2013 Holidays--When Is Easter, Thanksgiving, Etc?

Plan out your vacation days for 2013, and get ready so the major holidays don't sneak up on you.

  Do you need to request your 2013 vacation days at work? Or maybe you just want to know when the kids have days off from school. Here's a quick guide to when holidays fall in 2013: Martin Luther King Day--Monday, Jan. 21 is the date your child will get a holiday in local school districts.  Super Bowl--Sunday, Feb. 3, according to cbssports.com, so plan your party now. Chinese New Year--Sunday, Feb. 10, according to about.com. Mardi Gras--Tuesday, Feb. 12, according to mardigras.com, which says parades will start in New Orleans Jan. 19, but be suspended Jan. 28 to Feb. 5 due to the Super Bowl, which takes place, as noted, Feb. 3.  Valentines Day--is a Thursday, Feb. 14. Should you celebrate on Thursday or make a weekend of it? You decide…

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Grayslake Resident Collecting Ornaments for Area Hospitals

Bring a little Christmas cheer to those young and old who will be spending this holiday in the hospital by donating an ornament to HOPE Ornaments.

Living with a high blood pressure disease that has caused blackouts and seizures, Lyzzi Elliott, 28, of Grayslake, has spent several holidays in a place no one wants to be—a hospital. She's made it her mission to bring Christmas cheer to others in the same situation, by collecting holiday ornaments to donate to hospitals throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. Elliott said she was inspired to establish HOPE Ornaments seven years ago after bringing an ornament to her friend's daughter, who was hospitalized with leukemia. "The moment she saw the ornament she smiled, and it changed everything," said Elliott, who understands what it's like to be stuck in a hospital bed for the holidays instead of celebrating at home with family and friends. Elliott…

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Last Chance: Only One Day Left to Enter Patch’s Deck the House Contest & Win $100,000 for Grayslake Schools

Our Deck the House Contest ends tomorrow. Upload a photo of your home’s holiday decorations today for your chance to win $100,000 for your local school district.

Where to Get a Christmas Tree in Grayslake

There's still plenty of time to give a fresh-cut Christmas tree a home for the holidays.

Still don't have a fresh-cut Christmas tree for your home? There are a couple of places in Grayslake to get one—Villiard's Trees at Routes 83 and 120, and at the St. Gilbert Knights of Columbus lot at Route 120 and Lake Street. The Christmas tree rush started the day after Thanksgiving, said Roger Villiard, whose family has owned and operated a fruit stand and tree market at Routes 83 and 120 for more than 40 years. Though the fruit stand closed in 2001, they remain a favorite location for loyal customers to get their Christmas trees year after year. "It's a lot of fun. I really enjoy talking to the people," said Villiard, who knows more than a few things about Christmas trees. For example, advised Villiard, cats don't care for Scotch …

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Angela Sykora

4:44 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012

Well said GL Resident!   more ›

Try 'The Fitting Room' in Grayslake on for Size

The Fitting Room is a new specialty lingerie boutique in downtown Grayslake.

A month after its grand opening, The Fitting Room in downtown Grayslake is doing a brisk holiday business, catering to women who want personalized attention in selecting lingerie and men who are looking for the perfect intimate gift — and it's not a terry cloth robe! Owner and lingerie stylist Bex Anderson, of Grayslake, said it was her dream to open her own store after working for a prominent Libertyville boutique that closed last year. She found the perfect spot on downtown Lake Street to open The Fitting Room. "It really is the perfect place. It doesn't feel like a store," said Anderson. One of the biggest draws for The Fitting Room is Anderson's expertise in bra fittings. She's so good at it that she can eyeball a customer and know …

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Angela Sykora

6:31 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012

What a cute and unique boutique! And the bra donation program is a wonderful concept.   more ›

A Taste of Italy for the Holidays

Find a unique gourmet Italian-themed holiday basket at La Gabri-Elle gift shop, owned by Grayslake resident and Italian language instructor Nancy Gabriele.

It can be a challenge to find an impressive gift to give at the holidays—be it for your boss, a party host or a fickle friend, but you can never go wrong with a festive basket of goodies, especially when it's filled with imported gourmet food items from Italy. "I have a passion for this," said Nancy Gabriele, a Grayslake resident who operates a secret little shop within her Italian language school in the lower level of the Tomei Insurance building in the Saratoga Square plaza, located at the southeast corner of Washington Street and Route 21 in Gurnee. If you've never heard of it, and chances are you haven't, La Gabri-Elle is a find, stocked with an assortment of Italian imported food items, kitchen wares, gifts and more. Italian-born …

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Where to Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

Patch put together a map of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms for the northern Chicago suburbs.

Enter Patch's "Deck the House" Contest for a Chance to Win $100,000

Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!