'Best Christmas Pageant Ever' a Cheery Reminder of Meaning of Christmas

Humor carries the message as 'the worst kids in the history of the world' hijack pageant but then learn the reason for the season. Village Playhouse offers three showtimes this weekend.

  By Bob Helbig There’s nothing quite as magical as seeing Christmas through the eyes of children. And that’s the charm of the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa’s holiday production. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” based on the 1972 book by Barbara Robinson, features nearly 20 children, from ages 4 to 13. The big cast fills a small stage with Christmas spirit and, amid light situational humor, compels the audience to reflect on the true meaning of the season. The play, which opened Friday at the North Hall of Christ King School, 2806 N. Swan Blvd. in Wauwatosa, continues this week at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. It’s a show within a show that focuses on a family with six children, the Herdmans, who are …

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JudyLee Tarbox

12:43 pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2012

There is no merchandise for sale, however, we do have delicious cookies and soda and water available.   more ›

You Can Still Give to Those in Need This Holiday Season

It isn't too late to make a donation that will make this year's end brighter for someone suffering, whether from hunger, poverty, disease or disaster.

In the flurry of holiday shopping and parties, the rush to complete end-of-year business, we are also reminded that this is the season to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. Year-end fundraising appeal letters arrive by mail and e-mail from those to whom we have given before, encouraging renewed giving – a task many people set aside for the week after Christmas, when things have slowed down. Yet there are many for whom the holidays could be considerably brightened by some giving right now – families that might face hunger rather than a feast, children whose stockings could be empty of toys, people whose very lives and livelihoods have been visited by illness or disaster beyond their control. And there is still time. With …

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For Special Olympics, Catch Doughnuts and Santa at Cranky Al's

Cafe and bakery at 69th and North will host Mr. Claus on Saturday morning to help a special cause.

Note Holiday Refuse, Recycling Schedule Changes

Don't get caught with your overstuffed carts at the curb on the wrong day. But if you do, you can haul it all to the city drop-off center yourself and you won't be charged.

Regular weekly city trash pickup and bi-weekly recycling pickup continue through Christmas Eve this year, then get altered through the two weeks following, with collections pushed back a day from Wednesday through Saturday. Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on subsequent Tuesdays, and there will be no pickup on those holidays. On the Mondays of Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, there will be regular pickup for those whose collections fall on those days. For the rest of those two weeks, collections get bumped a day. Regular Tuesday trash pickups will come on Wednesdays, Wednesday pickups on Thursdays, Thursday's on Fridays, and those with regular Friday pickup need to remember to put their carts out on Saturdays, Dec. 29 and Jan. 5. The…

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Verizon Wireless 'Hope For The Holidays Toy Drive' to Benefit Children of Domestic Violence Survivors

The drive will benefit domestic violence agencies throughout the state of Wisconsin, including Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee.

Verizon Wireless has announced the kickoff of its “Hope for the Holidays Toy Drive.” The drive will benefit domestic violence agencies throughout the state of Wisconsin, including Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee. With a simple donation, residents have a chance to impact the life of a child in need this holiday season. Donations can be made through Saturday, Dec. 15 at any participating Verizon Wireless Communications Store in the Milwaukee area during regular business hours. For a complete listing of store locations where items can be donated to Sojourner Family Peace Center, please see below. Donated gifts may include items such as coloring books, crayons, board games, cars/trucks, dolls, action figures, stuffed animals, arts …

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First Congregational Church Invites All to Christmas Sing-Along

Musical celebration of the season will be accompanied by presentations on the historical context of a large selection of favorite carols.

The public is invited to "Carols of Christmas," a free sing-along and celebration Tuesday evening at First Congregational Church, 1511 Church St. Joseph Brachmann, artistic director of Choral Masters, will lead the singing and presentations of the carols. "In order to experience your carol singing with renewed understanding and inspiration," Brachmann said, "brief, scholarly historical information and musical context will be presented before each carol is sung. "It is my hope that the inspired poetry and beautiful melodies will bring you great joy and that our community singing will be filled with a spirit of faith, hope, and love." The musical celebration begins at 6 p.m. in the church sanctuary. Below is a list of carols to be sung, in …

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TODAY: Ruby Tap Pairs Thanksgiving Palates with Wine

Wine bar is catering in turkey and trimmings this afternoon to teach patrons how match Thanksgiving dinner with the perfect wine.

  The Ruby Tap is catering in a preview Thanksgiving dinner Sunday afternoon to allow patrons to sample wines that go best with the holiday feast. The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m., with wine experts joining the owners to help pair wine with the traditional turkey and trimmings, including stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes and pumpkin cheese cake. And, yes, the Green Bay Packers game will be on tap as well. The wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres-style Thanksgiving dinner, catered by Sendik's, is $15 per person. RSVPs are appreciated, via email, at cheers@therubytap.com. However, walk-ins are welcome, too. The Ruby Tap is located in the village, just around the corner from Root Common Park, at 1341 Wauwatosa Ave.

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Black Friday and Beyond: Long Holiday Hours Set at Mayfair

With an extra-long shopping season ahead, mall extends its hours incrementally up to Christmas and the day after.

Some residents and businesses will start stringing up the Christmas lights as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, but hardcore shoppers know when their dream season begins. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has become the accepted if unofficial start time of the Christmas rush. It's a huge day for retailers but only the first of a roughly month-long extravaganza. And thanks to Abe Lincoln, who decreed Thanksgiving a national holiday, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed into law that it should fall on the fourth Thursday in November, and Pope Gregory XIII, who blessed the calendar we use by papal bull, 2012 has the longest possible shopping season. To explain: With Nov. 1 falling on Thursday, the fourth Thursday and …

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City Tree-Lighting Set for Nov. 30 in the Village

Season kicks off at Root Common Park with the tree, carriage rides, St. Nick and shopping, shopping, shopping.

  The Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, organized by the Village of Wauwatosa Business Improvement District, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. Kick off your holiday season by grabbing a bite to eat at one of the many local eateries in the Village, and then head to Root Common Park where Harwood meets Wauwatosa Avenue for the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Stick around after the ceremony for a lighted horse-drawn wagon ride through the Village from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and enjoy a little one-on-one time with Mr. Claus at one of the shops (TBA) after the ceremony. Shops will be open late on Friday night to accommodate your holiday shopping needs. If you run out of time on Friday night, stop back on Saturday, December 1. The horse-drawn wagon…

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