Shop Thrifty for the Holidays

Keep your gifts budget-friendly by shopping in area thrift and consignment stores.

There are only 42 days until Christmas. Yup, 42. And that is as of Nov. 12. So if you have a big family and you haven't started yet, you need to get going. If your budget is a consideration, we at Patch are ready to help. There are plenty of stores that offer gently-used or even brand-new items that you can get for a bargain. Here is all you need to know about the area stores. Channahon Address: 2108 Plainfield Road Phone number: 815-744-0202 Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. What you should know: The store stocks gently-used kids' clothes, baby supplies and toys. Address: 2372 Plainfield Road Phone number: 815-744-0291 Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday …

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Merry Christmas Shorewood Rewind

It's the most wonderful time of the year, in the most wonderful place in the world.

To all of you from all of us here at the Shorewood Patch, happy holidays in general and merry Christmas in particular. We say merry Christmas in particular because today is Christmas, not because we're trying to exclude anyone. No matter what you believe or celebrate, we hope you are happy. And if you are from Shorewood, odds are you are happy already anyway. Why shouldn't you be? Wait — that's a foolish question. There's no reason to be unhappy when you're in Shorewood. But when it's the holidays, it just ratchets up the happiness to a much greater degree. Shorewood is the best place in the world, and this is the best time of the year. We hold these truths to be self-evident. What? You don't hold these truths to be self-evident? Well, we …

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Erin Goes Blagh

Merry Christmas Vs. Happy Holidays: Mom Talk

Does wishing people a happy holiday really water down the meaning of Christmas?

Happy holidays. Did that offend you? How about if I wished you a merry Christmas instead? There seems to be a growing number of people who get ticked off if they hear the wrong greeting. A friend once told me a story about how he, his wife and two daughters were filling up at a gas station. A woman across the pump wished him a merry Christmas. He smiled and replied the same. Then, she got a little smug and asked, "That's OK for me to say, isn't it, 'merry Christmas?'" My friend laughed as he told me the story. "Probably the only four Jews in the entire town happened to be in my vehicle at that moment," he said. He wasn't offended that a Christian woman wished a Jewish man a merry Christmas. Another example, my girlfriend declined coming to…

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Deck Your House and Win $100,000 for Shorewood Public Schools

Get out the lights and holly. Your decorating could net $100,000 to our schools. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to win a $100,000 gift to the Shorewood Public Schools.

Patch.com is launching a nationwide contest to find the best dressed home in its Patch communities, and the winner’s school district will receive $100,000, no strings attached. Here’s how the contest works. Beginning on Dec. 8 and continuing through Dec. 26, you can nominate your home by uploading a photo to the contest entry form on the site. During that same time period you and your neighbors will also be able to vote for your favorite festive home. The winning entry will be forwarded to a national Patch judge that will select 24 finalists. Each finalist will receive $500 that they can apply to their December electric bill. From Dec. 30 through Jan. 8 you will be able to vote for the Best Decked House in all of Patch. The grand prize …

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Nutritional Counselor Gives Tips on Staying Thin Through Thanksgiving

Follow these tips and maybe you'll get through the holidays without putting on too much weight.

Andy Richardson from The Timbers of Shorewood passed along some tips for making it through the holidays without packing on too many pounds. The advice comes from Cindee Moeller, a certified medical assistant and nutritional counselor at the Medi-Weightloss Clinic in Naperville. Andy says Moeller knows what she's talking about, and we take his word for it. So here's what Moeller has to offer, in her own words: Recent studies have shown that holiday weight gain is not as many pounds as was previously thought, but that doesn’t give license to eat without restraint. Rather, the damage comes from not losing what was gained. This does not mean however that one cannot thoroughly enjoy the season’s delicious offerings. Parties and their buffets …

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