Moms Talk

Share Your Holiday Rituals

This week the JP Patch Moms Council discusses the holiday rituals in their homes.

Each week the Moms Council discusses a parenting topic. This week Mary Hannon gets us started talking about our families' holiday rituals.   Mary Hannon: I didn't expect to have rituals, but if the kids wanted it to be the same as the previous year, things started becoming rituals. We celebrate Christmas and for our family music and food are a big part of the holiday. We began collecting unusual Christmas albums that we play in the morning as we stumble in the pre-dawn dark. We have album covers staged above the doorway and windows in the living room where the tree is and we keep the music flowing. I always made an effort to add something new to the breakfast table and made sure to decorate the night before so that we woke up to a festive …

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Deb Nam-Krane

8:38 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011

We celebrate Chanukah, not Christmas. We've tried very hard not to make Chanukah a Jewish Christmas and instead to emphasize fun traditions. Of course, the most fun are the latkes- I'd like to thank my Jewish forebears for making deep-frying foods such an important part of the holiday and whomever decided that you couldn't eat potato pancakes without (vegan) sour cream and applesauce. My children…   more ›

JP Holiday Gift Guide, Part One: Kids

Part one of four of our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide to buying presents in Jamaica Plain.

There is no shortage of great shopping in JP, so when looking for gifts for the kids on your list, eschew the big box stores and start right here.  You’ll get personal service—including helpful recommendations—shorter lines and even free gift-wrapping in some of the stores we’ve highlighted here. No need to fight for parking at the mall with all these fantastic gifts right at our doorstep! Organic Animal Dolls (by Hazel Village) You’ll love the hand-sewn animal dolls (and rattles, sold separately) by Hazel Village.  Made from organic cotton, their hand-stitched faces are safe for even the youngest babies.  Each comes with a tag explaining a bit about the character of the animal.  Ella Toad’s tag says, “Ella Toad likes to play kickball, so …

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Viewfinder

JP Decorates for the Holidays

Although the recent rain doesn't bode well for a snow-filled holiday season, decorations around JP help build some seasonal cheer.

JP photographer Andrew McFarland roamed the neighborhood earlier this week looking for holiday decorations. Here's some of what he found. You can add your own photos of JP holiday displays to this gallery. And speaking of decorating, Patch is running a nationwide contest for the best-decorated home. The pubic school district in the winner's community will get a $100,000 donation from Patch. For more Local Connections articles, please visit this topic page.

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Moms Talk

Throwing Santa Under the Bus and Other Ways to Say "No" to Kids' Gift Wishes

When your child asks for something she shouldn't have, how do you handle it? Do you throw Santa under the bus, as one JP mom has been known to do?

Phillipa Tawn: After saying "no" to our 10-year-old getting an iPod, he wrote a beautiful multi-page essay carefully arguing the benefits of owning an iPod touch. Every Christmas so far at least one of my children has asked for a gift that is either inappropriate or way too expensive. Over the years this list has included pets such as horses and ferrets as well as overpriced toys like the Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon ($500) or an American girl doll bed ($178).  I am usually honest with my children and tell them that such gifts are simply too expensive either for Santa or for us. This has never been a problem since there are always many other gift ideas they have on their lists. However this year my husband and I have struggled to make …

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Chris Helms

12:36 pm on Monday, December 12, 2011

Phillipa Tawn reports that her 10-year-old, he of the well-argued essay "Why My Parents Should Get Me an iPod," received his iPod today for his birthday. Courtesy of Phillipa, a photo of the kid and his iPod is attached.   more ›

Mayor Announces Discounted Holiday Tickets, Eats

The "Mayor's Holiday Special" program is in its 8th year of providing discounts in an effort to stimulate the economy.

From Mayor Thomas Menino's Press Office: This week Mayor Thomas Menino kicked off the 8th Annual Mayor’s Holiday Special program. Designed to reinvest every dollar patrons spend on theatre, dance and music tickets back into the Boston arts community, the program helps to sustain and grow local cultural events in the city by providing special deals on tickets at www.MayorsHolidaySpecial.com. The program also helps to attract more people to shop and spend at local small businesses in Boston’s main streets districts. “This program has saved ticket buyers over $2 million and put even more directly into the arts economy. I encourage everyone to see a show, enjoy a festive meal, shop in your local neighborhood, stroll among the holiday lights …

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Growing Greener

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Is trash from the holiday party inevitable?

There's the office party, and the neighborhood holiday get-together. There's the party tablecloth and tableware and plates and hot and cold drink cups. And the inevitable trash. Or is there a way to avoid the party trash? Recently Clare and Jeff Turner of JP were planning a festive annual party and decided to go green. Clare explained, "I just can't stand throwing away all that paper stuff. It just seems like such an utter waste." A couple of years ago the couple stopped using throwaway tablecloths. This year they went further and used real plates and silverware. She said it was hard, trying to keep everything washed as we went along so that the kitchen didn't get overwhelmed. Husband Jeff agreed, "We washed a lot of dishes." "But I think …

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