Monday, December 24, 2012
A look at what to expect from Chatham Patch this week.
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Each Monday we welcome you back to the work week with a look at what to expect in the Chathams. From content you'll find on Patch as the week goes on to community activities, here's what you need to know this week: 1) You need to know where Santa Claus is: And we can help you with that! We have a Santa tracker for you and your family. 2) You need to know what to do when Christmas is over: We'll have information on getting rid of your tree. 3) You need to know what to expect from the new year: We'll share information on recycling and trash collection for you. 4) You need to know about 2012: We'll recap the biggest stories of the last year, and ask for your thoughts on the movers and shakers of 2012.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Need a quick holiday cookie recipe? Make one of these for your parties this season, and leave a recipe for your neighbors to try.
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? Sugar cookies are popular around the holidays, especially with holiday decorations in icing on top. Most local bakeries, including the Chatham Bakery in the borough and Woodland Bakery in the township, have such holiday cookies available. In my parents' house, though, the big Christmas cookie isn't a cookie at all. It's biscotti. My mom bakes about five different kinds of biscotti around the holidays—a cranberry biscotti, a traditional almond biscotti…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Without proper care, a Christmas tree can turn into the perfect kindling. Borough and township fire chiefs offer tips to stay safe.
Fire safety is important all year long, but during the holidays, a dry tree, lights or other decorations can become a real fire danger. Jim Pignatello, Jr., the chief of the Chatham Township Fire Department, said, "A real tree can pose a fire hazard if not properly placed or cared for. Each year, more than 400 residential fires involve Christmas trees, and approximately 40 people die and 100 people are injured nationwide from these fires." Pignatello offered the following tips to residents to keep your family's Christmas trees from going up in flames: With a dry tree, just using the wrong set of lights can make a difference in staying safe. Here are some safety tips when it comes to your Christmas lights: The U.S. Fire Administration has …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, the final night of the Festival of Lights.
Here's hoping you and yours had a wonderful Festival of Lights. Rabbi Shalom Lubin, director of Chabad of SE Morris County, which holds community menorah lighting ceremonies in Madison, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, East Hanover and Florham Park during Hanukkah each year, said the Jewish holiday is especially poignant after Superstorm Sandy left many people figuratively and literally in the dark. The eight-day Festival of Lights, which ended Sunday, reminds residents that "the light within our hearts should light our surroundings" and "a little bit of light can go a long way," Lubin said. Hanukkah, which commemorates the Maccabees' rededication of the Holy Temple after their victory over the Syrians, during which one day’s supply of …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A Chatham tradition returns again this year.
Remember the kits of candles along your neighbor's walkway last Christmas Eve? You too can take part in the tradition this year. Each Christmas the Rotary Club of Chatham, Millburn and Short Hills provides kits of 10 candles, 10 paper bags and cat litter to weigh the bags down. They are called luminaria, and the cost of each kit—$10—helps support local and worldwide Rotary projects. The luminaria line the streets of Chatham each Christmas Eve, creating a magical site. "It's wonderful!" said Cathy Hackett, a Chatham resident who served as the luminaria block captain for Jackson Avenue in 2010. "It's so beautiful when you look down the street." Corporate sponsors are Chatham Moving & Storage and Hickory Village ShopRite of Chatham Township. …
Toys will go to local hospitals and to victims of Hurricane Sandy.
The Chatham Township Police Department have once again announced their annual Holiday Toy Drive to benefit childrens centers in local area hospitals and for victims of Hurricane Sandy in southern New Jersey. Scott Herchick, the president of Chatham Township PBA No. 170, said in past years the PBA has donated toys to Mountainside Hospital, Morristown Memorial Hospital and Overlook Hospital. This year they hope to collect enough toys to also give to families in the state affected by Hurricane Sandy. "There are some contacts we have with different police and fire departments down there," Herchick said. "They'll actually assist us with getting stuff to the families." The Noe Pond Club already held a toy drive recently and collected over 70 …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
We’re launching our annual Deck the House Contest to find the most over-the-top holiday decorations in America—the best “decked” house in the country—the one home so spectacularly decorated that everyone in town jokes your holiday decorations could rival Rockefeller Center’s. If this sounds like your house, upload a photo or video of your home with all its decorations to our contest page from Nov. 26 to Dec. 16 by clicking here. Only residents of Patch towns are eligible to enter. We’ll select 24 regional finalists, and from them, pick one grand prize winner. Patch will pay up to $500 of the utility bill for each finalist, while our national winner will have $100,000 donated to his or her local school district. Our contest is right around …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Cutting your own Christmas Tree can provide a lifetime of family memories.
There are two types of Christmas tree people: those who prefer to buy at garden centers and local stands, and those who like the adventure of cutting their own. For the first group, we brought you a list of nearby places where you can purchase your Christmas tree and support local organizations at the same time only a few days ago. If, however, you are a "cut-your-own" type of person, or think you might be if given a saw and permission, here are the tried and true places in New Jersey where you can release your inner-yuletide lumberjack. Rest assured. Almost all cut-your-own Christmas tree farms will cut them for you. Advice: bring gardening gloves to wear because the needles will pinch, and remember that most farms accept cash only. …
Monday, December 10, 2012
The Festival of Lights is underway in the Chathams.
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Monday, December 10, 2012
Menorahs, latkes, dreidles ... it's all part of the Hanukkah festivities. And here at Chatham Patch, we want you to share photos of how your family observes this holiday. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights and celebrates the re-dedication of the Hebrew Holy Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Book of Maccabees, Judea was under the control of the Greek Seleucid Antiochus. Antiochus banned Judaism and many Hebrew practices, including circumcision. He had a statue of Zeus erected within the Temple and sacrificed pigs to the god. The Hebrews revolted under the leadership of the rabbi Mattathias and his five sons. Together they took back the Temple, which had to be cleansed and rededicated. Part of the re-dedication was to keep …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Recycle your old one the first three Saturdays in January.
The holidays are a time when people make a lot of big purchases: New computers, new cell phones, new tablets, new televisions, new DVD players. Which leaves you with following question: How to dispose of your old one? A state law passed in 2011 requires all electronics to be recycled instead of thrown away with the regular garbage. This includes, but is not limited to the following: Chatham Borough has scheduled electronics recycling for the first three Saturdays in January. To recycle your electronics, bring the above items to the Chatham Borough Recycling Center at 90 Summit Ave. from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 5, 12 and 19. Under the law, manufacturers and vendors of electronics are required to accept the items for recycling. Should you …
