Vignettes

The Political Junkie Holiday

I had a dream...that I got to stay home and watch the inauguration. But would I really care about the lip-synching question? And how many times did he say "the," anyway?

There are days, few and far between, when things line up just right. The stars align, the planets take their place and everything is just as it should be. How else can you explain the luck of this political junkie being able to watch this week’s inauguration from the comfort of her own bedroom, wearing the fashionable pajama pants and sweatshirt outfit for the noon ceremony? OK, seriously, I have always enjoyed watching those “history in the making” moments. Blame my parents—one staunchly Republican, one steadfastly Democrat—who brought us up on history books and spoon-fed us current events from the time we were taking our first steps. My father took my siblings and me to the '69 Vietnam war protest march on Washington, one of many events …

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S.A.D.D. Promotes Sober Driving Heading Into Holidays

West Deptford High School's Students Against Drunk Driving sends message to students to "drive safe, sober and buckled up" for the holiday season.

One of West Deptford High School's annual holiday traditions doesn't involve any type of celebration, party or festive event. Instead, it focuses on awareness and bringing students back safely to school in the new year. The school's Students Against Drunk Driving (S.A.D.D.) group was out in the school parking lot on Wednesday tying awareness ribbons around car antennas, placing them on windshield wipers or putting them in any place where people could see. The message is simple: Don't drink and drive during the holidays. “This is something that we do every year,” said Margaret Page, the coordinator for S.A.D.D. at West Deptford High School. “It's just a nice, friendly reminder to students that this is one of the deadliest times on the road…

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3 Tips to Photograph Holiday Lights in West Deptford

Capturing Christmas lights on your camera can be a challenge. Get some tips. Photograph your lights. You could win $100,000.

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 them 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 West Deptford Patch’s Deck the House contest page and you could win $100,000 for the school district. Want to get more technical than that? Here are some other resources for taking holiday photographs. For more information about the Deck the House …

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County's Candlelight Tour Scheduled for Friday and Saturday

The Whitall House will host the Candlelight Tour, complete with holiday activities, music and snacks.

Gloucester County's annual Candlelight Tour will be held on Friday, Dec. 7 starting at 6 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 8 beginning at 3 p.m. It will be held at The James and Ann Whitall House, located at Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park. The tour will continue until 9 p.m. each night. This year's theme for the Candlelight Tour is Winter Wonderland. The event will feature hearth cooking, costumed guides and decorations from Ann Whitall Gardeners. On Saturday night, there will also be live music. The tour will also feature fun holiday activities for the kids, as well as hot cocoa and sweets. All of this weekend's activities are free to the public. For more information on this weekend's Candlelight Tour, you can visit the Gloucester …

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WD Schools Getting Into Holiday Spirit with Upcoming Events

'Tis the season at West Deptford schools, where students, teachers and families are embracing the holiday season. Find out what's on tap.

With the holiday season here, the West Deptford School District has a full schedule of activities, concerts and events for kids, parents and residents alike. Check out these holiday events that will take place in the school district over the next three weeks. West Deptford Middle School Holiday Concert When: Dec. 5 and 12 at 7 p.m. Where: West Deptford Middle School What: Music students from the middle school perform a number of different holiday songs. The concerts are open to the public.   West Deptford Middle School Choir Holiday Performance at Rowan University When: Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Where: Rowan University's Pfleeger Concert Hall What: The middle school choir will perform in Rowan's "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: A Holiday …

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Vignettes

Catching the Spirit Before It's Gone

December is here (already!)—time to stop counting shopping days and start enjoying the holidays.

December is always a month wrapped in memory and beribboned in tradition. We may not say so out loud, but most of us know we deck the halls in more than holly. We deck them in the time-honored ways of our own pasts, hearts full of our family and friends both present and missing. We deck them in celebration not only of the gifts to come, but of the gift of love, of life, of things that can be counted on and considered blessings. The things that last, long after the spirit of Christmas 2012 has become a memory. Of course, every holiday season—every year, it seems—turns to memory much too fast. We get lost in the hustle and bustle, the preparation and planning, and then in an instant it’s over, like a long-awaited toy that falls unwrapped and…

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Mary Lebeau

6:26 am on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

I do this every year with my kids as well. I think I look forward to it more than they do! I must confess, however, that it's just not the same without snow. Holiday lights just aren't the same when it's so balmy! Anyone else have traditions to share? What have you passed on to your kids?   more ›

Enter Patch's 'Deck the House' Contest For a Chance to Win $100,000

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for West Deptford schools and $500 to pay your electric bills!

We’re launching our annual Deck the House Contest to find the most over-the-top holiday decorations in America—the best “decked” house in the country—the one home so spectacularly decorated that everyone in town jokes your holiday decorations could rival Rockefeller Center’s. If this sounds like your house, upload a photo or video of your home to our contest page from Nov. 26 to Dec. 16 by clicking here.  Only residents of Patch towns are eligible to enter. We’ll select 24 regional finalists, and from them, pick one grand prize winner. Patch will pay up to $500 of the utility bill for each finalist, while our national winner will have $100,000 donated to his or her local school district. Our contest is now live, so now’s the time to get …

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Vignettes

Happy Leap Year

Just when you thought it was safe to return to business as usual, February throws another holiday at you.

I know the holiday season officially ended sometime back in January. By now it should be business as usual. So, if that’s the case, why does it seem like this month has brought one offbeat holiday after another? Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever get the confetti out of my hair. We started off this February with Groundhog Day, the only holiday dedicated to a rodent. (You would think lab mice would be protesting, but I guess with all the experimental testing of mascara and such, they have more important things on their mind.) Punxsutawney Phil apparently saw his shadow this year, meaning we'll have six more months of winter. Which, in 2012, looks an awful lot like spring. The following weekend brought Super Bowl Sunday, with the cheering of …

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