi-bition and attend many ofthe programming opportu-nities for free.

To purchase a mem-bership or give a gift mem-bership, call 404.929.6340.Non-members can visit for$13-$15.Visit fernbankmu-

seum.org for admissionprices, tickets and visitorinformation.

Celebrate the Season at FernbankMuseum’s Winter Wonderland


“If ever a show earned its exclamation point,

it’s this one!”Wall Street Journal

“A masterpiece”New York Post

Gas South BroadwaySeries presents Oklahoma at the

Cobb Energy Centre

Winner of the PulitzerPrize, two AcademyAwards, a Grammy and aspecial Tony Award, Okla-homa! is the classic Amer-ican musical thatlaunched the remarkablesongwriting collaborationof Richard Rodgers andOscar Hammerstein. Setin turn of the centuryOklahoma, against a back-drop of the high-spiritedrivalry between localfarmers and cowboys,Oklahoma! is the cher-ished love story ofCurly, a handsomecowboy, and Laurey, awinsome farm girl.Featuring such favoritenumbers as “PeopleWill Say We’re InLove”, “Oh What ABeautiful Mornin”, and“Surrey With A FringeOn Top”, this land-mark musical is a truetreasure of the musi-cal stage.

Based on the play,Green Grow The Lilacs

by Lynn Riggs, Oklahomapremiered on Broadway atthe St. James Theatre in1943. Running a marathon2212 performances, itbecame the first real phe-nomena in Broadway histo-ry. Subsequently, the firstNational tour criss-crossedthe USA for over 10 years,playing to an audience inexcess of 10 million people.This groundbreaking musi-cal has enjoyed a multitudeof revivals and maintains itsstatus as one of the mostbeloved shows in theatrehistory.

Oklahoma is affordablypriced from $20.00 to$59.00 plus ticketing feesand will perform five showsat the Cobb Energy Per-forming Arts Centre, 2800Cobb Galleria Parkway,Atlanta, GA from Thursday,January 6, 2011 throughSunday, January 9, 2011.

The performance scheduleis Thursday thru Saturdayat 8:00 p.m. and Saturdayand Sunday at 2:00p.m.Tickets are available at theBank of North Georgia BoxOffice at the Cobb EnergyCentre, all Ticketmasteroutlets locations, Ticket-master.com or via phone at800-745-3000. The boxoffice, located at 2800 CobbGalleria Parkway, Atlanta,GA 30339, is open Mondaythru Friday 10:00 a.m. –6:00 p.m. and Saturday 10a.m. - 2:00 p.m., closed onSundays. Group discountsfor 10 or more are availableby calling 770-509-2301.

Mini-season tickets forthe remaining three showsof the Gas South Broad-way Series, Oklahoma,Wizard of Oz and A ChorusLine are still availablebeginning at $76.50, plusticketing fees as well mini-

series Producer’s Clubtickets are still avail-able beginning at$205.00, plus ticketingfees and may be pur-chased by phone at404-916-2852, or inperson at the Bank ofNorth Georgia BoxOffice at the CobbEnergy PerformingArts Centre.

Season ticket information is also

available atwww.cobbenergy

centre.com/broadway

Oklahoma - an American musicalclassic comes to Cobb Energy Centre

Photos: Matt Coddington


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While the most widely known Ameri-can version of Santa Claus is often cred-ited to the 1823 Clement Clarke Moorepoem “The Night Before Christmas,”Santa as we currently know him can betraced back even further, with originsdating as far back as the 4th century. Anearly Dutch depiction is based on legendof Sinter Klaas, which was brought byDutch natives when they settled in NewYork in the 17th century. In “History ofNew York,” famed author Washington Irv-ing, writing under the pseudonymDiedrick Knickerbocker, provideddetailed information about the Dutchversion of Saint Nicholas. This SaintNicholas would arrive on horsebackevery year on the Eve of St. Nicholas.The Christian-era Santa Claus owesmuch of its origins to Bishop Nicholas ofSmyrna (now Turkey). Rich and gener-

ous, Bishop Nicholas was said bring joyto poor children by throwing gifts in theirwindows. The legendary Santa Claus hasevolved over the years, and it shouldcome as no surprise that he continues toenchant children no matter the era.

Did You Know?


Now through Decem-ber 22nd, Historic Nor-cross is celebrating themagic of Christmas. Brickstore fronts that have wit-nessed over 100 years ofholiday celebrations, arehome to trendy shops andeclectic restaurants. Thereis art, and history, placesto relax and fun things todo. Local shops are filledwith “perfect gifts” andsavory restaurants withlive music.

Visit our shops alldecked out in holidaysplendor, most of whichyou can buy! Lots of “per-fect gifts” and treasures.Come have dinner andstroll through our town.

PHOTOS WITH SANTATuesday, Wednesday

and Friday, throughDecember 22nd.

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. 45South Café. Bring yourkids, your family, or sit onSanta’s lap yourself!

CARRIAGE RIDESTuesday, Wednesday,

and Friday, through22nd 6 pm – 9 pm.

White horses and jin-gling bells make this anespecially charming adven-ture through the historicdowntown area. Boardthe carriage in front ofthe Taste of Britainshop...bring the kids, orpair with dinner to makeit a special “date night”!

ANTIQUE TOY &TRAIN EXHIBIT

Norcross Welcome Cen-ter, 189 Lawrenceville St.Special Exhibit Opens Dec.14, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Wonder-ful vintage toys, including areal toy train that winds itsway underneath a liveChristmas tree, just like inthe “olden days”. Also onexhibit is work by localartists from Kudzu Art Zone.Regular Welcome Centerhours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.Monday through Friday.

MOVIE IN THE PARKSaturday, December

11 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m.Cuddle up and watch“How The Grinch StoleChristmas” and “Clayma-

tion Christmas”. Staywarm with hot chocolate,roasting chestnuts andmarshmallow toasting!

CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS

& HISTORY TOURSaturday, December

11, 5:30p.m. Take a fasci-nating tour through one ofthe oldest cemetaries inAtlanta. Hear storiesabout the families whohave lived here throughthe generations, whileenjoying a radiant displayof luminaries that cele-brate their memories

For more informa-tion on the fabulousthings happening inHistoric Norcross all

year long, visitwww.aplacetoimagine.com

and sign up for emails,Facebook and Twitter.

“SPARKLE”: A Celebration of Christmas Magic in Historic Norcross

Many of the gifts boughtthis holiday season will endup becoming returns. Butnot all of those returns orexchanges will be easy.Stores have return policiesto protect themselves fromfraud and financial loss.Thewise consumer knowswhat to expect.

The public is no longerliving in the 30-day-money-back-guaranteeworld. Stores are tighten-ing their belts on returnsand that’s important infor-mation to know when theholiday season has ended.

Shorter DeadlinesMany of the items in

stores have finite “expira-tion” dates. Clothing stylesare always evolving andtechnological advance-ments can make oneproduct the latest andgreatest one day andobsolete the next. Thatmeans stores have to bestringent on their returndeadlines to ensurethey’re not restocking“old” merchandise no oneelse will buy.

Some stores will allow 2to 3 weeks for returns.Retailers may count pur-chases made during theholiday season as ifthey took place

on December 24. Thatmeans the clock startsticking from Christmasonward for returns.

Restocking FeesStores may charge a

restocking fee of anywherefrom 10 to 20 percent totake back items that havebeen opened. This is partic-ularly true with electronicsor appliances.

Whenever possible, ifthe item received will notbe used, do not open thepackaging. Opened itemsthat are truly inoperableshould be returnable with-out a restocking fee.

Exchange or Store Credit

Keep those gift receiptsin a safe place. Gone arethe days when stores willtake back just about any-thing. Today, many retail-ers want to see thereceipt, even if the tagsare in place. If a receipt isnot available, the itemmay be exchanged forstore credit, and thatcredit will usually reflectthe current “sale” price ofthe item. Generally thisprice is lower than the

purchaser paid a fewweeks earlier. Hav-ing the receipt

handy means the greatestdollar value can be givenon the returned item.

Return DatabaseA consumer’s return his-

tory could be tracked atparticular stores. Retailersoften have a computer-ized system that tracksreturns made, frequencyand whether a receipt wasused. Individuals who arefrequent returners mayfind more difficulty return-ing items, especially thosewithout a receipt.

If the cashier asks to seea driver’s license or otheridentification when itemsare taken back to thestore, that’s a likely sign ashopper’s return history isbeing recorded.

Mail-Back OnlySome retailers that oper-

ate both online and withbrick-and-mortar storeswill allow items bought viathe Internet to be returnedat a physical store. Otherswill not. Be sure to knowthe return policy of onlinemerchants to facilitates theprocess. Remember, often-times returning itemsthrough the mail requiresthat postage be paid bythe person doing thereturning.

Keep This in Mind When Making Gift Returns


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Lawrenceville, GA – 94.9The Bull presentsShadrack’s Christmas Won-derland, a must-see Christ-mas light and music spec-tacular, in Gwinnett Countythis holiday season. Startingat dusk on November 12ththrough January 2nd, theGwinnett County Fair-grounds will convert into aone-of-a-kind, drive-throughChristmas music and lightshow experience neverbefore offered in this area.Guests will drive their vehi-cles through a maze filledwith hundreds of thousandsof LED lights performing inperfect synchronization

with the Christmas tunesplaying over their radio.Making its Georgia debut atthe Gwinnett County Fair-grounds, located at 2405Sugarloaf Parkway,Lawrenceville, GA 30045,Christmas Wonderland issure to become a Holidaytradition for years to come.

The cost to experienceShadrack’s Christmas Won-derland presented by 94.9The Bull is $25 per car orfamily van, $40 for a mini-busor activity van, $50 for a lim-ousine, and school/tourbusses are $125. Each rate issubject to tax. A portion ofChristmas Wonderland’s pro-

ceeds benefits Toys for Totsand The American RedCross.

Guests of the light showcan stay afterward and meetSanta Claus in 11 AliveSanta’s Village where theycan roast marshmallowsover an open fire, completewith s’mores, funnel cakes,corn dogs, hot cocoa, ciderand coffee. Plus there willbe a petting zoo with ponyrides and a kid’s carnivalwith a Sleigh Ride Slide,Reindeer Jump, Play HouseBounce and Santa Train.

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Before you fill your housewith holiday cheer or holidayguests this season make surethat everything in your houseis working smoothly. Here aresome holiday at home fix-ityourself tips from Pretty-tools.com that can save youfrom calling the expensivehandy man so that you canuse that holiday cash for bet-ter things! Consider Pretty-tools.com this Decemberwhen purchasing fun holidaygifts. Prettytools.com makesusing tools fun and fashion-able.Fixing Plumbing Problems

You may need to removethe trap to open a cloggeddrain. The trap is the U-shaped pipe under the sink.

Put a bucket under the trapto catch any water or gunkwhen you remove it. You canuse a wrench to loosen themetal slip nuts, or remove theclean-out plug. Clear out anyresidue in the trap beforereattaching it. If you still haveplumbing problems afterremoving the trap you maywant to try using a plunger.Make sure you clear anystanding water out of the sinkbefore plunging to avoidsplashing your eyes.

Oven Won’t Work?If your oven is getting

power but is not heating up,check the oven and broiler ele-ments. Start with the oven ele-ment, which generally getsmore use and will fail first.

With the oven on, check tomake sure the entire elementis glowing uniformly. Repeatthe process looking at thebroiler element. If either glowsunevenly, or has areas of dam-age where the elementappears melted, then it needsto be replaced. After lettingthe oven cool, cut power tothe oven at the breaker board(or by unplugging it for ovenswith range tops). Remove anybrackets holding the damagedelement in place, setting themaside to be used with the newelement. Lastly unscrew thebracket at the rear of the oven,which will expose the wiring.If the wires from the oven tothe element are the samecolor, or if you have any

doubts about your ability toremember which wire goeswhere when you install thenew element, use maskingtape and a pen to label theoven’s wires. Disconnect thewiring, remove the damagedelement, and take it to anappliance store to get areplacement.Install the newelement exactly as the old onehad been, replacing any brack-ets you had removed. Once it’sin, restore power to the ovenand test the new element.

Measuring Tip“Measure twice, cut once”

should be every homeimprover’s mantra.

DecoratingAlways use the correct

length of screw, moly bolt, or

other fittings when putting upshelves or other wall-mounteditems such as mirrors or cabi-nets. Otherwise they could falldown and injure someone;break other items such asornaments, sinks, and win-dows; and damage the wall.Damage to water pipes

Before you start knockingnails or fixing screws intowalls or floors, make sure youknow where your water pipesare. If you don’t, a job as sim-ple as hanging a new bath-room mirror could see youcalling an emergencyplumber, removing the walltiles to repair the pipe, andredecorating the bathroomand adjoining rooms to coverthe water marks. A wire and

pipe detector is a relativelycheap piece of equipmentthat could save you a lot oftrouble. Don’t depend entire-ly on the detector, however--they are not 100 percent reli-able. Use your common senseto work out where the waterpipes are likely to be and pro-ceed carefully.

Holiday Helper: At Home Fix-It Yourself Tips to Save You Holiday Cash!


December promises tobe festive at the GwinnettHistoric Courthouse dur-ing Holiday on the Squarein historic downtownLawrenceville. Get into theholiday spirit and see whyso many families make it aholiday tradition! Begin-ning December 3 and run-ning weekends throughDecember 21, kids of allages will enjoy the sightsand sounds of the charm-ing Lawrenceville square.

Enjoy Trolley Rides withSanta, self guided toursthrough the lavishly deco-rated courthouse, crafts inSanta's Elf Workshop, car-riage rides, a snow villageand train set, and of coursea visit with Santa Claus. TheNorth Pole mailbox will beavailable for letters to Santathroughout the holiday sea-son. New this year will bea walk through Santa'sMagical Forest featur-ing trees on displayfrom local busi-nesses on theb e a u t i f u l

courthouse grounds. Plusthere will be live entertain-ment outdoors in the gaze-bo on Saturday nights !

Families will enjoy hav-ing breakfast with the jollyold St. Nick himself atBreakfast with Santa onDecember 11 from 9 a.m. -11 a.m. Don't forget to bringyour wish list to share withSanta. Have fun with specialholiday activities and a sou-venir photo. Call 770-822-5450 to make your break-fast reservations.

Back by popular demandwill be a special kid orientedmystery dinner theater."Who Broke Christmas?" willhave you guessing who

broke all the Christmas toyson the eve of the big deliv-ery. When toys begin fallingapart, the elves will needyour help to solve the mys-tery and save Christmas.The event includes a kidfriendly buffet dinner, fun-filled goody bags and aninteractive holiday mystery.Great for ages 3 and up, par-ents will enjoy the show asmuch as the kids and mustaccompany the kids. Checkwww.gwinnettparks.comfor specific dates and times.

For a schedule of eventsfor this holiday season at

the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse and all holi-day activities offered byGwinnett County Parks

and Recreation, visitwww.gwinnettparks.com.

The holiday tradition continues atthe Gwinnett Historic Courthouse


Mark your calendarsfor Winter Fest on Satur-day, December 11 from 10to 2. the Team Store willbe running a discount of50% off full priced mer-chandise and the TicketOffice will be open. Enjoyballpark tours, children’sactivities including a scav-enger hunt, an appear-ance by Chopper and hol-iday movies on the videoboard and more! VisitGwinnettBraves.com formore information.

With the holiday seasonin full swing, let the Gwin-nett Braves check a fewitems off of your to-do list.From hosting your holidayparty to finding great gift

ideas, the G-Braves are aone-stop shop when itcomes to helping you makeit through this crazy timeof year.

The Gwinnett Braves,Triple A affiliate of theAtlanta Braves, have rolledout a variety of ticket pack-ages that make the perfectgift for every type of fan.Anytime Tickets make agreat stocking stufferand are an affordableoption for anyone onyour list. These voucherscan be purchased ingroups of four or more andare valid for any game inthe 2011 season. As a holi-day bonus, receive a freeG-Braves Hat with a pur-

chase of ten or more Any-time Ticketsb e f o r eDecember22nd!

A l s oavailablein timefor the

holidays are membershipsto our Kids Club. New for2011- all members of Chop-per’s Clubhouse will receivea free ticket to every Sunday

home game! Membershipin the club also

includes a free kidsclub t-shirt and

membershipcard, an auto-graph session

with the players, monthly e-newsletter, VIP line for Racethe Bases following everySunday game, and invita-tions to Kids Club onlyevents and exclusive offersfrom Gwinnett Braves spon-sors! Memberships are $20,with discounts on multiplechildren per family as well asseason ticket holders.

In addition to 72 homegames throughout the sea-son, Coolray Field alsohosts many outside eventsall year round. If you are

looking for a unique andaffordable location tohost a holiday party,company meeting, orother group outing, con-sider Coolray Field asan option. Suites makea great setting for both

corporate and personal

get-togethers all whileoffering a view of the ball-park. We can accommo-date any size group withindoor space available forupwards of 150 people.

Partial and Full SeasonTicket Plans with theGwinnett Braves are anaffordable way to catch allof the action at CoolrayField. They also makegreat gifts! From ourweekender plan to halfseason plan, you cansecure your same seat forall of your games whilealso saving money on theticket price. Season tick-ets are more affordablethan ever with plans start-ing at $432 and addedvalue benefits that youcan only get as a seasonticket holder.

Don’t miss Winterfest on Dec. 11th


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The holidays and fruit-cake have long been inter-twined. Fruitcakes areoften mocked, detestedand discarded. Few giftedfoods create such strongderision. However, fruit-cake is tradition. And asmost people know, Christ-mas is all about tradition.

Fruitcake is an endur-ing tradition, most simplybecause the food, well,endures. Most fruitcakeswill last 8 to 12 months ifwrapped tightly in plasticwrap and stored in an air-tight container. If frozen,their lifespan could beendless. Jokingly, manyfamilies have said fruit-cake is the only food

durable enough to becomean heirloom.

While mocked, it mayentice a few people to knowjust how fruitcake hasbecome a holiday treat.

The oldest references tofruitcake date back toRoman times. Ancient cru-saders and hunters con-sumed fruitcake made withpreserved fruits, pome-granate seeds, pine nuts,raisins, and honey. Fruit-cake was a durable com-modity that could perse-vere on long trips. Becauseof its combination of ingre-dients, fruitcake was also agood source of energy,much the way a trail mix isgood for today's hikers.

In the 1700s, Europeansbaked a ceremonial fruit-cake at the end of the nutharvest. It was saved andeaten the following year atthe harvest, with the hopesit would spur another suc-cessful harvest. Fruitcakeevolved to more of a delica-cy in the 1800s, even beingserved with tea in high soci-ety. It is rumored thatQueen Victoria waited ayear to eat a gifted fruit-cake as a show of restraintand moderation.

Fruitcake can be anintegral part of a holidaycelebration, and notbecause it's being used toblock drafts from under adoor. Instead of giving

fruitcakes as gifts, theyshould be served as partof the holiday feast. In

addition to the sugarcookies and pies on theChristmas table, cele-

brants can serve slices offruitcake featuring theirfavorite ingredients.

Devouring Fruitcake Facts


The Significance ofChristmas is known tomen, all over the world.Though it is true thatChristmas is celebrated asthe day Christ was borninto this world, it also sym-bolizes a very deep signifi-cant truth of the spirituallife. He was born at atime when ignorance,superstition, greed,hatred and hypocrisyprevailed upon the land.Purity was forgotten andmorality was neglected.He was not born in agrand palace. He was notborn to very wealthy orlearned parents. JesusChrist was born in a sim-ple lowly place, a cornerof a stable. He was bornto humble and poor par-ents, who had nothing to

boast about, except theirown spotless characterand holiness.

In the midst of theseconditions, Christ wasborn and during his life-time, He worked a trans-formation in the lives ofpeople. He gave a new anda spiritual turn to the livesof man. There came achange upon the land.People started upon a newway of life. Thus a new eradawned for the world.

This Christmas seasonas we celebrate with ourfriends, decorate ourhomes, shop for that per-fect gift, and as we openour presents on Christmasmorning, let us rememberthe Christmas prayer writ-ten by Robert LouisStevenson:

Loving Father, Help usremember the birth ofJesus, that we may sharein the song of the angels,the gladness of the shep-herds, and worship of thewise men.

Close the door of hateand open the door of loveall over the world. Letkindness come with everygift and good desires withevery greeting. Deliver usfrom evil by the blessingwhich Christ brings, andteach us to be merry withclear hearts.

May Christmas morn-ing make us happy to bethy children, andChristmas evening bringus to our beds with grate-ful thoughts, forgivingand forgiven, for Jesus'sake. Amen.

Thoughts for the Christmas Season


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The Christmas sea-son is full of traditions,folklore and rich history.However, amid all of thetraditions we’ve come toknow, there are manybits of trivia of whichyou may not be familiar.Here are a few little-known facts aboutChristmas.

1. The first manufac-tured Christmas treeornaments were sold in1880 by the formerWoolworth departmentstore.

2. Christmas treesoriginally featured actu-al lighted candles, which

were naturally a fire haz-ard. So containers filledwith water had to bekept near the tree.

3. Constructionworkers first erected anundecorated tree atRockefeller Center inNew York City in theearly 1930s. They havebeen credited with start-ing the annual tradition.

4. Although some-times construed as sac-riligious, the shortenedform “Xmas” is actuallyderived from Christ’sname and has been pop-ular in Europe since the1500s. It is believed to

be derived from theGreek word “Xristos,”which means Christ.

5. The National Con-fectioners Associationreports that for 200years candy canes weresolid white. In the 1950san automated machinewas invented that couldput on the red stripes.

6. The idea of Christ-mas greeting cards start-ed in Britain in the1830s.

7. Christmas celebra-tions were banned inBoston between 1659 and1681. Those caught cele-brating would be fined.

7 Things You May Not HaveKnown About Christmas


A great way to catch allthe excitement with the

Gladiators is by utilizingthe Hockey Night in

Gwinnett Plan.In what’s become a year-

ly tradition, after the foot-ball season is over we wantto get our local communitiestogether for a good time! Tomake the nights truly greatevents, we decided that wewould create a package thatoffered great seats to all thebest games and we wouldtop it all off with great pro-motions and giveaways.

Hockey night in Gwinnett

PACKAGE BENEFITS • Great seats, best games, promotions and giveaways of the season• 6 games during the 2010-2011 season• Comes with valuable coupons including one for a one time 10%

Discount coupon for purchase of Gladiators Merchandise• Free parking• Invitation to special team events throughout the year• Opportunity to renew your package next season before tickets go

on sale to the public• First option to purchase Kelly Cup playoff tickets

Gladiators Hockey Night in Gwinnett Schedule (6 Games Total)

• Saturday, January 15th - Teddy Bear Toss• Saturday, February 5th - Fleece Blanket Night• Saturday, February 12th - Kids Replica Jersey Night• Saturday, March 5th - Adult Replica Jersey Night• Saturday, March 19th - Pink in the Rink• Saturday, March 20th - Cap Night

All giveaways and promotions subject to change.

From $60 to $114 depending on seat location.

Phone: 770-497-5100 Fax: 770-497-5101 E-mail: [email protected]

Gladiators Hockey Night in Gwinnett Plan PricingPackage Includes 6 Games During the 2010-2011 Season.

Atlanta-area Simonmalls will deck the hallsthis season with plentyof holiday cheer andentertainment. GwinnettPlace Mall, LenoxSquare, Mall of Georgia,Northlake Mall, PhippsPlaza and Town Centerat Cobb are offering avariety of special holidaytreats for the whole fam-ily. Here are just a few atMall of Georgia:

Mall of Georgia 3333 Buford Dr.

678.482.8788• Photos with Santa:

Now through December24. Visit Santa at hisholiday home in thelower level NordstromWing. Santa will beavailable daily, with theexception of Thanksgiv-ing Day; hours andphoto package pricingavailable at www.mallof-

georgia.com. • Pet Photos with

Santa: December 5, from7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.Bring out your furryfriends to have their hol-iday photo taken withSanta! Please enterthrough the mallentrance between Nord-strom and Belk adjacentto Woodward CrossingBoulevard. *No exoticanimals permitted.

• The Salvation ArmyAngel Tree Program:November 26 – Decem-ber 11 (Monday-Satur-day), from 11 a.m. – 8p.m. Mall of Georgiapartners with The Salva-tion Army on their annu-al holiday Angel Treeprogram, which providesnew clothing and toysfor children of families inneed. For more informa-tion, visit www.salva-

tionarmytreeusa.org. • Parking on

Demand: Looking totake the hassle out ofparking when doing yourholiday shopping? Visitwww.mallofgeorgia.comto sign up for Parking onDemand, a new programallowing shoppers tocall-ahead or go onlineto make parking reserva-tions for some of thebest spaces at the center– just in time for the hol-iday season! Sign up forthis program now to takeadvantage of the freetrial period runningthrough January 2.

To learn more aboutSimon malls, includinginformation on Simon

Kidgits Club and holiday mall hours,visit www.simon.com.

Catch the Holiday Spirit atAtlanta-Area Simon Malls!


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The trend toward using photo gree-ing cards for the holidays is one thatcontinues to grow in popularity. Manypeople want to share pictures of theirfamily or children with friends and rela-tives and holiday cards make that possi-ble.

Photo greeting cards come in twomain categories: One is a standard stockcard with a window cut out to allow aphoto to show through. The other is adesign and photograph printed as oneon glossy photo paper. The card stockvarieties can often be purchased whereother greeting cards are sold' then slipin your picture. The glossy photo-stylecards are either ordered and printedfrom an online service, or can be createdusing the digital photo kiosks at manypharmacies and retail stores.

Regardless of the type of card you use,you want to ensure your photograph isthe best possible to convey your mes-sage of season's greetings. It pays tobrush up on some photography tech-niques and follow a few tips to worktoward a good image.

Get a new perspective on a shotrather than simply standing and shoot-ing the camera. Try kneeling down orlying on the floor and shooting upward

at your subject. Or stand on a ladder andshoot downward.

Pay attention to the background aswell as the foreground in your pictures.You don't want to mar a picture by hav-ing an unsightly background item stealthe thunder of your main subject.

Don't limit yourself to a Christ-mas or winter theme. As long as it’sa great image, feel free to use avacation shot or another picture.This will allow card recipients tokeep and display the image all yearlong instead of feeling limited to theholiday season.

If you’re posing the entire family fora shot, consider having everyone wearthe same color or type of outfit so itlends a cohesive look to the picture.

While you can visit a photo studioand have a professional photo takenwith their backdrop and props, you cancreate a similar effect at home. ForChristmas, pose subjects on wrappingpaper, tissue paper, or amid a pile of giftsand snap away. Use a solid colored table-cloth to serve as a backdrop for theimage.

If you plan on having multiple fami-ly members in the photo but throughscheduling or geography makes it

hard for all to be together, considerusing photo editing software. Take apicture of everyone individually andput them together in the single imagewith the software.

Remember, photo greeting cards

should not be limited to Christmas.Theycan also be used year-round for specialevents, such as birthdays, invitationsand thank-you notes.

Photo Card Tips for Seasonal Greetings

While it’s easy to asso-ciate winter holidays withChristmas, Chanukah andNew Year’s, winter is actu-ally host to numerous holi-days across the globe. Theaforementioned holidaysmight get the bulk of thepublicity, but these holi-days are wintertime tradi-tions far and wide.

Chinese New Year: Themost important of the tra-ditional Chinese holidays,Chinese New Year is deter-mined by the lunisolarChinese calendar. In theGregorian calendar, Chi-nese New Year falls on dif-ferent dates each year, butalways between January21 and February 20. In

2011, the Chinese NewYear will be celebrated onFebruary 3.

Pancha Ganapati: Thisfive-day Hindu festival cel-ebrates the Lord Ganesha,Patron of Arts andGuardian of Culture. Dur-ing each of the five days ofPancha Ganapati, which iscelebrated from December21 through December 25,a different spiritual disci-pline is focused on by theentire family.

Tu Bishvat: A minorJewish holiday, Tu Bishvatusually occurs in late Jan-uary or early February andcelebrates the “New Yearof the Trees.” Customsduring Tu Bishvat include

planting trees and eatingdried fruits and nuts, inparticular figs, dates,raisins, carob, andalmonds. The flowering ofthe almond tree coincideswith Tu Bishvat through-out Israel, where thealmond tree grows wild.

Kwanzaa: Kwanzaa is aweek-long celebration ofAfrican culture and her-itage that begins the dayafter Christmas and con-tinues to New Year’s Day.Kwanzaa was first cele-brated from December 26,1966 to January 1, 1967and was initially an effortby professor Ron Karengato create a specificallyAfrican-American holiday.

Martin Luther King, Jr.Day: Winter is not only atime to honor past tradi-tions, but also those wholeft a positive mark on theworld. The third Mondayof every January, forexample, is Martin LutherKing, Jr. Day, a day honor-ing the legacy of thefamed civil rights leaderwho was tragically assas-sinated on April 4, 1968.The day is held in Januarybecause King was born onJanuary 15.

Candlemas: Observedby Anglicans, EasternCatholics, Lutherans, andRoman Catholics amongothers, Candlemas cele-brates the presentation ofJesus at the temple. In theEastern OrthodoxChurch, Candlemas is

considered one of thetwelve Great Feasts. Thedate can vary dependingon the celebrants, but isgenerally celebratedbetween the last week ofJanuary and the first fewdays of February.

St. Brigid’s Day:Though it’s meant to cele-brate the first day ofspring, St. Brigid’s Day,formerly known as Imbolc,

actually occurs during thethroes of winter. A Gaelictradition, St. Brigid’s Dayhas different meanings fordifferent people (andsome Christians actuallyrefer to the day as Candle-mas). However, for manyit remains a festival of thehearth and home, and acelebration of the daysgrowing longer, meaningspring is on the horizon.

More Winter Holidays To Celebrate


If the bestgifts come from theheart, certainly the next-best gifts come from thekitchen. Culinary treatscan be perfect presents foryour foodie friends or justabout anyone on your list.Food gifts are especiallyperfect for friends, neigh-bors, teachers, and othersfor whom more elaborategifts are neither expectednor required. What’s more,the possibilities are end-less and can be adjustedfor varying palates, aller-gies and preferences. Hereare several suggestions forserving up delicious holi-day gifts this season.

SugarJust about everyone

looks forward to seasonalsweets, from Christmascookies to jelly doughnutsfor Chanukah to benne cakesor sweet potato pie for thefinal feast of Kwanzaa.

Rethink your cookies.When it comes to culinarydelights, there’s nothingwrong with sticking to thebasics. But if you want toput a twist on tradition,consider some alternativesto the holiday cookie sam-pler, such as decoratinggreeting-card-sized cook-ies with personalized mes-sages, filling decorativejars with all of the dryingredients needed foryour favorite cookie recipeor giving the gift of dough-- three different kinds ofcookie dough rolled intologs, wrapped in waxpaper and tied at the endswith festive ribbons.

Take a dip. Dippingstore-bought confectionssuch as peppermint sticks,candy canes, candiedorange peel, shortbread

cook-ies, or

even freshfigs in good-

quality choco-late (a mix of

dark, milk and whitechocolate is even better!)will transform these every-day items into holiday-worthy gifts.

Think drinks. Nothingtakes the chill out of acold December morninglike hot chocolate -- espe-cially when it’s home-made. Make your ownmix with ground choco-late and sugar or packagea high-quality store brandin a festively decoratedjar, then add some pep-permint sticks, choco-late-coated spoons orhomemade marshmal-lows to the mix.

Have a jam session.Handmade jams, pre-serves and fruit com-potes are alwaysappreciated. Yourcreation can beaccompanied by therecipe, some sconesor great toastingbread, or even a deco-rative serving jam jar.

Bark that’s as goodas its bite. Chocolatebark is a delicious no-bakegift that’s so easy to makeyou’ll wonder why you’vewaited so long to try it.Recipes are everywhere

and you can customize thebark with your recipients’favorite nuts, dried fruitsand other tasty tidbits

And spiceFor people who love to

cook, great ingredientsmake exquisite gifts. Thinkabout giving your favoritefoodie the gift of flavor inthe form of spices, eitherfrom the bulk aisle at yourfavorite upscale grocerychain or a well-loved spe-cialty retailer. Since spicesdon’t stay fresh forever,your culinary connoisseuris sure to appreciate a newassortment. For the moreadventurous cooks on yourlist, consider purchasing afew special spices, such assaffron or vanilla -- eitherthe bean or a high-qualityextract. Spices can be pur-chased in small amountsand then presented in dec-orative airtight jarswith handwrit-ten labels.

Other options include mak-ing and giving your ownspice blends and purchas-ing whole spices, such asnutmeg or allspice, andpresenting them along withthe appropriate tool forgrinding or grating them.

And everything niceThemed baskets of

food will generate bigsmiles from everyone onyour holiday list. Puttingtogether an assortment ofitems for a particular mealor kind of cooking is asmuch fun for the giver as itis for the receiver. Hereare some ideas that areboth simple and special.

Breakfast basket. Fill abasket with homemadepancake and waffle mixand a bottle of real maplesyrup, or go continentalwith a

batch of freshly bakedscones and a jar of lemoncurd. For the caffeinelover, two mugs, one filledwith a favorite gourmetcoffee or tea and theother packed with somehomemade pastries or ajar of jam.

Pizza basket. Startwith a package of home-made pizza dough, add ajar of pizza sauce or pestomade from the basil inyour garden, then deco-rate the basket with amerry mix of cheeses andpopular pizza add-ons,such as pepperoni, olives,olive oil, garlic, mush-rooms, sundried toma-toes, and small packets ofspices, such as oreganoor red pepper flakes.

Inspired Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen


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Though it might seemas though it’s been aroundforever, the beloved holi-day song “Frosty the Snow-man” actually wasn't pro-duced until 1950. Writtenby Jack Rollins and SteveNelson, the song was firstrecorded by legendarycountry singer Jack Autryand the Cass County Boys.Once they finished penningthe now classic Christmastune, Rollins and Nelsonshipped the lyrics to Autry,who just a year earlierachieved great successwith another holidayfavorite, “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer.” WhileAutry’s version remainedthe most successful, and

arguably most recogniz-able, version of “Frosty” formany years, its success interms of charting was actu-ally outdonejust a yearago. The peakposition forAutry’s origi-nal version onthe U.S. PopSingles chartwas #7 back in1950. However,the 2007 rendi-tion by formerAmerican Idolparticipant Kim-berly Lockereached #1 onthe BillboardU.S. Hot Adult

Contemporary chart. Thetelevision adaptation of“Frosty the Snowman”remains astaple of the tele-vision schedule each holi-day season.

Did You Know?


Winter break can be theperfect respite for school-aged children. Althoughnot quite halfway throughthe school year, the timingof winter break does comewhen kids might be preoc-cupied with the holidayseason and all that comeswith it.

Kids may be distractedabout parties and presents,but parents maybe preoc-cupied with finding waystheir kids can spend theirtime during winter break --a typically two-week hiatusfrom school that beginsshortly before Christmasand ends with kids’ returnto school shortly after NewYear’s Day. Parents facing

the dilemma of findingsomething for kids to doshould consider the follow-ing tips.

Take a vacation. Winterbreak might mark the onlytime until summer that par-ents can spend quality timewith their kids completelyaway from the distractions ofeveryday life. Vacation canmean a trip to warmer cli-mates or simply packing upthe car to go spend time withthe grandparents. If there’sany vacation time to spare,consider hitting the road.

Teach kids some practi-cal lessons. Kids likely won’tmiss the classroom duringwinter break, but that does-n’t mean there aren’t enjoy-

able ways for kids to learnwhile they’re away fromschool. Teach kids practicallessons, like how to cook afavorite meal or how to fixthings around the house.This gives parents a chanceto spend some quality timewith their kids whileencouraging kids to learnbeyond the classroom. Andwho knows, such lessons athome may uncover a child’shidden talent.

Encourage kids to readfor pleasure. Readingimproves vocabulary andcan stimulate a child’s imag-ination. During the winterbreak, encourage kids toread a book or the dailynewspaper for pleasure,

assuring them there won’tbe any quizzes or tests aftereach chapter. Get the ballrolling with a few booksgiven as presents duringChristmas or Chanukah. Ortake a trip to the locallibrary and let kids choosetheir own books.

Kids also will enjoy theexcitement of professionalsporting events. Atlanta’sown NHL team, TheThrashers, take the iceOctober through April forsome electrifying hockey.For details about theAtlanta Thrashers FanClub, photo galleries, ticketinformation and gameschedules, visit: Thrashers.NHL.com.

Keep Kids Occupied During Winter Break


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Cirque du Soleil raisesits big top for its touringshow. OVO is a headlongrush into a colourfulecosystem teeming with

life, where insects work,eat, crawl, flutter, play,fight and look for love in anon-stop riot of energy andmovement. The insects’home is a world of biodi-versity and beauty filledwith noisy action andmoments of quiet emotion.

When a mysterious eggappears in their midst, theinsects are awestruck andintensely curious aboutthis iconic object that rep-resents the enigma andcycles of their lives.

It’s love at first sightwhen a gawky, quirky insectarrives in this bustling com-munity and a fabulous lady-bug catches his eye – andthe feeling is mutual.

OVO is overflowingwith contrasts. The hid-den, secret world at ourfeet is revealed as tenderand torrid, noisy andquiet, peaceful and chaot-ic. And as the sun rises ona bright new day thevibrant cycle of insect lifebegins anew.

Cirque du Soleil is back in Atlanta


Ever wonder howmuch time we devote tocelebrating the winterholidays? According tothe latest ConsumerReports Holiday ShoppingPoll, the average Ameri-can expects to spendabout 42 hours buying,wrapping, and returninggifts, as well as partyingand traveling to visit fami-ly and friends. Here’s alook at how Americanswill be spending theirtime this holiday season:

On Gifts...consumerswill spend lots of timegift-shopping, 15 hours onaverage. Women plan to

spend twice as long astheir male counterparts,20 hours versus 10 hoursrespectively.

Shoppers expect towait in store check outlines for about three-and-a-half hours on average;one in four expect tostand in line 4 hours ormore.

Once they get home,Americans plan to spendabout 3 hours on averagewrapping gifts; one in fourexpect to spend 4 or morehours doing so.

Americans anticipatethat they will devoteabout an hour on average

to returning holiday gifts;over half say they won’tspend any time makingreturns.

Entertainment...about15 hours on average willbe spent attending holi-day parties, gatherings orevents with friends orfamily; a quarter (24%) ofAmericans plan to spendtwenty hours or more.

To and From...Ameri-cans estimate that theywill spend 7.4 hours onaverage traveling to orfrom their holiday desti-nations; a quarter (24%)said they will spend 10hours or more.

Americans spend 42 hours each onholiday shopping and partying


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Gwinnett Daily Post Special Section - Gift Guide2 2010

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