The Brunette Lucy

Getting Ready for Christmas

Lucy remembers Christmas traditions with her family as she also says goodbye to Patch.

I hand it to all of you who venture out into the world on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving, I can barely rouse myself out of bed due to the turkey, stuffing and pie-induced coma I’m in. So to anyone who managed to get up early (or who camped out before the stores opened) to battle the throngs of bargain seekers, I salute you. For me, one of the best things about the holiday is that it marks the beginning of the Christmas season. Obviously, Black Friday shoppers feel the same way. The tree goes up that weekend, and I’ll watch every sappy Christmas movie ever made – twice – while I decorate and bake. The kids usually take bets on how long it’ll be before I start to cry, and then spy on me until a winner is proclaimed. But the most …

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Thousands Fill Oxford Valley Mall for Black Friday

The Middletown Township mall opened Friday morning at midnight and was filled with busy shoppers. Share your Black Friday 2012 photos and stories.

Just hours eating turkey and celebrating Thanksgiving, people descended upon area retails who were offering Black Friday sales. Oxford Valley Mall Director of Marketing James Malervy said that thousands of customers packed the Middletown mall in the pre-dawn hours on Friday. About 80 percent of the mall's retailers opened for customers at midnight, Malervy said. In past years, the mall has opened at 4 a.m. Click here to see highlights from Black Friday 2011 Comments on the Levittown Facebook page indicated long lines at other area stores. How was Black Friday for you? Share your photos by clicking the upload button marked "Upload Photos and Videos," and let us know how things went in the comment section.

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Tom Sofield

4:45 pm on Saturday, November 24, 2012

That's an awesome photo, Chris!   more ›

Where to Find the Best Black Friday Deals - on Thanksgiving

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday rule the shopping roost after Thanksgiving.

If you have a black belt in Black Friday shopping, listen up: area big-box retailers are gearing up to dazzle bargain hunters even earlier this year—starting on Thanksgiving Day! Walmart announced recently that it would open its doors at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22 and offer holiday doorbusters while supplies last. These include deals on TVs, iPads, an electric scooter for $79 and a steam mop for $39. Not to be outdone, Target and Best Buy are also planning all-out holiday shopping assaults. Target's deals begin at 9 p.m. According to an ad leaked online, the best deals will be for TVs, a Nook, a Nikon camera and an XBOX 360 Kinect bundle. At Best Buy, doors open at midnight. Doorbusters include deals on TVs, phones and Samsung laptop …

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We've Got Game

Black Friday Videogame Deals

The hottest games of the season have been released, and Black Friday can help you get them for cheap with deals better than last year.

This time of year finds pretty much every gamer with multiple gaming-related items on their holiday list: the hot new game, the console they didn’t buy yet, that sweet accessory that will make playing all the more enjoyable. In turn, retailers at big box and gaming specialty stores turn the faucet on and offer a bunch of amazing deals so you can get someone that special gift or give yourself a little present. In many cases—especially on game purchases—offers are a few bucks better than last year’s deals! As usual, ads for Black Friday sales have been available via both official and unofficial channels for a while. Here’s some of the better deals distilled into one place so you can more easily cross those gamers off your list: Best Buy (…

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AAA Offers Parking Lot Safety Tips for Black Friday

As shoppers gear up to hit the malls and other retailers in search of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday bargains, AAA Mid-Atlantic urges shoppers to use caution, especially in parking lots and garages.

As shoppers gear up to hit the malls and other retailers in search of Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday bargains, AAA Mid-Atlantic urges shoppers to use caution, especially in parking lots and garages. “Whether it’s the thrill of holiday shopping hustle and bustle or the hunt for the ultimate gift deal, holiday shopping should not come at the expense of safety,” said Jenny M. Robinson, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.  “This year more retailers are opening earlier than ever before, after dark on Thanksgiving night, and others will open before daybreak on Black Friday.  AAA advises shoppers to be aware of their surroundings, especially in dark parking lots, and stay alert while out and about.” An estimated 152 …

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Where Do You Get Your Christmas Tree?

If you don't pull a plastic tree out of the attic every year, where do you go to get a great, live tree?

With Thanksgiving at our feet, there are two important questions looming. First, what are we going to do with all the leftovers? Second, where will we get our Christmas tree? Well, the second is only relevant if you don't pull your plastic tree out of storage every year. So what'll it be this year? A REALLY live tree, with root ball and all? Pre-cut or cut-your-own? And what about the type? You could go with a balsam or a Douglass fir or some other type of pine. But here's the big question: WHERE will you get it? Do you have a place you go to every year, some sort of family tradition or do you just stop when the mood hits you?

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James Boyle

2:44 pm on Wednesday, November 30, 2011

If I brought home a Festivus Pole, I'll give you three guesses where my wife would shove it.   more ›

Stay Calm For A Stress-Free Black Friday

If you're brave enough to venture out on Black Friday, learn how to stay calm on the stressful shopping day.

Black Friday is an exciting time for the seasoned shopper who scopes out the best deals and saves hundreds of dollars. But it's also a stressful time that might be best avoided for anxiety-stricken shoppers. Follow these tips to better handle the stressful shopping day and then check out our survival guide to make your Black Friday planning easier. Long lines, big crowds and the mass chaos that is Black Friday can be unbearable if you're an anxious person or if you don't know what to expect. If you dare to brave the day, but find yourself becoming overwhelmed and on the verge of a breakdown, take the advice of Ruth Kuchinsky-Smith, our Scholasticity columnist (who is a psychologist in the Philadelphia school system and teaches courses in …

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Patch On Parade

The Patch crew had a blast at the Hatboro parade Sunday. We handed out candy, distributed Patch swag and met a lot of great people on a beautiful afternoon.

The pre-parade logistics were pretty tough, but well worth it. The Patch crew walked the Hatboro Holiday Parade Sunday and really had a great time. We handed out a lot of stuff - candy and Patch swag - and got to see a lot of great people. Check out this montage of what we saw along the parade route - see if you can spot our friends from Lehman Church

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