Month: November 2010

Denver Deal: Parade of Lights, Breckenridge Holiday Events, Free Days and more!

With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all behind us, I am almost ready for the holidays to be over – so I can hit the after-Christmas sales.  OK, I’m joking there a little bit, but it does seem that this special time of year we are supposed to spend time with friends and family – yet, it flies by so quickly – that we don’t really savor the time that we do have.  So this week, if you can squeeze in some family time with some fun events it is a great way to spend some time with loved ones. Breckenridge Breckenridge celebrates Lighting of Breckenridge on Dec. 4. with cocoa, cookies, German -style market, carolers and Santa. The Holiday Market continues Dec. 4-5 and 11-12, with roasted chestnuts, hot spiced cider, mulled wine, visits with San...

Popcorn balls and other ghosts of Christmas Past

They are impossible to eat, but look nice in a big bowl on the kitchen table. Popcorn balls were a part of every Christmas celebration held by my mom’s side of the family. My grandma and my great-grandmother made them using the same ancient techniques the Mayans used to make the bricks to build the pyramids of the Yucatan peninsula. The pyramids still stand. The hard part for that Mesoamerican civilization was lifting them off what must have been massive sheets of wax paper. Somewhere near Montrose, Colorado, there is a landfill with several layers of pink and green popcorn balls defying the forces of erosion and decay. Maybe someday Wheel of Fortune will give away fabulous trips to the Popcorn Balls Fields of Montrose County. Even though I never managed to chew through an entire pop...

Colorado in December: Celebrate the season with our daily guide

From train rides to light shows to tons of tubas, there’s something going on every December day. December 1 Sign-language Santa: Cherry Creek Shopping Center continues its annual tradition of providing hearing-impaired children with a special visit with Santa, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. 3000 E. First Ave., 303-388-3900 2 Christmas Sing-in: The Lutheran Chorale and Lakewood Symphony are joined by guest choirs in a program of holiday music including Handel’s “Messiah,” 7:30 p.m. Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood. $15, $12 students and seniors, $8 children. 303-987-7845 3 Parade of Lights: The 9News annual parade follows a 2-mile route in downtown Denver. 8 p.m. Friday (also on TV) and 6 p.m. Saturday. Free or purchase a grandstand s...

School effort aims to engage parents

Much of the talk around educational reform has focused on the role teachers play in students lives, all but ignoring another big player: parents. One Denver high school is changing that narrative, creating a multi-school system that empowers parents with the goal of getting more students into college. Antonio Esquibel, principal of Abraham Lincoln High School, is using money from a three-year federal school-improvement grant to build a collaboration with its feeder schools — CMS Community School, Godsman Elementary and Kepner Middle School. “The end goal is to really prepare kids for college when they graduate from Lincoln, beginning at preschool and kindergarten,” Esquibel said. Parent participation rises The collaboration is focused on

Colorado Skiing Makes Me Happy to be Home for the Holidays

Confession: I was moderately depressed last year when I was unable to spend Christmas with my family in Canada. But let’s face it: there are worse things than spending Christmas in Colorado. And so my family of four opted to start a new tradition: We went skiing the day before Christmas at Loveland Ski Area. It was fantastic for a few reasons: * Colorado’s resorts are the very epitome of a winter wonderland. * My children exerted all their pent-up “Santa’s coming” energies on the slopes. They were passed out by 8:30 p.m. * Santa visited Loveland’s ski school and skied with the kids. Note: My 5-year-old daughter made sure to give him a thorough interrogation that he, indeed, was just Santa’s helper because surely the true St. Nick would not be slack...

Volunteer Santa Available for Special Needs Kids & Give Back With Operation Santa

John Shager has been a Santa for 32 years and is well acquainted with the long lines and drama associated with the man in red. He is also a four-year cancer survivor. In an effort to give back, he is volunteering his services for FREE and is willing to visit any group of families of children with autism or special needs who need extra time to discover Santa. Photographers are available but John’s intent is to offer an experience where families can take their own pictures and have a non-rushed visit with Santa without the lines. John’s primary goal is to be a volunteer Santa to

Review: Harry Potter film “Deathly Hallows” unleashes the bleakness in a ripping thriller

A pall hangs over the anxious world that pits Harry Potter and his allies against their cold, familiar foes in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” the latest film about author J. K. Rowling’s celebrated boy wizard. The seventh film in the series, based on Rowling’s seventh and final book, is the bleakest and most frightening yet. A warning: Viewers unfamiliar with the story about the young wizard’s battles with the unspeakably evil Lord Voldemort may have trouble following the script (or this review, for that matter). Like the “Star Wars” movies, which chronicle similar battles between dark and light, this series has its own eccentric vocabulary, unique rules and bizarre characters. But of course, there are millions upon millions of Pot...

Lighten up this Thanksgiving

It’s good advice for this time of year, whether we’re talking about getting along with relatives or keeping track of holiday calories. As the season of temptation gets rolling with Thursday’s feast, just lighten up — on consumption, stress, guilt, all of it. This week might not be the best to embark on a new weight-loss plan, so if you do over-indulge, go easy on the guilt. If your college-age kid comes home with a few extra pounds, keep your mouth shut. One easy place to lighten up is on Thanksgiving side dishes. You can still have the traditional elements, but consider swapping citrus for cream in the green beans, honey for sugar in the cranberry sauce, and whole grains for white bread in the stuffing. A typical Thanksgiving dinner can range from 1,500 to 3,000 calories...

Keeping my family warmer and our bills lower

This is going to be THE MOST EXCITING article you’ll read all day. Of course, I’m going to do my best to make this topic RIVETING, but I’m also wishing desperately that everything else you come across today will be on the boring side. What is this intriguing, fascinating topic?

Event Round-up: Grand Illumination Celebration, the Rocky Mountain Toy Train Show & More!

Friday. Downtown Denver lights up for the holidays at the annual Grand Illumination celebration. Starting with the twinkling lights at Skyline Park, the Grand Illumination fires up the hundreds of thousands of white bulbs along the Mall, too. Head to Union Station to see the lights go up on the building and its distinctive Christmas tree out front — carolers, snacks and kids’ crafts add to the festivities. The big finale comes at 6:45 p.m., when the switch gets thrown on the giant display at the City and County Building at Bannock Street and Colfax Avenue. To make an evening of it, take a stroll through Larimer Square to check out the “LoDo Aglow” store-window displays, too. The Grand Illumination begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Skyline Park, Arapahoe and 16th Streets. Admission is free....

On Target: My experience with Pumpkin Puree

I just ran into my friend Kathleen at Target.  I felt bad for acknowledging her, as she was busy in the beauty aisle, where no woman wants to be disturbed when she’s trying to decide between mascaras and eyeliners.  It’s like when I am in the hair color aisle.  I try to keep my eyes down as much as possible, barely being able to read the boxes, afraid someone might yell out, “Hey, there’s Lisa!  She went prematurely gray at 18, and has to dye her hair every other day!”  Seriously, I won’t even take my kids to Target when I need new hair color.   I can’t be distracted, and  I certainly don’t want to talk about it after the deed has been done.   Sure, I’ll talk to myself a bit in the mirror, just enough to berate myself for growing bad hair, and then if the color is really bad, I’ll share my...

Thanksgiving 2010 Events and Volunteer Round-up

THANKSGIVING EVENTS Thanksgiving Day Nov. 25 The Loveland Turkey Trot 2010 starts at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. It starts on Hoffman Drive, just north of the Mckee Medical Center (2000 Boise Driver), then goes through the neighborhood to Boyd Lake Road, and on to the bike path at Boyd Lake. The bike path ends at 18th Street where the route heads back to the hospital. Cost for adults 5K run/walk is $25; 12 and under 5K only is $13; cost for teams of three or more is $20 per person. Fees on race day are $35 adults, $15 kids ages 12 and under 5K only. The Proceeds benefit the Stepping Stones Adult Day Care Program at McKee Medical Center. Info: 970-593-6038. Register at active.com/running/loveland-co/loveland-turkey-trot-2010 or print out a registration form at bannerhealth.com/Giving+Bac...

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