Holiday Ornament, Decoration Packing Tips from Pros

The holidays are over and it's time to pack away decorations and ornaments. Here are some tips to ensure items are safe and sound for next year.

The holidays are over and if looking at those holiday decorations and their clutter is starting to make you crazy (it is for me), the time may be right to pack them away for another year. While packing away items can be a tedious task, doing it right will ensure ornaments and other holiday collectibles stay safe for another year. The packing professionals at Two Men and a Truck have tips to ensure holiday items are stored safely. “Carefully packing and organizing items can prevent damage or even worse, breakage,” Paul Brown, franchisee of the location near Glen Ellyn and Wheaton said in a news release. “Take the time to make sure the job is carefully done in order to preserve decorations for next year.” Here are some safe packing tips from…

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If You Do Drink, Open Your Champagne Safely

The American Academy of Ophthalmologists offers some good advice on safely opening a bottle of champagne without poking your eye this New Year's Eve.

If you’re like millions of Americans, you’re probably going to be uncorking a bottle of bubbly this New Year’s Eve. It’s the uncorking, however, that potentially can poke your eye out and possibly cause blindness, the American Academy of Ophthalmology warns. Improper cork removal can cause serious, potentially blinding injuries, including rupture of the eye wall, retinal detachment, bleeding, dislocation of the lens and damage to the eye’s bone structure. Champagne bottles contain pressure as high as 90 pounds per square inch, more than the pressure found inside a typical car tire, the American Academy of Ophthalmology said. This pressure can cause a champagne cork to shoot at 50 mph as it leaves the bottle — fast enough to shatter glass. …

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Make Your Own Marbleized Ornaments

A step-by-step guide on how to make your own elegant additions to the Christmas tree, and avoid expensive manufactured ornaments.

This past holiday season, I set out to look for new decorations for my Christmas tree. My livingroom was newly decorated with items from Thailand, accented with warm blues, greens, and browns. I hoped to find ornaments that would complement the color additions to my home. Unfortunately, most of the holiday decorations were bright green, red, and white, and none of them matched my decor. I eventually discovered a glass ornament stand on the upper-level of the mall filled with a spectrum of swirling tones in warm rich colors. I selected a few that I loved the most and checked the price tags — $35 each! Disappointed but not defeated, I sought out a less expensive way to decorate my tree and still keep a sophisticated look. Using a little bit …

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Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest For a Chance to Win $100,000

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!

Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest For a Chance to Win $100,000

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!

How to Celebrate the Holidays on a Budget

Here are 10 ways to have fun and spread holiday cheer in Glen Ellyn without breaking the bank.

This year’s holiday season can be special for you and your family regardless of your budget. Here are some fun tips for creating new holiday traditions while saving money. 1) Make your cards from recycled materials. Cards can be made from paper grocery bags, cereal boxes, used file folders and even last year’s holiday cards. Feature your family’s artwork and use recycled wrapping paper or paper from catalogs and magazines for backgrounds. A great resource for making cards from recycled materials is "Creative Correspondence" by Michael and Judy Jacobs, available at Amazon.com or check with Town House Books & Cafe, 105 N. 2nd Ave., or Graham Crackers Comics, 610 S. Randall Road, for other options. 2) Have fun together and create a festive …

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Across the Miles: Dying Boy Looks to Fulfill One Last Christmas Wish

Attention emergency services workers: A boy in Virginia wants to hear from you.

Updated 7:05 a.m. Wednesday: Nathan's mom is reporting that the family is becoming overwhelmed with the amount of letters and cards coming to their home and is asking well-wishers to visit Nathan's CaringBridge site or Facebook page to leave greetings.  It seems that every holiday season, a story comes along that can change the way we look at life. This year is no different.  Earlier this month, one of our Patch sites in New Milford, Va., told the story of 6-year-old Nathan Norman — a boy with terminal cancer who is reaching out to policemen, firemen and all emergency service workers everywhere to fulfill his final Christmas wish. READ: A CHRISTMAS WISH FOR A DYING BOY Like many boys his age, Nathan has a deep interest in watching the …

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YouTube Video: Roby Sets Record for World's Longest Candy Kane

The All Chocolate Kitchen's Alain Roby has done it again, setting the Guinness World Record for "World's Longest Sugar Cane."

Chef Alain Roby of Geneva's All Chocolate Kitchen set the Guinness World Record for "World's Longest Sugar Cane" Saturday in downtown Geneva, IL. Roby's sugar cane creation stretched 51 feet when all was said and done, shattering the previous world record of 38 feet, according to an article in the Kane County Chronicle. Roby's 51-foot feat is his third Guinness record, the previous being his 12-foot-10 "World's Tallest Cooked Sugar Building" and 20-foot-8 "World's Tallest Chocolate Sculpture," according to the All Chocolate Kitchen website. The Daily Herald said Roby was shooting for a 45-foot candy cane on Saturday night, but eclipsed that by the height of a good-sized man. News of the achievement has been spread around the world in …

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Have a Holiday Event? Post it on St. Charles Patch!

Is your organization hosting a holiday fundraiser? Coat drive? Christmas party? Share it with St. Charles Patch in just a few easy steps!

With the holiday season upon us, there are plenty of local events happening. From coat drives and food pantry collections, to organizing a group of carolers or throwing a community holiday party, there's tons to do in Oswego. It's just up to you to make sure everyone knows about it. Posting an event on Patch is easy and will let you spread that seasonal joy.  Simply watch the above video and follow the steps. It's that easy.  You can create an event right now by going to our "New Event" page. If you have any questions, let us know. Note: Events must adhere to Patch's Terms of Use. Let Patch save you time. Get more local stories like these delivered right to your inbox or smartphone with our free newsletter. Fast signup here. Like us on …

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Geneva's Spectacular Christmas Walk Weekend Friday Through Sunday!

If you've never attended a Christmas Walk in downtown Geneva, you've got to go. It is the best way to get into the holiday spirit—from chestnuts roasting on an open fire to crazy deals to wonderful friends. Here's the schedule!

It's a cliche, yes, but Christmas Walk in Geneva has never been better, and it tips off a 6 p.m. Friday in downtown Geneva. This truly is the must-see holiday event of the season. Great deals, stores full of clever, unique gifts, there are literally chestnuts roasting on open fires, the lighting of the Christmas tree, crowning of Santa Lucia, an attempt at the world's largest candy cane, carolers galore, actual live mannequins in the store window, carriage rides—wow. It's awesome. Then there's the House Tour and Steeple Walk on top of all that. We live in the town that is right out of a storybook. Historic buildings and architecture, a scenic river, stores you just don't see anywhere else because they're one-of-a-kind, from the All …

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