Share Your Elf on the Shelf Hiding Spots: What Has that Elf Been Up To?

Our Patch Elf on the Shelf has gotten ahold of our computer and now wants to know what his buddy elves are up to. Share your photos here!

Hi friends! I'm the Patch Elf on the Shelf. Call me Patchy. I've heard about more of my friends hanging around the area lately, and I wondered what they were up to. Could their families post pictures here on Patch to show me? I'd love to catch up with them. We all go back to Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, but in the meantime, we'll be watching you! Cheers, Patchy the Elf Add your photo by clicking on the green "Upload Photos and Videos" icon.

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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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Holiday Shopping: Spending Limits For Kids’ Presents?

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

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 to 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. Do you set spending limits on the …

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Montco Mommy

Where Exactly is 'Home' for the Holidays?

For Montco Mommy, five-hour travels and visiting lots of relatives equate to being home.

I do it every year. I say, since we now have a 3- and 6-year-old, we should really stay home. We should not travel over the holidays. We should be snuggled into our own beds, awaiting the arrival of the Big Man himself. But, every year, by the time December rolls around, I am inching up our visit home as much as I possibly can, usually involving us driving on Christmas Day itself, if not sooner. It is a tough call for a mom. When, exactly, are you old enough that you should be home creating your own family traditions and stop going “home” for the holidays? Or is there an age that that should happen at all? For me, it is a several-pronged issue. For one, to this day, no matter my age on paper, I do not feel that it is truly a holiday unless…

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Your Holiday Worship Services Guide

We've compiled a list of area church services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

WHERE: Bux-Mont Baptist Church  309 W. County Line Road, Hatboro WHEN: Dec. 24 at 6 p.m.; Dec. 25 at 11 a.m. NOTES: http://www.buxmontbaptist.org/   WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Church 515 W. County Line Road, Hatboro WHEN: Dec. 25 at 11 a.m. NOTES: www.covenantchurchinhatboro.com/   WHERE: Crossway Community Church 3805 W. Mill Road, Hatboro WHEN: Dec. 24 at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Dec. 25 at 11 a.m. NOTES: On Dec. 24: Enjoy heartwarming worship, a children's skit focused on the real meaning of Christmas and candelight prayer/worship. Infant nursery care for children up to age 2will be provided. On Dec. 25: A family-oriented service with Communion will be held. Nursery care will be provided for children up to 2 years of age.   WHERE: …

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The Brunette Lucy

Crafty Isn't Her Calling Card

After she was unable to find garland adorned with ornaments, the Brunette Lucy set out on a mission to make one ...

I often tease about being crafty; I’m being facetious. Martha Stewart would have a heart attack at my house. The only thing we have in common is cooking. Crafting is for people with patience. I was watching her show the other day, and she was showing off obvious labor- intensive homemade Christmas presents. I’m sure if one of my kids had made one of them for me, I’d be thrilled. However, these were produced to be gifted upon your children. All I could think of, though was what 16-year-old wants a set of coasters made out of gift wrap? As an adult, I’d think they were adorable. My kids, however, would be unwrapping them as they searched for the real present. And if I’m being honest, I don’t own coasters – a magazine or newspaper works just …

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Have You Mailed Your Holiday Cards Yet?

Five things on last-minute items to check off your list.

1. If you haven’t yet done so, today is THE day to mail out your Christmas cards. Why, you ask? Today is Christmas Card Day to commemorate the day in 1843 that was believed to be the origin of Christmas cards as we now know them. 2. With Christmas cards out of the way, you can focus on cleaning, organizing  and thinking about menus for holiday celebrations. 3. Of course, Christmas cookies will likely be on your list. From no bake to filled  to cutouts, here are plenty of recipes to get you cooking. 4. No time to bake? Consider buying some fresh-baked cookies at a cookie walk Saturday in Jamison. 5. Speaking of buying … you officially have 16 more shopping days until Christmas – and that’s if you count being stuck in the mall on Christmas …

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The Brunette Lucy

Too Early for Christmas?

The Brunette Lucy thinks anytime is the right time to get into the holiday spirit.

I’m so thankful that it’s finally after Thanksgiving. I look forward to the Christmas season like no other time in the world. Even my Jewish friends get caught up in it with me around. However, there are two types of people between November and December. There are those who think it’s never too early to play Christmas music. And then there’re those who think that until Thanksgiving is over, no seasonal music even hinting at the jolly elf’s existence should be played. Even seasonal hymns are off limits. I belong to the never too early crowd. I also belong to the “never take the tree and any other outside decorations down until your neighbors hint at petitioning the local zoning board” crowd. My children have all agreed that this is yet …

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Scholasticity

Your Scrooge Moment

The classic lessons of Ebenezer Scrooge hold true today.

December brings a feeling of expectancy and celebration mingled with anxiety and dread if you are on a college campus. The semester is almost over, but the final exam and culminating project are looming large in the minds of most undergrads. My general psychology class has been a particularly exceptional bunch of kids and I wanted to offer a bit of extra credit to them in exchange for their consistent effort during the semester. I offer extra credit when I think that most students are working hard and yet some may have difficulty showing how well they understand the material through static assessments such as chapter tests. One assignment offered to them was to write their obituary, which I assigned close to All Saints Day in hopes of …

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Hatboro Hopeful for Hectic Holiday Shopping

Locals business are relying on their distinctive goods to tide them through Black Friday and beyond.

With crowds expected to swell outside of big-name chain retailers like Target and Wal-Mart starting Thanksgiving night, Hatboro businesses have their fingers crossed that the area’s unique lineup of small businesses can also capture a portion of that Black Friday frenzy. While shoppers will be hunting down the best of the best sales on Friday, some shops, like Allen’s Attic Treasures/HHH Records, aren’t going to be advertising specific Black Friday sales — due to the nature of their business. “We’re antiques and collectibles so essentially everything’s on sale every day,” said co-owner David Allen, who operates the North York Road store with George Haggerty. “That’s just the way this business works.” The store offers everything from vinyl …

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