What better day than to start a new blog series of ‘My Favorite Things’ in our neighborhood than Christmas Eve? These things don’t have to be big but they’re the things that make our community such a special place to be raising our kids!
Years ago Purple Goose started the tradition of being a drop off point for letters to Santa. Their mailbox disappeared last year but they continued the tradition this year. Santa replies to each letter that is dropped off!
Del Ray Annual Holiday Tree Lighting, Luminaries,
& Visit with Santa Claus!
Moved to Sat., December 7th ~ 6 pm
Events are at the Del Ray Farmers Market
Corner of Mt. Vernon Avenue and East Oxford Avenue
And along Mt. Vernon Avenue
· Enjoy thousands of Luminaries along Mt. Vernon Avenue
· Sing holiday carols at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market led by:
“The Rainbow Lady from Rainbow Rock aka Kate Moran”
· Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate provided by Evening Star & Buzz Bakery
· Sit on Santa’s lap and have a photo taken
·Come out and see if you can “Find the Spirits” in Del Ray. Many businesses will be open late for shoppers & offering special holiday spirits/beverages
· Stop by Del Ray Artisans Holiday Market to shop & enjoy festive food
And, in the true spirit of the holidays, we are asking our neighbors to help those most in need. In partnership with Carpenter’s Homeless Shelter, we ask you to please bring and drop in the boxes at the tree lighting any of the following items:
· Food – canned goods (soup, vegetables, canned meat)
· Disposable diapers
· New Twin Sheets
· Towels and wash cloths
· Deodorant/Razors
Volunteers are needed December 6 at 2 pm to distribute the luminaries along Mt. Vernon Avenue, 5 pm to light them and at 10 pm to extinguish & pick them up.
To help, contact Gayle Reuter at delraydrba@yahoo.com
Sponsored by the Del Ray Business Association
You’ve been waiting all year and now it’s time to welcome Santa Claus to Alexandria! Here’s where you’ll find the big man in town!
Alexandria Tree Lighting Ceremony: Friday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square (301 King Street). Celebrate the city’s annual tree lighting ceremony. Admission is free and the event will be held rain or shine. Mayor Bill Euille and Mr. and Mrs. Claus will light the city’s tree and there will be a community singalong with the Alexandria Harmonizers and the Alexandria Choral Society.
Light Up the Village at Shirlington: Dec. 3, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Shirlington. Families are invited to take photos with Shirlington’s Santa Claus and participate in activities for children. Horse-drawn carriage rides through the village will also be available.
Del Ray Tree Lighting and Luminarias: Friday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m. Alexandria’s Del Ray community will come together at the corner of Mount Vernon and E. Oxford Avenues to sing carols light the neighborhood tree. Santa is expected to drop by and will likely be available for photos. Mount Vernon Avenue will be lit with hundreds of luminarias.
Breakfast with Santa at Union St. Public House: Breakfast is table-service and we will have a very special menu, including some all-time favorites like Eggs Benedict and Belgian Malted Waffles. Only $13.50 per child and $22 per adult. Cost includes breakfast, milk, soda, coffee, tea, tax, gratuity, and, of course, a visit with Santa. Six seatings each day starting at 8:30 am.
Landmark Mall: Visit Santa in the Center Court any day until Dec. 24th
Santa Claus is Coming to Old Town: Santa and Mrs. Claus are back in Old Town Alexandria to take pictures with children every Saturday and Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This opportunity is presented by the Old Town Boutique District in partnership with the City of Alexandria and the support of area businesses.
See Santa at Pentagon City: Santa even has special hours for photos with pets! He takes breaks to feed the reindeer at 1 and 5 p.m. More info here.
Scottish Walk Parade: The Campagna Center’s Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend and Parade draws nearly 30,000 individuals and families. Tourists travel from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region to participate in this celebrated community event. More than 100 Scottish Clans, pipe and drum bands, Scottish dancers, re-enactment groups, Scottie dogs, dignitaries and, of course, Santa Claus will march through the streets of Old Town. Parade begins at St. Asaph and Wolfe St.
Breakfast with Santa: Join Del Ray United Methodist Church’s Free Annual Breakfast with Santa on Sat., Dec. 7th at 9 a.m.
Visit Mrs. Claus: Greenstreet Gardens at 1721 W Braddock Rd will have a fun twist on visiting Santa. Visit their open house on Saturday, Dec. 30th and meet Mrs. Claus. Have your picture taken with her and give her your letter for Santa.
Whistle Stop Toys and Hobbies: Santa is coming to Whistle Stop Toys and Hobbies on Friday, November 29th. Along with Mrs. Claus and one of his cute little elves! Come take a picture with him and enjoy some holiday cheer!
Brunch with Santa at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City: Enjoy holiday brunch with a very special guest, Santa Clause! Sing your favorite holiday tunes along with our Christmas carolers, and receive a special gift. Reservations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Today is Del Ray’s First Thursday. Come out from 6-9pm along Mount Vernon Avenue and join friends and neighbors for lots of fun! Businesses will be open late and there will be fun activities for people and dogs.
The business association hasn’t released much information about the evening but here’s what I’ve gathered that local businesses will be doing:
I met with Hands On Play’s (HOP) owner Sharon Thomason-Sekyi several months ago while she was preparing to open her newest venture. Sharon arrived in Alexandria with experience from the North East Stars Montessori school that she runs in DC. She saw something missing in Old Town and stepped up to fill in that gap!
HOP is filling a much needed role in Old Town as a welcoming place for children and parents. Sharon’s goal is for HOP to be a one-stop enrichment center for fun and academics serving children ages 1-12. She’s working to bring in enrichment classes on topics that parents want. Her staff is managed by licensed teachers and administrators. They are working on their offerings, so if you have an interest, pass it along! The idea for the classes is that you can drop in at anytime. You don’t sign up for a ‘session’, you simply pay per class.
Another exciting offering at HOP is the Montessori inspired playroom that helps little ones to develop fine motor skills. Rainy and cold days are no problem with this gem located near Trader Joes! Pop into HOP and let your kids run out some energy in a great setting. HOP even allows drop off play so that busy moms and dads can run errands. Drop and shop is available for children 3-12 for up to 90 minutes. Reservations are recommended. The cost for play area use is only $10 for all day or $8 an hour. HOP also hosts birthday parties and playdates, so call to book your group.
HOP is located at 688 N St. Asaph Street on the same block as Trader Joe’s. Hours are Monday-Friday 12pm-7pm, Sat. 10am-12pm.
Today is First Thursday: “Art Walk on the Avenue”
Come watch artists work their magic along Mount Vernon Avenue. The celebration runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and features art demonstrations and live music. The Del Ray Business Association, which puts on the First Thursday celebrations, hopes to have an artist – or two – on every corner including local celebrity chef Will Artley who plans to show off his culinary art.
Other artists expected to attend the event include:
Choreographers Collaboration Project which will dance outside A Show of Hands at the corner of E. Del Ray and Mount Vernon avenues.
Sediment Press will demonstrate how to make postcards.
Lily Beach – face painting
Tessa Barsic – oil painting
Eric Nelson will demonstrate painting on mylar outside Artfully Chocolate.
Ginny Filer – photography, outside Bean Creative.
William Mansfield – banjo
Matthew Harwood – architect turned artist
Lisa Schumaier – artist
Robin Kuprewicz – jewelry artist
Mary Jane O’Loughlin will demonstrate how to put together a book.
Mary Exline – watercolors
Maria Teresa Balda – hair bows
Paula H. Wulff
Marcia Toepfer – watercolors
Joyce Wagner – pressed flower cards
Anne Marie Houston – photography
Renee Rutkowski – glass bead making
Sally Fernandez – sewing/embroidery
Art League artists
Two singing groups also will take turns performing at the Del Farmer’s Market starting at 6:30 pm. First up, Venus d Minor, followed by Jubilee Voices at 7 p.m. The groups will trade off every 30 minutes until the final performance ends at 9 p.m.
The Del Ray Montessori will be doing a cute art project for children in front of Bean Creative.
Friends of Karen Graf are sponsoring a celebration of the arts and the Olympics by creating an international flag. This art project will be led by Maury Elementary’s art teacher, Luisa Tio. This is an activity for all ages. Get ready to get messy with paints and markers! Also, face painter Barbara Scheeler from Let’s Make a Face will be there from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and there will be a bouncy house! At the Bean Creative lot (2213 Mt. Vernon Avenue)
This month, First Thursday organizers are spotlighting The Child & Family Network Centers, a local nonprofit that provides education and related services to low-income children. People are encouraged to donate art supplies to the group at a tent set up at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market at the corner of Oxford and Mount Vernon avenues.
Did you know that as a result of the earthquake, the orphan population of Haiti has more than doubled to close to 800,000? We are approaching the second anniversary of Haiti’s worst earthquake and many are still without the most basic of needs. Please join us in making a difference in one small community in Haiti, Abricots, by donating goods to the children of this village. Abricots is a small fishing village located in the Grand d’Anse region of Haiti. Access to this part of the country is difficult, especially during the rainy season. Roads to the surrounding villages are in some cases non-existent. Many thousands of Abricots’ residents are part of the post-earthquake mass 
exodus out of Port-au-Prince. Included in this number are several hundred orphans that have been transplanted to this region. The four local orphanages are filled beyond capacity, and local families have reached out to host the remaining children in their homes. Grant money from the city council and aid organizations has run out, and many of these children do not have the most basic of supplies.
Give your gently used children’s items a new life. Support Destination Abricots and your donations will go directly to the orphan and disadvantaged children of Abricots. Visit us at www.destinationabricots.com for more information.
Here’s what we are collecting for ages 0 to 18 years:
Basic needs: shoes, underwear, rain gear, school bags, lunchboxes, dress and everyday clothes (no winter), toiletries, and toys
Educational needs: musical instruments, board games, school and craft supplies, early reader and comic books, teacher’s edition books, and translation dictionaries in English to French / Spanish to French.
Sporting equipment: soccer and basketballs, goal nets and basketball hoop rings, sporting gear for these games like jerseys, shoes and socks.
Uniforms: Has your child been in the boy scouts or girl scouts? Coordinate with other members of your child’s previous troop to donate used khaki uniforms for newly established girl and boy scout troops in Abricots.
Was your child on a basketball or socer team in recent years? Coordinate with other members of your child’s team to see if they would be willing to donate old uniforms. We are looking for 11 – 15 matching boys’ jerseys in sizes medium and large and 11 -15 matching girls’ uniforms in sizes small and medium.
Santa arrives in Del Ray this coming Friday, Dec. 2nd. at the annual Del Ray Holiday Tree Lighting. The kids can visit with Santa, there will be thousands of Luminaries along the Avenue and special “Holiday Spirits” that will be offered by many of the retail businesses in Del Ray. The Tree Lighting and visit with Santa will take place at 6 pm, at the lot at Mt. Vernon and E. Oxford Avenues. We will also sing holiday favorites led by our own Kate Moran Band and warm up with a cup of hot chocolate and cookies. After Santa lights the tree he will hand out candy canes and a photographer will be available to take photos of your children with Santa which can be e-mailed to you. Also look for a special appearance by the Del Ray Carolers.
Starting your baby on solids is being held on Friday, Nov. 4th at the Mount Vernon Rec. Center
In this class they discuss solid food readiness, introductory foods, allergies, food progression, and homemade versus purchased baby food. Whether you are overwhelmed with the information that’s out there or don’t know where to begin, you’ll walk away with the confidence to start your baby on the path of healthy eating. This class is for parents of 5-9 month olds.
Go to this link and go to ‘Location’ and select ‘Mount Vernon Rec Ctr’
DEL RAY BABY 