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Breaking financial news 24/7 courtesy of TradingCharts.com Inc. / TFC Commodity Charts |
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Nov 13, 2009 (The Columbus Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The pumpkin is still on the front porch and the turkey isn't yet in the oven, but the Gahanna Christmas tree will be lit tonight. "We want to keep it ahead of our holiday parade because that way the decorations are already up and people are in the mood," said Kate Mattison, the event coordinator for the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Most cities light trees the weekend after Thanksgiving, although evergreen wreaths already hang from the Statehouse walls Downtown. And as anyone who's been to a grocery store lately can testify, Gahanna isn't the only place stretching out the holidays. The candy aisle went from orange to red and green overnight, and WLTZ (93.3 FM) started playing continuous Christmas music a week ago. Disney's latest version of A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey, racked up $31 million when it opened -- last weekend. About 40 percent of Americans started their holiday shopping before Halloween last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The trade group defines the official holiday shopping season as the last 55 days of the year, but it encourages companies to squeeze every penny they can out of the holidays. Sales are expected to be down a bit this year. Mattison said people like to celebrate the holidays, so why not get started early? Gahanna residents Jackie Graham and Lisa Williams passed the unlit tree at Creekside Plaza on Wednesday. It was a bit odd, they said. The tree already had been dressed with red bows and gold ornaments. High-school woodworking students built a Christmas town for children to play in. "It's sort of like they went right from Halloween to Christmas, but I don't mind," Graham said. "They're trying to help out their retailers in this economy, and I think that's a good thing." Mattison said the goal is to provide family entertainment and to give people reasons to visit again and again. The Holiday Lights Festival and Parade will be on Nov. 28, and Gahanna has planned several new holiday features this year, including an outdoor synthetic ice-skating rink. Visitors tonight can catch Carrey in another holiday film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, along with some hot chocolate and the ceremonial lighting of the 35-foot-tall tree. egibson@dispatch.com To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |
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Elizabeth Gibson Copyright (C) 2009, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Please read the End User Agreement. News provided by COMTEX |
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