SANTA SAYS >>>>

There's no better way to support your community than supporting your neighbors in need, especially during the holiday season.

The Weekly Volcano has partnered with the United Way of Pierce County on a 12-month campaign focused on the issue of homelessness and affordable housing. The weekly rag will be highlighting community efforts around the issue and helping raise funds to go directly toward affordable housing.

Today on its blog, Spew, the Volcano highlights Salvation Army Tacoma's efforts to keep homeless families together. The Salvation Army's family housing program in Tacoma has been providing emergency housing, improvement of life skills and assisting families and single women with securing permanent housing since 1983. Read the feature story here, and then give the karmic wheel a spin.

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

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LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

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PLUS: 2011 Super Best of Tacoma Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

PLUS: 2011 Best of Olympia Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

SANTA SAYS >>>>

There's no better way to support your community than supporting your neighbors in need, especially during the holiday season.

The Weekly Volcano is partnering with the United Way of Pierce County to run a 12-month campaign focused on the issue of homelessness and affordable housing. The weekly rag will be highlighting community efforts around the issue and helping raise funds to go directly toward affordable housing.

Today on its blog, Spew, the Volcano highlights the uphill battle Pierce County Community Connections faces fighting homelessness in today's economic environment. Read the feature story here, and then give the karmic wheel a spin.

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Santa Says RSS feed

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Give the Weekly Volcano a "LIKE" present

PLUS: 2011 Super Best of Tacoma Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

PLUS: 2011 Best of Olympia Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

SANTA SAYS >>>>

Some groups still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

The University of Puget Sound offers its students and faculty, along with the community, an opportunity to prepare for the holiday with a night of song and Scripture.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols is the University of Puget Sound's gift, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Kilworth Memorial Chapel on the north end of the campus along North 18th between Union Avenue and Lawrence Street.

I've attended several of these, hiding in the back. It's always a packed house. Everyone sings carols and lights candles as a symbol of hope for the season. it's pretty cool.

If my calculations are correct this is the 29th year the university has presented this program. The first year, the choir director had the choir lead students in carol singing before finals took place. The next year, they modeled the format from the King's College Choir at Cambridge University in England.

This year University Chaplain Dave Wright (1996 represent) will lead a Christmas service that was developed in 1918 at King's College, University of Cambridge, England.

Besides audience participation in carol singing, the University's Adelphian Concert Choir and Voci d'Amici will perform. The event will be a candlelit service.

The event is free and open to the public; however, the university will be collecting non-perishable food items for St. Leo's Food Connection.

[Kilworth Chapel, Sunday, Dec. 4, 7-8:30 p.m., free, North 18th and Warner Street, Tacoma, 253.879.3100]

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

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PLUS: 2011 Super Best of Tacoma Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

PLUS: 2011 Best of Olympia Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

SANTA SAYS >>>>

Say you were to engage in a little holiday shopping on this wet late November afternoon. Say your heart was calling let's go local and shop in downtown Tacoma. Say your brain was listening. Say your wallet was, too. Say the Varsity Grill invited you to bring unwrapped toys for the Toys For Tots program. Say Silvia Cordova-Tapia was behind the donation program - the former El Gaucho bartender who has been delivering toys to local hospitalized children every Christmas Eve for the last 10 years. Say you liked the alliteration of Santa Silvia. Say all those years of lectures about generosity have finally (against your better judgment) sunk in. Say your donation entitles you to a free happy hour appetizer at the Varsity Grill.

What do you say?

[Varsity Grill, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229]

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Santa Says RSS feed

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PLUS: 2011 Super Best of Tacoma Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

PLUS: 2011 Best of Olympia Bought and Sold Readers' and Staff picks

SANTA SAYS >>>>

Descending into a Goodwill Christmas Shoppe, you are instantly hit with all things Christmas. From the décor to the gift to the employees - it's all about the holiday season.

Oh, and those employees ...

They dance with jang-jinglers,
tide up to their hells.

They blow their floo-flounders,
they bang their tong-tinklers.

They blow their who-hoovers,
they bang their jang-tinglers.

They beat their tram-tookers,
they slide their sloo-slunckers.

They beat their flam-fluckers,
they whack their who-wonkers.

They play noisy games like Zuziv Ka Zev,
a Roller skates tapler "La Crosse."

And then they make pretty noises like the lux,
on their great big electro-who-cardio-flux.

They show you their chimes, ribbons and bows.
They show you their cups, plants and all that glows.
They show you their trees, bulbs and bowls.
They show you their decorations, ornaments and coals.

Oh yes. The Goodwill's Christmas Shoppe is a one-stop shop for holiday joy, décor, trimmings and gifts - all at a great value.

After a successful 2010 debut, Tacoma Goodwill expands to operate five Christmas Shoppes this year, with locations next to neighborhood Goodwill stores, dedicated exclusively for the sale of holiday treasures.

The Christmas Shoppes - located in Kent, Spanaway, North Tacoma, South Lacey and Puyallup - boast an inventory of more than two million pounds of items starting as low as 99-cents - with new items stocked daily.

And what's the most wonderful of all? Every dollar spent at a Goodwill store is put back into the South Sound community to help people get to work through job placement, training and services.

For the address of the five Shoppes, click here.

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

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SANTA SAYS >>>>

I won't let Mrs. Claus toss it. I have a firm grip on my Christmas-light-laden and obscenely geometric printed green-and-red sweater. It's my go-to ugly holiday sweater. This puppy captured three ugly sweater contests, including the Winter Warlock's 2003 Festival of Lightsabers & Ugly Holiday Sweater Party. That, my friends, was off the hook.

Anyway, my point to all of this is I'm thinking about hitting Doyle's Public House's Bad Sweater Party 6 Wednesday, Nov. 23. The ugly holiday sweater contest prizes will be shelled out for the best worst male, best worst female, best worst couple and best worst group.

"This aint no Cosby contest, this is strictly holiday sweaters," says Doyle's co-owner Russ Heaton.

In support of Project Red, Doyle's will be introducing the COSBY - a unique concoction featuring Belvedere vodka that will help hide the fact you're wearing a hideous holiday sweater.

LINK: Photos from Bad Sweater Party 2009

[Doyle's Public House, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 7-11:30 p.m., no cover, 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272-7488]

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SANTA SAYS >>>>

The Emergency Food Network never takes a day off. They can't while there are mouths to feed.

The Lakewood-based organization offers food and other essentials - at no cost - to 67 food banks, hot meal sites and shelters for distribution to low-income families and individuals. The organization is so awesome the Weekly Volcano named it the Best Area Nonprofit in its 2008 Best of Tacoma issue.

To raise money for its missions, EFN hosts the annual Empty Bowls event, which will be held Saturday at Charles Wright Academy's gymnasium. The fundraising event combines art, community, giving and fine eats.

Local and regional artisans have donated more than 1,000 one-of-a-kind bowls made from hand-tooled carved wood, colorful glass and hand-thrown clay.

Bowls begin at $10. They make awesome gifts.

This event is very popular; a line forms way before the 1 p.m. opening.

Tasty soup and hearty breads from Infinite Soups, Adriatic Grill, Asado, The Swiss, Pacific Grill, Chambers Bay and PLU Catering accompany purchases.

Traditionally a one-day event, this year's Empty Bowls will add the three-dimensional "Vessels" art show focusing on works from regional artists, which will be judged and auctioned tonight at Charles Wright Academy in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25 and light hors d'ouevres will be served.

For information about the Emergency Food Network and Empty Bowls, click here.

[Charles Wright Academy, Saturday, Nov. 19, 1-4 p.m., 7723 Chambers Creek Road W., Tacoma, 253.620.8373]

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SANTA SAYS >>>>

I have a modest proposal: Could we take the computer the drive-thru clerk is using, turn it into a touch screen, and put it out on the big sign where you currently scream at the crackling speaker? We can now checkout our own groceries, wash our own sleighs, and withdraw cash from the bank through computers. Why can't we punch in our fast food order on a little screen and cut out the error-prone middleman and that maddeningly disjointed exchange: "Did you hear me? I can't understand a word you're saying! Is anyone there?"

Bring back the Automat, I say!

Oh well, speaking of drive-thrus. The Lakewood Family YMCA will convert it sparking lot into a giant holiday drive-thru donation station all day on Friday, Nov. 18. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., drive through its parking lot and drop off new, unwrapped toys, non-perishable food items and coats and blankets for Toys for Tots and the Emergency Food Network to distribute to needy families.

If you have enough energy to pop out of your car, the YMCA will have holiday treats in its Community Room.

[Lakewood Family YMCA, 9715 Lakewood Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253.460.8937]

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SANTA SAYS >>>>

With the chaos of the holidays approaching, don't overlook the numerous charitable organizations in need of gift donations or financial contributions. A little philanthropy can go a long way.

Bartell Drugs's "Toy 'N' Joy" drive is one of the most recognized holiday giving traditions. Through the "Toy ‘N' Joy" program - with the help of the Salvation Army's toy warehouses - Bartell Drugs distributes holiday gifts to low-income children and youth the week before Christmas.

Beginning today, and running through Dec. 11, toys will be collected at all 58 Bartell Drugs locations

A number of donation options are available:

• Choose a "gift request tag" from the "Toy 'N' Joy" display in the store and return the gift to the donation barrel with the tag affixed to it.
• Donate new, unwrapped gifts appropriate for children younger than 17. 

To find the nearest Bartell Drugs, click here.

LINK: Fight homelessness in Pierce County

LINK: Volunteer at the Tacoma Rescue Mission

LINK: Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity

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SANTA SAYS >>>>

In the middle of making lists and checking them, it's important to carve out time for community. Not everyone has a roof over their head, or a sleigh to get around, or a large red coat to keep you warm, or elves like Buddy to make you spaghetti. 

During a typical winter month, the Downtown Tacoma Rescue Mission serves more than 16,500 meals, houses 150 homeless people, offers nearly 1,500 hours of education and job training classes and conducts more than 2,000 hours of drug and alcohol rehabilitation services. 

I can't make every Wednesday at 4 p.m., but when I can 14 of my helpers and I fly down to T-town and merrily jump into the dinner serving line.  This gives me peace of mind knowing I am helping a community, even if only for one night. 

There are occasions when I end up working a tad bit late, usually closer to the end of the year, so I'm not able to make the Mission's dinner shift.  I still feel compelled to help. So I grab my iPhone, courtesy of Mrs. Claus and Christmas of '07 (nice!), along with my stocking money and give $10 toward an end to homelessness, simply by texting HOUSE to 20222.

[The Rescue Mission, free, 425 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma , 253.383.4493]

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