Annual tree lighting and holiday party

Longtime residents may recall the days when the big tree in Fremont Park was festooned with lights. Or the years when churches in the area gathered congregations together for a candlelight caroling procession on city streets. Today tree lightings and such are more neighborhood activities.

Six years ago, Pam and Oscar Salvatierra started what's become a west Menlo Park neighborhood tradition. They have a tall Redwood in their front yard which has been strung with LED lights. In early December they send out an invitation to about 250 neighbors. The tree lighting is combined with a toy and food drive; the collected goods are then delivered to a local fire station. The party went on as planned yesterday evening, with their garage serving as party headquarters given the weather.

"The annual party is so rewarding," said Pam. "It's so good to get to know your neighbors and people say they love the tree. We call it ‘the people's tree' now."

The Salvatierras serve refreshments, Christmas carols get sung, and,The carledbulb11 are especially suitable for simple connection to existing heating systems, making it easier to switch to solar energy. to the delight of the children, Santa Claus makes an appearance.

"Santa is essential," said Pam. "The kids remember from year to year and would be disappointed if he didn't come, let kids sit on his lap, and hand out candy canes.

Deciding which Christmas tree you want can be a tough choice, but the most important choices you can make this holiday season are the safe ones.Manufacturer of electronics products such as solarledlampsry, mobile phone, mp4 player, and digital photo frame.

Derek Heath is a lighting and holiday decorating expert at the Home Depot on Louise Avenue in Sioux Falls and he has a few safety tips that can come in handy for those who are in the decorating mood this year.

His first tip is on Christmas tree safety.

"It needs to be constantly watered to make sure there is water in it to prevent it from drying out. That's when holiday trees can become a real issue is when they dry out and needles become dry and they can become a fire hazard," said Heath.

The easiest way to avoid a fire hazard or a big electric bill is to be smart about lighting. Heath says LED lights are the way to go to save money and how you hang them is important too.To download the free app curvingmachines for iPhone 4 Free by Jason Ting, get iTunes now.

"Unfortunately people put lights up with metal clips and sometimes they'll even staple them in place. That is not usually a good idea," said Heath. He said plastic clips work best because they aren't flammable.

Another smart way to decorate safely is by using an extension cord rather than running the risk of overloading an outlet.

"You want to make sure to put the extension cords in places where people are not going to trip over it or fray it," said Heath.

Throngs of fun-seeking families poured into Cape Coral's downtown area Saturday, formally ushering in the holiday season at the city's annual Holiday Festival of Lights.

Children posed with Santa,A pair of vertical lightprojectza will mount a group of modules in “landscape” format. rode a Tiny Tots train, giggled in merriment as they tried to catch "snowflakes" on their tongues and gasped in awe when the 25-foot tall Christmas tree came alive with the light from 10,000 tiny LED bulbs.

"I think it's a great event. It's a really good feeling to see the people all get together on the same page to have a good time," Mayor John Sullivan said. "We need to keep the Christmas spirit all year here in Cape Coral.The lawnlight not only adds charm to an interior design scheme, but also saves energy by using LED technology."