Once, Christmas cards represented a tradition so widespread that extra holiday mail required the U.S. Postal Service to hire seasonal help to sort through the annual paper blizzard.
Lately, that storm is decreasing into flurries.
“We only get about 20, 25 cards by Christmas,” says Elissa Auther of Denver.
“When I was growing up, we got dozens, and [...]

At one recent Denver middle-school open house, the principal greased visiting fifth-graders’ palms with chocolate. Another dangled international travel before visitors. And one captivated recruits with classroom chairs that actually bounce, to accommodate fidgeting pre-teens.
Practically every Denver middle school now invites fifth-graders and their parents to an open house. Many host fifth-graders as they “shadow” [...]

Through Saturday. The holidays are extra sweet at the Candy Cane Festival at Hammond’s Candies. The historic candy factory hosts the party for two days this year, beginning today with a miniature version of the annual festival—think of it as a sneak preview. Visit on Saturday for the full experience: cookie decorating, caroling, storytelling, trolley [...]

Make room in the toy box for the iPad.
Crayola allows tots to doodle on the iPad using its iMarker just as they would a crayon on a coloring book. Tweens are able to belt out their favorite Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez tunes on a Disney microphone that turns the tablet into a karaoke machine. [...]

Guest Post by Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition
As Coloradans, we often boast about residing in America’s leanest state, enjoying 300 days of sunshine and being one of the most educated states in the country. But a new Associated Press report issued last week puts Colorado at the top of another list – No. 2 for vaccine [...]

On first meeting, Sully Coronado exudes a warmth and confidence that suggest she’s comfortably on her way to, well, wherever she wants to go.
The University of Northern Colorado sophomore is majoring in special education with an emphasis in teaching English as a second language, bilingual/bicultural and Spanish. She is the first in her family to [...]

December Daily Calendar of Holiday Fun in Colorado
2 Lights on parade, Denver and Boulder
The 9News annual parade follows a 2-mile route in downtown Denver. 8 p.m. Dec. 2 (also on TV) and 6 p.m. Dec. 3. Free or purchase a grandstand seat. Visit denver paradeoflights.com. Downtown Boulder’s Lights of December Parade begins at 6 p.m. [...]

I find it only slightly ironic that I’m revisiting this chunk of time now…at the beginning of the holiday season…2 years later. If you’d like to catch up on this story, click here.
So, a quick recap. I’m beginning my DREAM job right when we’ve been told that there may be some “red flags” [...]

Through Saturday. The 36th annual 9News Parade of Lights twinkles its way through downtown, starting tonight. This year’s parade brings a couple of new treats to the lineup: A huge, 42-foot-long tiger balloon and an updated float for Santa and his sleigh. Plenty of familiar favorites will be on-hand, too, including the puppy and Major [...]

A new survey puts Colorado second-highest for parents refusing vaccines for their kids, a trend that increasingly troubles state health officials.
Vaccine advocates in Colorado said the Associated Press tally of vaccine refusals reflects an abysmal state rate for preventive shots. They said Colorado’s education system makes it too easy to opt out of shots, and [...]