Lights glow one final time for holiday display

For the past 30 years, Wayne and Diane Smith’s light show has been a hallmark of the holiday season in Addison County.

Jessie Raymond: Not enough stress? Make candy!

Are you looking at the few remaining hours before Christmas thinking, “What else can I squeeze into this already frenetic week to add even more chaos to the holidays?”

Letter to the editor: Christmas is about more than gifts

Christmastime has become like the old wood in the 1800s farmhouse the new owner of which decides to paint it so that it can look different and be more up to date. It is still there, but it takes some effort to find it.

Faith Gong: A nearsighted holiday

As I am writing this there are nine days left until Christmas, and we still don’t have a Christmas tree.

Historic Starksboro Meeting House hosts candlelight service

The Starksboro Village Meeting House will once again offer its special Christmas Candlelight service, this year on Friday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m.

Letter to the editor: Wreath thief has no Christmas spirit

To the person/persons who stole a Christmas wreath form the Preble stone in the Middlebury Cemetery, I wish you peace.

Many make Toys for Kids successful

The Vergennes Lions Club reports that over 250 children of all ages received at least two toys at their Toys for Kids Shop, held this December thanks to Long Trail on the Falls Physical Therapy owner Michael DiPalermo and administrative assistant Lynn Bri … (read more)

State officials forecast Christmas COVID surge

So far only a handful of Vermonters have tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19, state health officials said on Dec. 21. But that won’t be true for long.

The Outside Story: Balsam Fir — A Favorite Christmas Tree

Every year my husband and I cut a Christmas tree on family land. We look for a young balsam fir growing in the power line right-of-way or in a forest clearing. Fir is our favorite type of Christmas tree because of its delightful, pungent fragrance. While … (read more)

Guest editorial: Yes, Virginia

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.

Jessie Raymond: No shame in starting Christmas early

It was Saturday, Nov. 27. I asked Mark to take a circuitous route, so people wouldn’t suspect where we were going. He declined, instead driving straight to the Christmas tree farm.

Christmas tree shortage less severe here than elsewhere

As the 2021 Christmas tree season got under way, a Vermont wholesaler that sells to out-of-state markets approached the folks at Werner Tree Farm in Middlebury and offered to buy their entire stock for $60 a tree — well above the retail price.

Forest service offering Christmas tree permits

U.S. Forest Service officials in Vermont are welcoming the public to select and cut a Christmas tree on the Green Mountain National Forest with the purchase of a $5 permit.

Sing carols with Ronnie Romano (virtually)

The virtual program will feature holiday favorites played on Henry L. Sheldon’s historic Chickering piano.

Ask a master gardener: What’s the romance with mistletoe?

Hung in doorways to spread holiday cheer, mistletoe is rich in mythology and tradition.

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