There are many local, public Hanukkah celebrations:
Boulder Community Menorah Lighting
This festive, public Menorah lighting on the Pearl Street Mall features entertainment by Boulder musician Steve Brodsky. The celebration will be completed with fresh doughnuts, hot drinks and Hanukkah games. It all takes place on Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. on the Courthouse lawn on the 1300 block [...]

Christmas is just around the corner!
Do you want to take a holiday lights tour of your area? Zoom this map in on your town or neighborhood and print the page; up to 10 featured addresses will be marked with matching listings so you can plan your trek with your family.
Featured photo: Christmas Candyland 2011 with [...]

Guest blogger from Aurora Laura Neiman, a.k.a. LaLaGirl, was recently featured in a national nonprofit’s year-end fundraising video. This is her heartwarming story about the experience for her family and overcoming her anxiety of the unknown.
Early in October, my friend Dawn Crawford pitched me the idea of heading up to the mountains with my kids [...]

A coalition of 18 community organizations has launched a nearly $1 million Internet-based project that translates state rankings of public schools into simple letter grades.
“Every parent can relate to grades A through F,” said Colorado Succeeds president Tim Taylor, a member of the Colorado School Grades coalition. “We’re not changing inputs, just translating in a [...]

**CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER MICHELLE ANTHONY!**
Like many people, we’re on a tight budget this holiday season. So when American Express contacted me with the opportunity to test out their Membership Rewards program while also offering one lucky reader the chance to win a $250 American Express gift card, I jumped at the chance. [...]

Sharpen those blades of glory: Colorado’s outdoor ice-skating rinks are open and glistening in the wake of a dozen Zambonis. Some rinks are cozy and family-oriented, like Lakewood’s little Rink at Belmar, where a couple of long glides can take a skater halfway around the ice. Go to larger rinks, like Keystone’s frozen lake, to [...]

I will bet all of you would agree that one of the best things about the holidays is the wonderful smell of Christmas cookies. While it may be a tradition for many families, it is also one of the most time-consuming. Have you wanted to discover a new holiday tradition that helps this dilemma, but [...]

In a ruling that could have profound consequences for Colorado’s budget, a Denver judge Friday said the state’s school-funding system is not “thorough and uniform” as mandated by the state constitution.
The state’s school-funding system “is not rationally related to the mandate to establish and maintain a thorough and uniform system of free public schools,” District [...]

Holiday revelers have plenty of options when it comes to finding the perfect Christmas tree. They can buy artificial timber preloaded with lights and ornaments. Or, they can opt for the real deal, selecting a Colorado spruce or Douglas fir from one of the many precut vendors who set up shop this time of year.
But [...]

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” [...]