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Holiday 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Pet Safety Tips for the Holiday Season

Share these tips with your family and friends to keep man’s bestfriend safe.

This holiday season is almost over, and as you toss plants and holiday decorations away make sure to keep the family pet in mind. Five Quick Tips: Read more: 20 Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe this Holiday Season Join Patch’s Local Voices! We want to provide a platform for your message. Email Tamika Smith, the Community Manager for Montgomery County, at Tamika@Patch.com to sign up.

Recycle Your Trees After the Holidays

The trees will be turned into mulch.

When the egg nog is gone and the gifts are unwrapped, make sure to recycle your Christmas tree with the county. The Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources’ (DER) Waste Management Division will provide County residents with Christmas tree collection and drop-off services for recycling of their live Christmas trees, at no charge, beginning Dec. 26 and continuing through Feb. 1, 2013 Residents should put live, undecorated Christmas trees at the curb before 6:30 a.m. on their regularly scheduled collection day. Residents may also bring their undecorated tree, at no charge, to the Prince George’s County Yard Waste Composting Facility located at 6601 Southeast Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, Monday through Friday from 7:30…

Monday, December 24, 2012

Speak Out: What's Your Favorite Christmas Song?

Christmas carols can bring holiday cheer to the season (and evoke other emotions, as well). Here are a few favorites.

  What's your favorite holiday song or carol? Tell us in the comments or upload the YouTube video to this post so others can enjoy!

John Floyd II

10:50 am on Tuesday, December 25, 2012

My very favourite Christmas tune of all time is "Do You Hear What I Hear?" as sung by the incomparable Bing Crosby in 1963. Written during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and being released only a few days before the assassination of President Kennedy, that beautifully-crafted number struck a literal chord with the American people. It became a massive hit for Mr Crosby and is still being played …   more ›

Friday, December 21, 2012

NASA Finds Holiday Ornament Nebula

Planetary nebula called NGC 5189 that looks a lot like a glass-blown holiday ornament.

Do they celebrate the holidays in space? Looks like it. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a nearby planetary nebula called NGC 5189 that looks a lot like a glass-blown holiday ornament with a glowing ribbon entwined.  

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Check Out the Best “Decked” Homes in Maryland

Vote and help a Maryland school district win $100,000.

A Maryland school district has the chance to win $100,000 if a home in its community wins our national Deck the House contest. According to users who voted, three homes—in Columbia, Bel Air and Glen Burnie—made it as finalists for their holiday light decorations.  But now it's up to you to narrow the list down from our 25 finalists to the best decorated home in America. Until Dec. 28, vote for your favorite and that person could win $100,000 for his or her local school district. All you have to do is visit this page to browse a gallery of the finalists and cast your vote. On Dec. 29, we’ll announce the grand prize winner of our Deck the House contest. So, now’s your chance to tell us who has the best “decked” house in the country. Let us …

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Bus, County Services Closed Christmas Day

There will be no trash collection on Christmas Day.

Even the government closes for Christmas. Here are the closings for the the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources on Dec. 25.   Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill             Closed Brown Station Road Public Convenience Center   Closed Electronics Recycling Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill)   Closed Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill)   Closed Missouri Avenue Solid Waste Acceptance & Recycling Center Prince George’s County Yard Waste Composting Facility   Closed     Closed Trash Collection in County-Contracted Areas No Collection (Collection will resume on the next regularly scheduled collection day)   Curbside Recycling…

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Saffron Buns Dominate St. Lucia's Day Food

Lussekatter is St. Lucia's Day's most identifiable food.

Any great holiday comes with great food associated with that holiday. St. Lucia's Day is no different. From meatballs to saffron buns, the holiday takes you deeper into Swedish cuisine than you can find at Ikea. St. Lucia's day is a Swedish feast day dedicated to St. Lucia and observed every year on Dec. 13. The holiday has some dark origins. The tradition traces back to a martyr who died in 304 and the Swedish legend of Lucia as Adam's first wife, who consorted with the devil. "It was a dangerous night when supernatural beings were abroad and all animals could speak. By morning, the livestock needed extra feed. People, too, needed extra nourishment and were urged to eat seven or nine hearty breakfasts. This kind of feasting presaged the …

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Enter Your Greenbelt Home in Our Deck the House Contest

Win $100,000 for Prince George's County Public Schools.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Has Regifting Become Socially Acceptable?

Try one of the thrift or secondhand stores in Prince George's County or other DC neighborhoods for holiday gifts.

Have you ever regifted? You know, taken that unwanted desk adornment you got from your uncle last year and given it to a co-worker. While regifting has traditionally been frowned upon, the economy and environment may be helping shed some of the stigma associated with it. Some see it as a smart way to keep items out of landfills, while others view it as an opportunity to save money. In fact, regifting websites are cropping up all over the place, each with their own spin on the closeted practice. One site has proclaimed Dec. 20 as “National Regifting Day,” another has given prizes for the best regifting story and a third offers a “Gift Giver’s Guide to Gracious Regifting.”   Even if you don’t have some unwanted gifts on the top shelf of your…

Adelphi Sky

10:23 am on Monday, December 10, 2012

What it boils down to is timing and waste. Either the gift is going to sit in some box for years until it is given away or it will be thrown in the trash or given to goodwill. Save yourself some clutter and just regift. My goodness.   more ›

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Happy Hanukkah, Greenbelt!

Hanukkah services in and around Greenbelt.

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