Christmas Decorations

James "Pete" Abbott removes Christmas garland from the white fence in front of his home on Boone Avenue. Once the garland was removed, Abbott boxed up Christmas decorations until next December. He removed his Christmas decorations early this year thanks to temperatures in the mid-50s Tuesday afternoon. James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com

December temperatures in the low 70s made Tuesday afternoon the perfect time for Freda Sparks of Fitch Avenue to hang Christmas decorations on the front of her home. Rain will accompany the spring-like temperatures through Thursday. Colder temperatures will bring a chance of winter weather over the weekend.

Winchester Public Works employee Mike Smith attaches a Christmas wreath to one of the light poles on South Main Street Monday morning. The city was hanging the Christmas decorations early this year for the Christmas Open House this weekend. With the red and yellow leaves in the background and temperatures in the mid-70s, it felt more like early autumn than Christmas.

Garrard lifts water conservation advisory LANCASTER - The Garrard County Water Association has lifted the voluntary water conservation advisory due to recent rainfall in the area. New Cub scout park organized CRAB ORCHARD - A new Cub Scout pack has formed in Crab Orchard. Cub Scout Pack 150 will hold its first official meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Crab Orchard Elementary School cafeteria. All Crab Orchard area boys and their parents are welcome. For more information, contact Cub Master Les Jones at (606)

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a two-part series on the Salvation Army Thrift Store, its employees and their preparation for and thoughts about the Christmas season. A Santa’s workshop is in high gear in a building at 517 S. Fourth St. as elves are busy at work getting things ready for Christmas 2010. The building is the Danville Salvation Army Thrift Store, and the elves are the staff of the store, headed by chief elf, Frances King, the store’s manager.

Christmas came a little early this year to George Rogers Clark High School. Well before Halloween, students already were thinking about Christmas decorations, and teacher Bonnie Bradley said she had a lighted tree on display in her classroom for two weeks. To help raise money for the Clark County Relay for Life, the school-wide community service project, students, teachers, clubs and athletic teams spent the fall decorating Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands to display and auction at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum.

April 25, 1983 Twenty-two categories were available in the recent Crafts Fair of the Clark County Homemakers. The categories for the 1983 Cultural Arts exhibit included carving, ceramics, Christmas decorations, collage, drawing, crochet, knitting, macrame, miscellaneous creations, painting, chin painting, photography, potery, quilts, rugmaking, sculpture, spinning and weaving are just a few of the categories. Charles Witt, 22 Lynnway Drive, has been named winner in the design competition for a logo for the smocks worn by members of the Clark County Hospital Auxiliary.

Once again the year has just about come full circle, and certain things tend to take place at my house about this time of year. It happens each year around Thanksgiving. My thoughts turn toward Christmas time and putting up Christmas decorations.  My fall decorations - pumpkins, etc. - are taken down throughout the house, along with the scarecrows and anything that looks like fall outside the house, to be transformed with lights of Christmas, wreaths, poinsettias, the nativity scene, snowmen, Santa Claus and big red bows on light posts.

LANCASTER - She doesn't do it for the recognition or the appreciation or notoriety. In fact, she doesn't even like to tell people she's the mystery decorator of the Garrard County Courthouse and the Garrard County Judicial Center. Babette Overman simply does it because, as she said with a smile, “Something about Christmas should put everybody in a good mood.” “Part of the enchantment of Christmas was going downtown where everything glittered,” Overman said, speaking of the small community where she grew up. Sadly, she said, it didn't glitter, when she first saw the courthouse in Lancaster at Christmastime five years ago, after she moved to the area.

Once again the year has just about come full circle, and certain things tend to take place at my house about this time of year. It happens each year around Thanksgiving. My thoughts turn toward Christmas time and putting up Christmas decorations.  My fall decorations - pumpkins, etc. - are taken down throughout the house, along with the scarecrows and anything that looks like fall outside the house, to be transformed with lights of Christmas, wreaths, poinsettias, the nativity scene, snowmen, Santa Claus and big red bows on light posts.

We're in a brand new year and it has started out OK. It was the last few days of 2011 that weren't so great. I had a very good Christmas but right after, not only did I have to prepare for a colonoscopy but also my computer died. But in trying to be all Pollyannish (is that a word?), since I had no computer to distract me, I got all my Christmas decorations down and put away. With the time I would have spent clicking away at the computer, playing games, emailing and looking at the latest news on the Internet, I managed to write a poem and work on this piece.

Larry Bowling of Estes Drive takes advantage of the warm temperatures Thursday afternoon to remove Christmas decorations from the exterior of his home. Bowling was packing up his decorations for next year's holiday season. James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com

Christmas came a little early this year to George Rogers Clark High School. Well before Halloween, students already were thinking about Christmas decorations, and teacher Bonnie Bradley said she had a lighted tree on display in her classroom for two weeks. To help raise money for the Clark County Relay for Life, the school-wide community service project, students, teachers, clubs and athletic teams spent the fall decorating Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands to display and auction at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum.

The City of Danville Public Works Department will begin removing Christmas decorations from Bellevue and Hilldale cemeteries beginning Wednesday. If you have decorations placed that you would like to remove, please do so prior to this date.  If you have any questions, please call the City Engineer’s office at (859) 936-6835.

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a two-part series on the Salvation Army Thrift Store, its employees and their preparation for and thoughts about the Christmas season. A Santa’s workshop is in high gear in a building at 517 S. Fourth St. as elves are busy at work getting things ready for Christmas 2010. The building is the Danville Salvation Army Thrift Store, and the elves are the staff of the store, headed by chief elf, Frances King, the store’s manager.

There are people in this world who immediately blame someone else for problems that come along. I have a cat that tends to think the same way. Some time ago she was in the covered litter box when something happened to scare her and she shot out, knocking the top off in the process. As I reached down to replace the top, she decided I had caused this frightful experienced and latched onto my arm, biting and scratching in a frenzy. When I finally shook her off - probably all of 10 seconds later - she attacked her brother cat, another innocent bystander.

James "Pete" Abbott removes Christmas garland from the white fence in front of his home on Boone Avenue. Once the garland was removed, Abbott boxed up Christmas decorations until next December. He removed his Christmas decorations early this year thanks to temperatures in the mid-50s Tuesday afternoon. James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com

TODAY "Once Upon a Christmas" at Southland Christian Church NICHOLASVILLE - This unique Christmas service featuring the holiday musical, "Once Upon a Christmas," will be performed at 7 p.m. at Southland Christian Church, 5001 Harrodsburg Road. There will be a children's choir and an orchestra performing in the show, which is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.southlandchristianchurch.org or call 224-1600. Bradlee Burtner at Expressions WINCHESTER - Winchester native Bradlee Burtner will be performing tonight at Expressions Coffee Shop on Main Street at 7 p.m. Percussionist Rick Nelson will be accompanying him. Burtner will be performing original music and CDs will be available.