The pandemic has raged on for months and many have lost loved ones. It is a time of great uncertainty, which leads to anguish, anger and heartbreak. Don’t lose sight that something beautiful will happen once again this Dec. 25, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. He came to save us, and to carry…

On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 6 p.m., visit gracechurchvt.org to experience their Christmas Eve candlelight service from the warmth and safety of your home...magnificent Christmas music, prayers, hymns, and a message from Pastor Alberta for this sacred night. It has long been a tradition to bring white gifts to the manger.  This year these gifts…

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the 7:00 PM Brownsville Community Church Christmas Eve Service outdoors has been cancelled due to impending weather. Please join us Christmas Eve at 7:00 PM on Facebook Live. Thursday, Dec. 24 at 7 p.m.—BROWNSVILLE—On Thursday, Dec. 24, there will be a Christmas Eve Service outside at Brownsville Community Church.  The 7 p.m. service…

The results are in! The winners of the Pittsford holiday lights decorating contest judged by fellow community members between Dec. 6 and Dec. 18 are:

By Brooke Geery Long dark nights are a little bit brighter this year, with many local Vermonters taking on Gov. Scott’s challenge to help “Vermont light the way.” In Rutland, visit socialtinkering.com/light-up-rutland to find a map of houses participating in the first ever Light Up Rutland event. Voting is open through Dec. 31 and the…

OKEMO VALLEY—The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC) invited its 12-town region to make an extra effort to decorate this year to help celebrate the holiday season with the Okemo Valley Lights promotion. Businesses, municipalities, neighborhoods and residents were all included. Find more info on the OVRCC website YourPlaceInVermont.com. There is now a new…

Ingredients: 1 oz apple brandy (Lairds, or Calvados) 1 oz Cognac 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice 3/4 oz ginger root infused maple syrup Hot water 2 dashes Angostura bitters Directions: Mix brandy, cognac, lemon juice and maple syrup in a mug. Fill with just boiled water to taste (about 8 oz), and stir. Top…

Ingredients: 1 onion, peeled and diced vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 medium butternut squash that has been peeled, seeded and diced (about 4 cups) 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced 1 qt chicken stock Salt and pepper ½ cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp Runamok Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Syrup 4 or…

By Katy Savage After 34 years, Chef Claude Blais is moving on. Blais sold his Choices Restaurant on Killington Road to two of his employees on Dec. 14. Dan Tolley, the bartender and Tim Galvin, the sous chef, are reopening the restaurant under their name on Dec. 17. Blais, who had long been looking to…

Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.—BARNARD — Local non-profit BarnArts directly spawned out of a winter recital organized by Jarvis Antonio Green in Barnard on Dec. 19, 2011, and that recital has been celebrated as the first Winter Carols and founding event for BarnArts ever since.  BarnArts will be celebrating 10 years of Winter Carols…

On Dec. 19, Pickle Barrel will be opening for the season with live music. Tony Lee Thomas will take the stage at 3 p.m. and MB Padfield will perform at 6 p.m., for her first show back in Killington in years. The Karr Group has revamped the Pickle Barrel set up with tables for people…

By Brooke Geery Struggling to find the perfect gift for that hard-to-please friend or family member? May we suggest the gift of reading? We have teamed up with Phoenix Books in Rutland to compile a list of books either about Vermont, or written here, to help give you some ideas. “Prisoner of Hope” by Yvonne…

By Erin Hunt When planning a foreign adventure, adding a garden to the itinerary is an ideal way to be outside, avoid large crowds and leisurely explore on a budget. You’re able to see sweeping landscapes designed by architects as well as exotic plants up close. And you will come away with ideas for your…

Dec. 17-20—WOODSTOCK—Billings Farm & Museum’s 11th annual Woodstock Vermont Film Series features National Geographic’s “The Last Ice,” available for online streaming Dec. 17-20. The presentation includes an interview with the film’s director, Scott Ressler. Scientific projections forecast the total disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic — the critical cooling system of our planet…

MONTPELIER— Rootstock Publishing, a Montpelier-based publisher and an imprint of Multicultural Media, Inc., announces the publication of The Lost Grip, a debut poetry collection by author-illustrator Eva Zimet of Montpelier, Vermont. ‘The Lost Grip, ‘a beautiful 6.5 by 6.5-inch square book featuring original artwork by Zimet, is a collection of poems, some punctuated with line…