Tag: holidays

In the early part of the last century, at Christmastime, the Atlanta Journal customarily encouraged children of its readers to write Santa Claus short letters and entrust the newspaper with their safe delivery to the North Pole. No suspicions were raised, apparently, when the Journal printed many of those letters a few days before the holiday. And so it came to pass that the endearing, sometimes humorous wish lists of almost 300 kids filled two full pages in the edition published on December 23, 1908. In the middle of all that gray type, hidden in plain sight and forgotten for well over a century, was one that’s historically noteworthy.

Twin sisters Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts grew up with a family tradition that is now a booming business. They, along with their mother Carol Aebersold, are the creators of The Elf on the Shelf, a worldwide holiday phenomenon that has sold millions of elves worldwide, with eyepopping annual revenue. This year, the trio celebrates 20 years of bringing holiday magic to families in Atlanta and beyond.

Dahlonega, a picturesque Georgia mountain town known for its Hallmark movie charm, is preparing to welcome the Christmas spirit in the heart of summer. A Small Town Christmas, a three-day convention featuring beloved holiday film stars and festive activities, will take place July 25-27.

Fireworks, food, music, and parades—here are 10 fun events happening this Fourth of July in metro Atlanta.

For one weekend this month, Atlanta, like Chicago, will flood with green. But lacking a river as we do, it’s Peachtree Street that will run emerald when the Irish and their friends march in celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. This year marks the 141st St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Atlanta, making it one of the longest continuously running parades in the city.

Once the fog of childhood nostalgia lifts, many Atlantans are prone to admit that one of the city’s oldest holiday traditions—the riding of Rich’s department store’s famed Pink Pig—was also pretty damn terrifying.

“I’m sorry for the mess,” Ben Armstrong says to me, stepping over a zombie head and vampire dress that still need gluing. We’re walking through one of this season’s attractions, Wake the Dead, where apocalyptic warriors must seal the Netherworld from element-stealing ghosts. Netherworld’s haunts change each year, building on decades of proprietary lore.

Woodstock is known for its charming downtown, outlet shops, and proximity to Lake Allatoona, but if Robert Morris has his way, it won’t be long before it’s also known as the home of Scavenged Souls. “I want people to say, ‘That’s the place with the crazy people running that great haunted house!’” he says.