SANTA SAYS >>>>

There's nothing worse than awakening from a long winter's nap, rolling out of bed and discovering it's Christmas morning - and not a creature is stirring whiskey into his coffee. But you'd better not cry, and you don't need to pout, because if you plan ahead you'll get your jollies.

All state-run liquor stores will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. State liquor stores will be closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

Pierce Transit will operate Sunday level of services Christmas Day and Monday, Dec. 26.

After you work your way through the Christmas tree, you can ditch the Claus-induced calories and that extra side of grits at the Franciscan Polar Plaza, which is open Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Christmas Day from noon to 6 p.m. The 40 by 100 square feet of ice is sure to be full of skate crews demonstrating their mad skillz and test-driving their recently unwrapped winter garb.

As the sun starts to sink on Christmas, prepare yourself for an untamed night at ZooLights Tacoma, where thousands of twinkling, animated light sculptures illuminate the nocturnal paths of the animal kingdom. Peddlers offer hot cocoa, while you ride the carousel or camels. ZooLights will not be open Christmas Eve.

PLUS: 2011 South Sound Holiday Happenings

LINK: Santa Says RSS feed

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 >>>>

You've spent the past month running around as hyper as Brooke Mueller trying to finish your holiday preparations. Santa thinks it's high time (sorry, Brooke) you do a little something for yourself.

Here's the plan:

Load the iPod with Vince Guaraldi tunes from A Charlie Brown Christmas, lace up your skates, and hit the Franciscan Polar Plaza. Because it's covered you should be able to replicate the moves of Dorothy Hamill in nothing but a Polar fleece vest.

There are a bunch of holiday events happening today in the South Sound, including Dance Theatre Northwest's Nutcracker, a free screening of Elf at The Grand Cinema and The Christmas Revels at the Rialto Theater. Click here for more events going down today.

Feel a little ragged? Pamper yourself today. Click here for a few ideas.

And if you still haven't finished your shopping, click here for local gift ideas.

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 >>>>

Cooking for the holidays is complicated. And when you add a heaping quantity of family, friends and Martha Stewart-induced expectations of a perfectly prepared, heartwarming holiday feast, you could find yourself hiding in the candy cane factory, guzzling syrup and wondering why you ever thought it was a good idea to cook a turducken in Blitzen's cave.

You need to be prepared.

The Bayview School of Cooking has classes (and events!) designed to get you through the holidays. The Olympia organization cooks from a demo kitchen on the second floor of Bayview Thriftway in downtown Olympia. Below is its holiday event schedule. 

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6-8:30 p.m.

Jelly, Candy and Spiced Vinegars for Holiday Gift-Giving
HOST: J. Craig Morris, "The Happy Cooker," three-time Grand Champion of Preserved Foods at the Puyallup Fair
In this class, Morris demonstrates how to make rich pralines, his specialty, along with pomegranate jelly and various spiced vinegars. Complimentary wine pairing. $45

Thursday, Dec. 1, 6-8:30 p.m.

Christmas Morning Brunch Encore
HOST: Leanne Willard
Willard presents her make-ahead brunch for entertaining family and friends on Christmas morning or any other festive occasion. $45

Monday, Dec. 5, 6-8:30 p.m.

A Hometown Holiday Dinner
HOST: Junior League of Olympia
Who better to share the best local recipes for holiday dishes than The Junior League of Olympia? The League will prepare dishes out of its cookbook, Northwest Inspirations - Flavors of South Puget Sound. Complementary wine pairing. $45

Thursday, Dec. 8, 6-8:30 p.m.

Italian Christmas Eve Dinner
HOST: Christine Ciancetta
Traditional Christmas Eve dinner for many Italians is a "fast" of fish and seafood but Ciancetta's indulgent menu will leave no one feeling deprived. Complementary wine pairing. $45

Saturday, Dec. 10, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Taste the Holiday Spirit! event
Expect specialty food and drink samples throughout the entire store, recipes for delicious appetizers and desserts, latest kitchen tools and mini culinary seminars in the BSC Kitchen.

Monday, Dec. 12, 6-8:30 p.m.

Traditional German Christmas Cookies
HOST: Regina Dearborn
Enjoy a cozy evening learning how to make cookies from Regina's homeland. Hands-on adult class. $50

Wednesday, Dec, 14, 6-8:30 p.m.

Simple and Elegant Appetizers
HOST: Lee Ann Ufford
Ufford offers an array of simple, yet stunning appetizers that are party-ready, either popped from the freezer or whipped up with a minimum of ingredients.  Complementary wine pairing. $45

[Bayview Thriftway, 516 W. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.754.1448]

LINK: Santa Says RSS feed

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Give the Weekly Volcano a "LIKE" present

SANTA SAYS >>>>

Christmas carols might have us believing that the holidays are a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward men; a time of love and snow and reindeer and spirit. Driving in traffic, standing in line at a grocery store, and dining with friends and family sometimes tells a different story.

Up here at the North Pole, you're as likely to be cut off as not let in onto busy arterials. If you signal your intentions to change lanes, it's entirely possible the jerk in the sleigh next to you will whip a reindeer to close the gap you could have squeezed in to.  It's likely that the elf putting on her mascara while chatting on her cell phone won't notice her candy cane red light, and will blaze through the intersection you just entered.  And then there's that Eskimo driving alone in his Super Sleigh, sucking up the space in the HOS lane.

What is etiquette about?

That might be the same Eskimo with a cart full of items in his cart, standing in the "10 and under" lane at Yukon Cornelius's Silver and Gold Market under the rationale that the four different cases of eggnog are all eggnog, so they should be considered one item.  Possibly, the elf with her cell phone, eyelashes full of mascara, might be in the next lane, bragging into her cell about how many Elmo dolls she can crank out in an hour, all the while blissfully ignoring the cashier checking her items. This is the same elf who might have breezed through her last haircut and color without tipping, reasoning with a shrug, "Well, it was, like super expensive, so, like, the hairdresser was still making money off me."

What is etiquette about?

Let's start with basic dining etiquette, such as watching your host to glean appropriate actions, putting your napkin on your lap within five minutes of sitting down at the table, passing the salt and pepper together.  All of these small actions together help reinforce the cardinal rule of making those around you comfortable.

Then there's the proper way to set your dinner table. I've been to many an elf dinner party where nothing makes sense.

If you're looking to improve your table setting etiquette, may I suggest the 13th Annual Beautiful Tables Showcase currently open at Lakewold Gardens in Lakewood. More than 30 decorated tables are showcased.  The exhibit of table settings represents a wide variety of holiday and special events including whimsical, formal and traditional settings. The showcase is a fundraiser for the gardens

Next year I challenge someone to design the kitchen table inside my castle's lunchroom.  You must be able to work with naked Bounty cardboard tubes, cupcake crumbs, an honor system candy and snack display short $4.50, a dried pineapple pizza topping, a plastic fork with one prong missing and "You Should See My Candy Cane" carved into one of the tabletops. Horrible.

[Lakewold Garden Estate, Thursday, Nov. 3-Sunday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., $10, $5 Lakewold members, 12317 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253.584.6115]

LINK: Santa Says RSS feed

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Give the Weekly Volcano a "LIKE" present

SANTA SAYS >>>>

Up here in the North Pole, we're all hearing a lot of talk this holiday season about shopping local and what it means to a community. In these tough economic times, shoppers are striving to make their holiday dollars count. The word just came through the North Pole Wire that 150 local business alliances and national independent business advocates are teaming up to launch "Shift Your Shopping," a program that begins today.

Tacoma's Go Local organization is part of the national campaign. Not only did the Tacoma organization have a say in the title of the campaign - which sounds very similar to Go Local's "Shift Happens" campaign - but Tacoma's Hemisphere Design & Marketing Creative Director Heather Stajgr designed the logo, which is posted above.

Ho, ho, ho Tacoma.

Anyhoo, for those interested in reading up on the alliance and campaign, the press release is posted after the jump.

Read more...

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