Recipes: Bake These Holiday Cookies

Need a quick holiday cookie recipe? Maybe one that a gluten-free friend can enjoy? Try these recipes for your next holiday party or cookie swap.

  One of the most important holiday questions to ask yourself is: What kind of cookies will you be baking for your get-togethers this season? From sweet to savory, holiday cookies come in all shapes and sizes. And what’s better than to top off a tray of cookies than a glass of homemade eggnog? You can also check out myrecipes.com to learn how to host a successful cookie swap and view more holiday cookie recipes. Eggnog In a saucepan over low heat combine milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cinnamon stick and clove. Bring to a slow boil (this will take between 5-7 minutes). Once the milk mixture starts to boil remove from heat and leave cinnamon stick in for a couple of minutes, then remove. Put egg yolks and sugar into a bowl. Using a hand …

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Holiday Shopping: Spending Limits For Kids’ Presents?

How much is too much to spend on children and teens? We want to hear your thoughts, Southampton!

As the holiday shopping season goes into full swing, some people are maxing out their credit cards to pay for presents and others are setting budgets and sticking with them. Scour just about any Facebook stream or stop in a local coffee shop and chances are you’ll hear parents debating the merits of setting spending limits. Or, you'll hear them lamenting about just how much they've already spent. The ideas for a perfect limit do seem to vary rather greatly. Some parents say $100 per child is more than enough. Others tend to lean toward much more generous figures. After all, there’s nothing like seeing a child’s eyes light up as they unwrap gift after gift. And that’s what we want to hear from you about, Southampton! Do you set spending …

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The Brunette Lucy

Getting Ready for Christmas

Lucy remembers Christmas traditions with her family as she also says goodbye to Patch.

I hand it to all of you who venture out into the world on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving, I can barely rouse myself out of bed due to the turkey, stuffing and pie-induced coma I’m in. So to anyone who managed to get up early (or who camped out before the stores opened) to battle the throngs of bargain seekers, I salute you. For me, one of the best things about the holiday is that it marks the beginning of the Christmas season. Obviously, Black Friday shoppers feel the same way. The tree goes up that weekend, and I’ll watch every sappy Christmas movie ever made – twice – while I decorate and bake. The kids usually take bets on how long it’ll be before I start to cry, and then spy on me until a winner is proclaimed. But the most …

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How to Track Down the Hottest Toys

Tips for getting the presents they want without having to hoof it from Southampton to the North Pole.

Santa’s awesome, but he doesn’t always deliver the hottest toys of the season on demand to Southampton, no matter how nicely we ask. If the kids – or wannabe kids – in your life happen to have their hearts set on presents that are hard to come by, it can be torturous running from store to store only to find what they really want just isn’t available. Whether your little girl has her sights on the latest Lalaloopsy, your son wants a Hot Wheels R/C Terrain Twister or that “big baby” in your life is yearning for a copy of Halo 4, here are some ideas on how to track down what’s in demand without putting miles and miles on your vehicle in the process: Tips for Shopping in Town If you hate ordering online and love the gratification of being able…

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Shady Brook Farm Light Show is Open for the Season

The annual light extravaganza opens at twilight tonight. It runs until Jan. 6.

It's official. The holidays are here and Shady Brook Farm is ready for the festivities. The area's most extravagant light show opens tonight at twilight. Shady Brook Farm's 18th annual light show features acres of holiday light displays that you can see from your car or on a carriage ride. The holiday light show will be open from dusk until 10 p.m. through Jan. 6. The cost to drive through is $20 per car Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, it's $25. Horse-drawn wagon rides are offered Thursday through Sunday and are $12 per person. Tractor-drawn wagon rides are offered Monday through Wednesday and also cost $12 per person.  Click here to print out a $5 off coupon for your weekday visit to the light show. Shady Brook Farm is …

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POLL: When Do You Start Holiday Shopping?

Patch wants to know when you start to shop for the holidays.

It seems the last trick-or-treater had barely left the driveway when local retailers rolled out all of their Christmas items. Santa has set up shop for photos at several locations around the area, and many local retailers are advertising holiday and Black Friday sales and deals. Even though Thanksgiving isn't until next week, the holiday shopping is well underway.  What do you think about all of this holiday madness? Is now the perfect time to start your holiday shopping? Or do you wait a few weeks?  Are you planning wait in line for stores to open on Black Friday? Or do you wait for the sales on Cyber Monday?   Vote in the below poll and explain your reasoning in the comment section.

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Stackpole Winter Concert

Members of the Stackpole Elementary School Chorus and Band showed off their skills by performing holiday selections on Monday night.

Video of Stackpole Elementary School's Winter Concert which was performed on Monday, December 12.

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