Christmas

New Mexico Bowl David Teel Daily Press Absent a connection to either team or a need for immediate counseling, no pre-Christmas bowl merits your attention. But if desperate to avoid the mall Saturday, settle in for Nevada and Arizona in the New Mexico Bowl - and not solely because of its corporation-free name. The Wildcats and Wolf Pack feature not only top-20 scoring offenses, averaging more than 35 points per game, but also the nation's top two rushers. Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey and Nevada's Stefphon Jefferson average 146.4 and 141.9 yards per game, respectively.

Europeans would have a laugh at our expense over what we consider an old structure. Nevertheless, Monkton's Stone Haven Farm, owned by Dan Saffer and his wife, JoAnne Duffy, had been standing for eight years when Handel's "Messiah" was first performed. The home's rugged stones braved winter two decades before the signing of the Declaration of Independence and years before Baltimore City became incorporated. By American standards, it's really quite old. A long narrow lane off a main road in northern Baltimore County leads to a circular stone wall, inside of which are a fountain, trees and myriad poinsettias.

Members of the American Legion Towson Post 22 this week honored four local first responders for their service to the county at the post's annual First Responder of the Year Awards. The honors, given at the annual Commander's Christmas Party at the Towson post on Sunday, Dec. 9, highlighted the efforts of first responders whose efforts have made the Towson area a safer place in 2012. Officer Juan Amador of the Towson Precinct was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for his help in apprehending a man wanted in a shooting in Towson.

When Bob Zealor was growing up in Overlea, he would go into the woods near his home and collect greens to make a wreath for his mother. You can imagine his delight when he discovered Colonial Williamsburg, where all the holiday decorations come from nature. All these years later, the interior designer and his wife Maureen make regular Christmas pilgrimages to Williamsburg, Va., which has become the inspiration for his holiday decorating. "It is homey. It is real. The greens, the fruit.

Havre de Grace rang in the Christmas season Friday night during its First Fridays and annual Christmas parade and tree-lighting downtown. It kicked off a weekend of holiday activities in Havre de Grace. Santa arrived at the end of the parade and helped light the city's Christmas tree. Candlelight tour From 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, the public can tour Havre de Grace homes, churches and businesses decorated for the holidays on the popular Candlelight Tour. The tour starts at the Susquehanna Museum at the Lock House at 817 Conesteo St. Tickets are $15 per person and before Sunday can be purchased at the Lock House Museum, from Lock House board members, the Havre de Grace Visitors Center, the Decoy Museum, Java by the Bay in Havre de Grace, the Leisure Travel Office at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Johnson Family Pharmacy in Aberdeen and Preston's Stationery in Bel Air. And don't forget, on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. the Lock House Ladies will hold their annual Christmas Boutique at the museum.

Robert and Wilma Muir, owners of Deer Creek Valley Tree Farm in Street, have once again provided a large white pine Christmas tree for display outside the Maryland Department of Agriculture headquarters in Annapolis. Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance and Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting, joined by Maryland Department of Agriculture staff, kicked off the state's Christmas tree promotion on Nov. 29 with an official lighting ceremony for the 16-foot tall white pine. The Muirs donated a 20-foot high white pine to MDA last Christmas season.

Daniel Simons, managing partner of Hubbard Funeral Home, and his wife Heather will pick up 30 Christmas trees in North Carolina to give to the families of deployed Maryland National Guard veterans, in honor of their service. The Maryland National Guard Teen Council will help load the trees on the recipients' vehicles Dec. 8. A visit from Santa is expected and light refreshments will be served at the Wilkens Avenue funeral home.

The annual Olde Tyme Christmas Eggnog Contest is Saturday, part of the 9th Annual Fells Point Olde Tyme Christmas weekend. Participating taverns and retailers will offer free tastes of their special recipe eggnog to strolling sippers. This year's participants include Todd Conner's , One Eyed Mike's , aMuse Toys , the Greene Turtle , Bradley's of Fells Point , Riptide by the Bay , Alexander's Tavern , Cat's Eye Pub , Rye , Slainte , Kooper's Tavern , John Stevens and Party Dress . Strollers should pick up a ballot at the Fells Point Main Street booth on Broadway Square, at the southwest corner of Thames and Broadway, before heading out to their favorite destinations.

"What Christmas Means to Me" will happen in Aberdeen tomorrow! It will start with Breakfast with Santa at Grace United Methodist Church from 7 to 11 a.m. Tickets may be purchased at the door. The Craft Fair at Aberdeen Fire Department will begin at 9 a.m. and last until 2 p.m., and lunch will be available. The Aberdeen Room Museum, at 18 Howard St., will have a special open house to celebrate its 25th anniversary. All are invited for refreshments from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. free of charge.

A favorite holiday tradition has come to Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia for the first time in a musical production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol. " Toby's has chosen the version by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, known for his work in Disney films, with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens of "Ragtime" fame. The show ran for a decade of holiday seasons at New York's Madison Square Garden, where it consistently played to capacity audiences. Menken's music brings an upbeat quality to Dickens' familiar tale of stingy, nasty Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by several ghosts on Christmas Eve to bring about his transformation by Christmas Day. More relevant to contemporary tastes, this fast-paced version is suitable for all, from grandparents to children.